Rising demand and prices for certain metals are causing some manufacturers of high-technology products to scramble to cut their usage. Products such as cell phones and jet engines, hybrid cars and energy-efficient light bulbs require a steady stream of metals, some of which are scarce, for production. Last year, China, which controls more than 90 percent of the global production of rare earth metals, slashed export quotas, sending prices soaring. Mining companies around the world responded by restarting rare earth mines, but many companies began searching for ways to reduce, or eliminate, their need for such metals. According to a recent Goldman Sachs analysts report, “We are already seeing signs of [companies using less of these raw materials] in some applications, and research and development aimed at developing substitutes in others.” General Electric Company, for one, is embracing a strategy focused on limiting waste, using less, recycling, and developing substitutes, for its wide array of products, such as medical equipment, optics and headphones, which require such metals. The company recently reduced its use of rhenium by two-thirds, by cutting back on its use, and using other hardening additives that are cheaper and more abundant, to help steel products retain shape and hardness. Steven Duclos, GE’s chief scientist for materials sustainability, said, the company has been able to reduce rare earth metal use by 10 to 80 percent by simply adjusting manufacturing processes. “A lot of the processes were not developed with conservation of the material in mind,” he said. Toyota Motor Corporation, which uses neodymium magnets in the motor of its Prius hybrid-electric car, is now working to develop a motor that does not use rare earth metals. It is also involved in a joint venture with Tesla Motors to develop a car model without permanent magnet technology. Jeff Evanson, Tesla’s vice president of investor relations, said, “Our motor has no rare-earth metals in it and no permanent magnets. All the Teslas have been designed that way, in large part due to our desire to have a very efficient motor.”
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