Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Tracking terbium metabolism in China with implications for its dominance in global rare earth supply. / Liu, W.; Guo, W.; Chen, J.; Peng, S.; Ru, L.; Chen, Y.; Chen, Z.; Wang, D.; Dai, S.; Huang, W.; Li, Z.; Abakumov, E.; Wang, W.; Liu, Y.; Ji, X.; Lian, S.; Xiao, H.; Liu, Z.; Anjum, H.A.; Xie, X.
In: Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Vol. 22, 01.12.2025.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Tracking terbium metabolism in China with implications for its dominance in global rare earth supply
AU - Liu, W.
AU - Guo, W.
AU - Chen, J.
AU - Peng, S.
AU - Ru, L.
AU - Chen, Y.
AU - Chen, Z.
AU - Wang, D.
AU - Dai, S.
AU - Huang, W.
AU - Li, Z.
AU - Abakumov, E.
AU - Wang, W.
AU - Liu, Y.
AU - Ji, X.
AU - Lian, S.
AU - Xiao, H.
AU - Liu, Z.
AU - Anjum, H.A.
AU - Xie, X.
N1 - Export Date: 01 November 2025; Cited By: 0; Correspondence Address: X. Xie; Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Engineering Research Center of Watershed Carbon Neutralization, Ministry of Education, School of Resource and Environment, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330031, China; email: xchxie@ncu.edu.cn
PY - 2025/12/1
Y1 - 2025/12/1
N2 - Terbium (Tb), a critical heavy rare earth element, faces intensifying supply–demand imbalances driven by its irreplaceable role in green technologies and geopolitical supply chain complexities. To explore sustainable pathways for Tb, this study establishes a spatially and temporally explicit material flow analysis framework to map Tb's life cycle dynamics across China's socioeconomic systems (1990–2024) and global trade networks. Results reveal that Asia and Europe as pivotal hubs, with China dominating 68.57% (1.05 × 104 t) of global Tb flows, primarily channeled into phosphors (peaking at 74.5% in 2007) and permanent magnets (90% of post-2021. Historically, Tb flows have been closely tied to industrial product cycles. From 1990 to 2024, approximately 1.16 × 104 t of Tb were mined and processed into various end-use products. Fluorescent lamps were historically the dominant end use; however, since 2014, permanent magnets have become precedence, accounting for 90% of the market flow in 2024, followed by new energy technologies and household appliances. Tb demand in the new energy sector is expected to exceed that of household appliances and become the main driver of consumption. Therefore, the most significant potential for Tb recovery resides in fluorescent lamps and home appliances, which account for 63% of total recovery in 2023. However, an urgent imperative exists for the proactive development of systematic recycling industries to address the imminent surge in end-of-life products such as wind turbines and new energy vehicles. To achieve global sustainability of Tb, technology-accelerated pathways urgently require diversified supply sources and innovations in industrial-scale recycling. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
AB - Terbium (Tb), a critical heavy rare earth element, faces intensifying supply–demand imbalances driven by its irreplaceable role in green technologies and geopolitical supply chain complexities. To explore sustainable pathways for Tb, this study establishes a spatially and temporally explicit material flow analysis framework to map Tb's life cycle dynamics across China's socioeconomic systems (1990–2024) and global trade networks. Results reveal that Asia and Europe as pivotal hubs, with China dominating 68.57% (1.05 × 104 t) of global Tb flows, primarily channeled into phosphors (peaking at 74.5% in 2007) and permanent magnets (90% of post-2021. Historically, Tb flows have been closely tied to industrial product cycles. From 1990 to 2024, approximately 1.16 × 104 t of Tb were mined and processed into various end-use products. Fluorescent lamps were historically the dominant end use; however, since 2014, permanent magnets have become precedence, accounting for 90% of the market flow in 2024, followed by new energy technologies and household appliances. Tb demand in the new energy sector is expected to exceed that of household appliances and become the main driver of consumption. Therefore, the most significant potential for Tb recovery resides in fluorescent lamps and home appliances, which account for 63% of total recovery in 2023. However, an urgent imperative exists for the proactive development of systematic recycling industries to address the imminent surge in end-of-life products such as wind turbines and new energy vehicles. To achieve global sustainability of Tb, technology-accelerated pathways urgently require diversified supply sources and innovations in industrial-scale recycling. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
KW - Global trade
KW - Industrial ecology
KW - Rare earth elements
KW - Resource sustainability
KW - Terbium
KW - Domestic appliances
KW - Ecology
KW - Electronic Waste
KW - Life cycle
KW - Permanent magnets
KW - Recycling
KW - Supply chains
KW - Sustainable development
KW - Terbium compounds
KW - Analysis frameworks
KW - Green technology
KW - Heavy rare earth elements
KW - Materials flow analysis
KW - Rare-earths
KW - Supply chain complexity
KW - Supply demand imbalance
KW - International trade
KW - electric vehicle
KW - energy use
KW - global trade
KW - industrial ecology
KW - innovation
KW - material flow analysis
KW - metabolism
KW - rare earth element
KW - recycling
KW - wind turbine
KW - China
KW - Europe
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/c0fffdac-7455-3863-87b8-26113f3968a9/
U2 - 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100263
DO - 10.1016/j.resenv.2025.100263
M3 - статья
VL - 22
JO - Resources, Environment and Sustainability
JF - Resources, Environment and Sustainability
SN - 2666-9161
ER -
ID: 143196597