Yttrium
Yttrium, making up only about 0.2% of the rare earth content of Bastnasite, is typically not recovered from this mineral. Rather, ion-adsorption ores provide the bulk of the world’s Yttrium. Every vehicle contains Yttrium based materials that help improve the efficiency of fuels, thereby eliminating excess pollution. Another important use of Yttrium is in microwave communication devices for the defense and satellite industries.

Yttrium Iron Garnets (YIG) are used as resonators for use in frequency meters, magnetic field measurement devices, tunable transistors and Gunn oscillators. Yttrium containing garnets are used in cellular communications devices by industries such as defense, satellites and phones.

Yttrium and other Lanthanides have many high-tech and defense uses including being used as a stabilizer and mold former for exotic light-weight jet engine turbines and other parts, and as a stabilizer material in rocket nose cones. Yttrium, as well as many other Lanthanides, can also be formed into laser crystals specific to spectral characteristics for military communications.

Yttrium ceramics can be used as crucibles for melting reactive metals and as nozzles for jet casting molten alloys. The benefits of yttrium are also obtained by coating the oxide on other substrates. The precision investment casting of titanium utilizes the oxide as the face coat on the exposed surface of the casting mold.

Everyday products also utilize Yttrium. Each car contains oxygen sensors composed of Yttrium based ceramic materials. These sensors provide for the most efficient use of fuel and eliminate excess pollution from burnt fuels. Yttrium can also be found in your home as Yttrium-Europium phosphors produce the red color in CRT televisions and computer screens. And maybe even on your hand as Yttrium stabilized cubic zirconia produces simulated diamonds