This is the case for many materials. The raw material itself is not rare, the bottleneck is the refining/processing capability and thus the refined material is

This is the case for many materials. The raw material itself is not rare, the bottleneck is the refining/processing capability and thus the refined material is scarce. - The shortage of lumber in US a few years was due to lack of saw mills, not trees - Shortage of semi-conductor grade Neon due to lack of plants that can refine the gas to the required purity - Shortages of oil derived products due to constraints on refining - "Rare earth" shortages as few countries refine. China is one of the few countries willing to tolerate the pollution generated from the refining processes.