(TibetanReview.net, Jun15’25) – Chinese scientists have achieved a breakthrough in the commercial extraction of the critical metal rubidium directly from salt lake brine and whose more accessible form it mines primarily from the historically Tibetan-inhabited province of Qinghai and Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). This potentially slashes China’s dependence on imports – mostly from Canada – that now supply two-thirds of its needs, reported the scmp.comJun 13. The strategic metal is used in tech, military, aerospace and other industries.
The report said this industrial-scale method produces ultra-pure rubidium chloride from ultra-low concentrations, offering a new domestic source for this strategically vital material.
It cited the Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes (ISL) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as announcing Jun 11 that researchers had produced 99.9% pure rubidium chloride from potassium chloride material containing just 0.001% rubidium.
Rubidium, a strategically vital metal for emerging industries, is widely used in the electronics, specialty glass and aerospace sectors. Moreover, it has extensive military, technological and civilian applications. For example, rubidium ions can help improve the performance of perovskite solar cells, while ultra-precise rubidium atomic clocks lose less than one second every 3.7 million years. Besides, Rubidium chloride is used in tumour cell imaging for medical research, the report said.
China faces substantial challenges in rubidium resource development, including low ore grades, difficult extraction conditions and reliance on imports, the report noted.
It cited He Xinyu of the China Non-Ferrous Metals Resource Geological Survey as saying in a February article in China Mining Magazine that while China ranked among the world’s top rubidium reserve holders, 97% of it was in low-grade hard rock deposits, making extraction difficult. The remaining 3% is found in salt lakes and geothermal waters across the TAR and Qinghai province.
“Although China is a major global rubidium producer, its industry relies heavily on imported ores,” He has said. “In 2021, China imported 19,500 tonnes of rubidium concentrate with a 66.3% external procurement rate – primarily from Canada and Zimbabwe.”
He has warned that as minerals become a focal point in the competition between major powers – with the US adding rubidium to its critical minerals list in 2022 – China must prioritise supply chain security through resource diplomacy.
The new extraction process is stated to be also cost-effective, with a 2022 study by an ISL research group led by Gao Dandan revealing that the total production costs for rubidium chloride extracted through similar processes amounted to just one-third of the market price of the compound.
This may help reduce China’s import reliance and improve its strategic autonomy in critical mineral supply chains, the report said.