MONTREAL, Dec. 20, 2011 /ATR-Newswire/  ELECTRONICS.CA PUBLICATIONS, the electronics industry market research and knowledge network, announces the release of a comprehensive global report on rare earth market.

In a recent release, RARE EARTHS: WORLDWIDE MARKETS, APPLICATIONS, AND TECHNOLOGIES, the global market for rare earth oxides (REO) was 158.2 thousand metric tons in 2011, and is expected to reach nearly 258 thousand metric tons by 2016, a compound annual growth rate of 10.3%.

The global market for rare earth oxides can be broken down into six segments – mechanical or metallurigical, glass and ceramics, chemical, energy, electronics, and others.

The mechanical or metallurigical segment accounted for almost 51 thousand metric tons in 2011, and should be nearly 77 thousand metric tons by the end of 2016, a CAGR of 8.6%.

The glass and ceramics segment totaled 39.5 thousand metric tons in 2011 and should reach 60 thousand tons in 2016, a CAGR of 8.7%.

The chemical segment, 24.8 thousand metric tons in 2011, should total 32.6 thousand metric tons in 2016, a CAGR of 6.2%.

The energy segment, 27.3 thousand metric tons in 2011, should total nearly 62 thousand metric tons in 2016, a CAGR of 17.8%. The segment made up of electronics, optics, and optoelectronics accounted for nearly 12 thousand metric tons in 2011 and in 2016 should total nearly 21.3 thousand metric tons after increasing at a CAGR of 12.4%.

The other rare earth oxides accounted for nearly 4 thousand metric tons in 2011, and in 2016 will account for nearly 5.2 thousand metric tons, a compound annual growth rate of 5.8%.

Rare earths are a group of 17 metallic elements that have similar chemical structures with unique properties. BCC research group has followed the rare earths market for more than 15 years, reporting on all the latest technical and market developments. During this period, consumption of these materials has expanded by a factor of three and many new products containing these elements have been introduced.

Many factors will positively affect the future expansion of the rare earths market, including high levels of research and development activity, and the now currently rapid growth of applications that in the past have had a marginal impact, such as solar cells and high-temperature superconductors.

This study is directed toward executives, directors, operations managers, sales and marketing managers, and strategic planners working within the rare earths industries. Universities and research facilities may also find this study to be a good source of technical information regarding rare earth materials, sources, technology, and applications that  can be used as a baseline for new or expanded research and development activities.

Details of the new report, table of contents and ordering information can be found on Electronics.ca Publications' web site.
View the report: RARE EARTHS: WORLDWIDE MARKETS, APPLICATIONS, AND TECHNOLOGIES.