The United States Geological Survey seeks public comments on the revised list of key minerals. Nickel, zinc, magnesium, etc.

The United States Geological Survey announced on Monday that it would consult the public on the revised draft of key minerals by December 9. The revised draft currently lists 50 minerals.

Under the Energy Act of 2020, "critical minerals" are defined as non-fuel minerals or mineral materials that are critical to the United States economy or national security and the supply chain, and are vulnerable to interference.

Key minerals are also characterized as playing an important role in the manufacturing process of products, without which they would have a significant impact on the economy or national security.

"the USGS list of key minerals provides industry, policy makers, economists and scientists with important information about the most important minerals in the US supply chain," said Tanya Trujillo, assistant secretary for water and science at the Home Office.

"Statistics and information are critical to understanding the vulnerability of the United States to critical mineral supply disruptions, including global supply and demand data on minerals and materials that are critical to the U.S. economy and national security."

In 2018, the Ministry of the Interior, in consultation with other cabinet agencies, developed the first list of key minerals in the United States in response to Executive order 13817.

Under the Energy Act, the department needs to review and update the list of key minerals at least every three years, update the methods used to identify potentially critical minerals, collect inter-agency feedback and public comments through the Federal Gazette, and finalize the list of key minerals, also known as the "government as a whole" list of key minerals.

Two years later, the United States Geological Survey, in cooperation with the key Minerals Subcommittee of the National Council for Science and Technology, released a report describing the updated methods and results of the assessment list of key minerals. The report forms the basis of the draft government-wide list of key minerals in 2021.

The draft list of key mineral resources of the whole government in 2021 includes the following:

Aluminum, used in almost all sectors of the economy

Antimony, for lead-acid batteries and flame retardants

Arsenic for semiconductors

Barite, used in the production of hydrocarbons.

Beryllium, used as an alloying agent in the aerospace and defense industries

Bismuth, used in medicine and atomic research

Cerium for catalytic converters, ceramics, glass, metallurgy and polishing compounds

Cesium for research and development

Chromium, mainly used in stainless steel and other alloys

Cobalt for rechargeable batteries and superalloys

Dysprosium for permanent magnets, data storage devices and lasers

Erbium for optical fibers, optical amplifiers, lasers and glass colorants

Europium for phosphors and nuclear control rods

Fluorite, used in the manufacture of aluminum, cement, iron and steel, gasoline and fluorine chemicals

Gadolinium for medical imaging, permanent magnets and steelmaking

Gallium for optical devices such as integrated circuits and LED

Germanium for optical fiber and night vision applications

Graphite for lubricants, cells and fuel cells

Hafnium for nuclear control rods, alloys and high temperature ceramics

Holmium for permanent magnets, nuclear control rods and lasers

Indium for liquid crystal displays

Iridium, used as anodic coating and chemical catalyst for electrochemical processes

Lanthanum, used in the production of catalysts, ceramics, glass, polishes, metallurgy and batteries

Lithium for rechargeable batteries

Lutetium, a scintillator for medical imaging, electronics and some cancer treatments

Magnesium, used as alloys and reducing metals

Manganese, for steelmaking and batteries

Neodymium for permanent magnets, rubber catalysts and medical and industrial lasers

Nickel, used in the manufacture of stainless steel, superalloys and rechargeable batteries

Niobium, mainly used in steel and superalloys

Palladium for catalytic converters and as catalysts

Platinum for catalytic converters

Praseodymium for permanent magnets, batteries, aviation alloys, ceramics and colorants

Rhodium for catalytic converters, electronic components and catalysts

Rubidium for electronic research and development

Ruthenium, used as a catalyst, as well as electrical contacts and chip resistors in computers

Samarium, used in permanent magnets, absorbents for nuclear reactors and cancer treatment

Scandium for alloys, ceramics and fuel cells

Tantalum, used in electronic components, mainly capacitors and superalloys

Tellurium, used in solar cells, thermoelectric equipment and as an alloy additive

Terbium for permanent magnets, optical fibers, lasers and solid-state devices

Thulium for various metal alloys and lasers

Tin, used as a protective coating and alloy for steel

Titanium, used as a white pigment or metal alloy

Tungsten, mainly used in the manufacture of wear-resistant metals

Vanadium, mainly used as alloying agent for iron and steel

Ytterbium for catalysts, scintillators, lasers and metallurgy

Yttrium for ceramics, catalysts, lasers, metallurgy and phosphors

Zinc, mainly used in metallurgical production of galvanized steel

Zirconium for high temperature ceramics and corrosion resistant alloys.