Mineral Security Partnership

About Mineral Security Partnership:

• It is an ambitious new initiative to bolster critical mineral supply chains, announced by the United States (US) and key partner countries in June 2022.
• The goal of the alliance is to ensure that critical minerals are produced, processed, and recycled in a manner that supports the ability of countries to realise the full economic development benefit of their geological endowments.
• The focus of the grouping would be on the supply chains of minerals such as Cobalt, Nickel, Lithium and also the 17 “rare earth” minerals.

What is a critical mineral?

• There is no global definition of critical minerals, but essentially, they are mineral deposits with high economic vulnerability and high global supply chain risk.

What are major critical minerals?

• The major critical minerals are Graphite, Lithium and Cobalt.
• They are used for making EV batteries and are also critical for making semiconductors and high-end electronics manufacturing.
• These minerals are also used in manufacturing fighter jets, drones, radio sets and other critical equipment.

Who are the top producers of critical minerals?

• The major producers of critical minerals globally are Chile, Indonesia, Congo, China, Australia and South Africa.

What are rare earth elements?

• The 17 rare earth elements (REE) include the 15 Lanthanides (atomic numbers 57 — which is Lanthanum — to 71 in the periodic table) plus Scandium (atomic number 21) and Yttrium (39). 

 

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Q1) What are major critical minerals?

The major critical minerals are Graphite, Lithium and Cobalt. They are used for making EV batteries and are also critical for making semiconductors and high-end electronics manufacturing. These minerals are also used in manufacturing fighter jets, drones, radio sets and other critical equipment.

Source: India joins US-led critical mineral club, boost likely for EV, electronics