Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential to modern life. Found in the screens we tap, the cars we drive, the wind turbines that generate clean power, and the defense systems that protect the country. It’s easy to overlook just how much we rely on them.
Chances are, you’re reading this on a device powered by rare earths.
But the U.S. imports nearly all of them - mostly from China. Moreover, China controls roughly 90% of global rare earth processing, leaving American manufacturers and consumers vulnerable to seismic disruptions we can’t control.
Here’s the good news: Despite their name, rare earths aren’t actually geologically rare - they’re just rarely found in high enough concentrations to extract efficiently. As Scientific American explains:
“What makes rare earths ‘rare’ is not their scarcity, but the difficulty in extracting and separating them from surrounding materials.”
Read more -> The Scientific American
That makes Florida’s REE supply so unique. While the phosphate industry is focused on producing phosphate products to help grow crops, rare earth elements are collected along the way and set aside for future use.
Every year, manufacturing the materials farmers need to grow crops also creates a byproduct called phosphogypsum (PG). Stored in gypstacks, PG contains a wide range of rare earth elements - the kind used to power critical technologies.
Today, Florida’s gypstacks contain more than a billion tons of material. Experts believe there’s enough REE in those stacks to supply the United States for decades.
And each year, enough PG is created — with REEs inside — to meet America's demand.
That’s a game-changer.
We already have the materials. We just haven’t unlocked their full potential yet. That’s exactly what researchers and economists are now working on.
As a result, Florida may be sitting on one of the most important, accessible sources of REEs in the western world: a strategic reserve hiding in plain sight.
Phosphate innovation is full of surprises. This is one of them.
Learn more: https://phosphateinnovation.com/rareearthelements/
