Faiza Tehseen

The rock suits of Peshawar Plain Alkaline Igneous Province (PAIP) host seven targets of neodymium – a precious rare earth metal, Muhammad Yaqub Shah, acting member of the Sectoral Council for Marble, Granite, and Minerals, Ministry of Finance, told WealthPK. The PAIP is a long strip of around 200km spreading from Mansehra district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to the Afghan border. “Neodymium is a silvery white, soft, and malleable metal mostly found in igneous rock formations. In the earth’s crust, it is found twice as much lead and at least half equal to the total quantity of copper. Being a rare earth element (REE), it is considered one of the most reactive lanthanides. “Monazite and bastnasite are the principal sources of most lanthanides including neodymium.

It is important for Pakistan to weave a proper framework for extracting all the precious REEs and their value addition for economic prosperity,” said Yaqub, who is also former general manager geology at the state-owned Pakistan Mineral Development Corporation (PMDC). Neodymium is vastly used for a variety of industrial, domestic, and medical purposes. Its alloy with boron and iron is remarkably used to manufacture permanent, stronger, cheaper, and lighter magnets used in many electronic devices, i.e., microphones, mobile phones, loudspeakers, earphones, electric cars, musical instruments, medical equipment (bone repair, magnetic braces), hard drives, battery-powered gadgets, steel welding, and cryocoolers. It tarnishes in the air easily. To stop corrosion, its magnets are triple-plated, i.e., nickel-copper-nickel, which makes them last for years.

Neodymium is widely used in the glass manufacturing industry to produce special-purpose glass. For example, light bulbs made out of this glass produce more bright and natural light by blocking the yellow incandescent hue. Neodymium glass is dichroic, as it reflects different light in natural and artificial lights. It is also used for producing lasers and sharp bands in astronomical work, eye surgery, cancer treatment, cosmetic surgery, and laser pointers. Neodymium oxide is used for different industrial purposes, i.e., to color glass, catalyze polymerization reactions, and manufacture optical fibre; while neodymium salts are used as the colorant of several enamels. The international neodymium market is projected to grow to USD7.91 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3% from USD5.52 billion in 2023. Yaqub emphasised that the policymakers should focus on the extraction of all minerals, especially REEs, for the collective benefit of the country.

Credit: INP-WealthPk