Rare earth sources

Commercial mining of rare-earth reserves began ia the late 1800s. Mona2ite was the principal rare-earth source up until 1965. Thereafter bastnaesite production exceeded mona2ite production and as of 1992 bastnaesite, which is the world s principal source of rare earths, constituted 65% of world output of rare-earth minerals (see Table 5). In addition to the conventional ores, there are several other rare-earth resources having a low level of iadustrial production. 

It should be kept in mind that commercially used rare earth sources contain small quantities of these other rare earths. 

Rare-Earth Sources and Ceria based Rare-Earth Minerals... 

From an economic point of view the most important rare earth sources in the world... 

Rare earth carbonates have few uses as such. They are used as a rare earth source in synthesis and in the preparation of microcrystalline oxide powders (Yukinori and Fumikazu, 1978). Cerium carbonates have been suggested for use in thermochemical cycles for the production of hydrogen from water (Peterson and Onstott, 1978). 

Although China is dominant in the production of separated rare earths (97%), it is not dominant in terms of rare earth deposits with extensive sources also in USA, India, Brazil, Malaysia, Africa and Australia. Australia has abimdant rare earths sources, and hence has the potential to be a major supplier. It was once a major exporter of monazite based on East Coast mineral sands, of which the tomist resort Fraser Island remains an imtouched example. In the 80s and early 90s, there were several attempts at major developments in Australia. WIM Minerals, a... 

Gr. aktis, aktinos, beam or ray). Discovered by Andre Debierne in 1899 and independently by F. Giesel in 1902. Occurs naturally in association with uranium minerals. Actinium-227, a decay product of uranium-235, is a beta emitter with a 21.6-year half-life. Its principal decay products are thorium-227 (18.5-day half-life), radium-223 (11.4-day half-life), and a number of short-lived products including radon, bismuth, polonium, and lead isotopes. In equilibrium with its decay products, it is a powerful source of alpha rays. Actinium metal has been prepared by the reduction of actinium fluoride with lithium vapor at about 1100 to 1300-degrees G. The chemical behavior of actinium is similar to that of the rare earths, particularly lanthanum. Purified actinium comes into equilibrium with its decay products at the end of 185 days, and then decays according to its 21.6-year half-life. It is about 150 times as active as radium, making it of value in the production of neutrons. 

Cerium is the most abundant so-called rare-earths metal. It is found in a number of minerals including ahanite (also known as orthite), monazite, bastnasite, cerhe, and samarskite. Monazite and bastnasite are presently the two more important sources of cerium. 

The element occurs along with other rare-earth elements in a variety of minerals. Monazite and bastnasite are the two principal commercial sources of the rare-earth metals. It was prepared in relatively pure form in 1931. 

Gr. neos, new, and didymos, twin) In 1841, Mosander, extracted from cerite a new rose-colored oxide, which he believed contained a new element. He named the element didymium, as it was an inseparable twin brother of lanthanum. In 1885 von Welsbach separated didymium into two new elemental components, neodymia and praseodymia, by repeated fractionation of ammonium didymium nitrate. While the free metal is in misch metal, long known and used as a pyrophoric alloy for light flints, the element was not isolated in relatively pure form until 1925. Neodymium is present in misch metal to the extent of about 18%. It is present in the minerals monazite and bastnasite, which are principal sources of rare-earth metals. 

Following the movement of airborne pollutants requires a natural or artificial tracer (a species specific to the source of the airborne pollutants) that can be experimentally measured at sites distant from the source. Limitations placed on the tracer, therefore, governed the design of the experimental procedure. These limitations included cost, the need to detect small quantities of the tracer, and the absence of the tracer from other natural sources. In addition, aerosols are emitted from high-temperature combustion sources that produce an abundance of very reactive species. The tracer, therefore, had to be both thermally and chemically stable. On the basis of these criteria, rare earth isotopes, such as those of Nd, were selected as tracers. The choice of tracer, in turn, dictated the analytical method (thermal ionization mass spectrometry, or TIMS) for measuring the isotopic abundances of... 

Table 6. Rare-Earth Oxide Distribution in Mineral and Clay Sources, wt ...

Apatite and other phosphorites constitute a substantial resource of rare earths. The REO content is highly variable and ranges from trace amounts to over 1%. Apatite- [1306-05-4] rich tailings of the iron ore at Mineville, New York, have been considered a potential source of yttrium and lanthanides. Rare-earth-rich apatites are found at the Kola Peninsula, Russia, and the Phalaborwa complex in South Africa. In spite of low REO content apatites could become an important source of rare earths because these are processed in large quantities for the manufacturing of fertilisers (qv). 

The purity of the cerium-containing materials depends on the appHcation as indicated in Table 3, and purity can mean not only percentage of cerium content but also absence of unwanted components. For some uses, eg, gasoline production catalysts, the lanthanides are often used in the natural-ratio without separation and source Hterature for these appHcations often does not explicitly mention cerium. Conversely, particulady in ferrous metallurgy, cerium is often assumed to be synonymous with rare-earth or lanthanide and these terms are used somewhat interchangeably. 

The cerium concentrate derived from bastnasite is an excellent polish base, and the oxide derived direcdy from the natural ratio rare-earth chloride, as long as the cerium oxide content is near or above 50 wt %, provides an adequate glass poHsh. The polishing activity of the latter is better than the Ce02 Ln0 ratio suggests. Materials prepared prior to any Ln purification steps are sources for the lowest cost poHshes available used to treat TV face plates, mirrors, and the like. For precision optical polishing the higher purity materials are preferred. 

K. A. Gschneider Jr. and L. Eyring (eds.). Handbook on the Physics and Chemistry of Rare Earths, North-Holland, Amsterdam. fel. 1, (1978) to Vol. 21, (1995). An authoritative source of information on all topics associated with lanthanide elements. 

Figure 3-5. Comparison of activity retention between rare-earth-exchanged zeolites versus USY zeolites. (Source Grace Davison Octane Handbook.)...

A typical NaY zeolite contains approximately 13 wt% Na20. To enhance activity and thermal and hydrothermal stability of NaY, the sodium level must be reduced. This is normally done by the ion exchanging of NaY with a medium containing rare earth cations and/ or hydrogen ions. Ammonium sulfate solutions are frequently employed as a source for hydrogen ions. 

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