Rare earths are everywhere -- for now

Prius owners shouldn't feel too guilty about their cars' rare earth needs; Green tech isn't the only energy industry that uses rare earths, big oil needs them too. The oil refining process uses a powder made from rare earth metals cerium and lanthanum to speed up petroleum refining. The metals are a major component of something called a fluid cracking catalyst, basically a substance that breaks molecules in crude oil into the smaller pieces that make up lighter petroleum products such as gasoline.

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