Assessing gadolinium resource efficiency and criticality in China

Abstract

Gadolinium (Gd) is one important non-renewable strategic element and has been widely used in many fields. This study investigates gadolinium flows in China by conducting dynamic material flow analysis and identifies key factors that affect gadolinium supply and demand. Results show that: (1) China's demand for Gd increased by 30% from 2011 to 2020; (2) Gd supply kept increasing and reached 1922 tons in 2020; (3) Gd resource was exported mainly in the form of intermediate and final products, in which 72% Gd embedded in intermediate products was used for export to meet the growing global demand for Gd. The criticality of gadolinium is not that severe. But it is necessary to prepare appropriate policies to meet with future demands from emerging fields, such as ensuring sustainable supply of gadolinium resources, upgrading China's role in the global gadolinium industrial chain, and improving gadolinium resources efficiency by all the means.