Rare-Earth Concentrate Production from Technogenic Mineral Formations

Abstract

Scientific and technological progress in modern conditions is largely due to the widespread use of rare-earth elements. There are many areas for their effective utilization. For instance, rare earth elements are needed to manufacture the consumer electronics for which the world has an exponentially expanding appetite. To fulfill this increasing demand the search for new sources of raw materials of REEs is constantly performed. Technogenic mineral formations (TMF), obtained during processing of phosphate uranium ores, where the content of REE reaches 5.0 % can be considered as a viable source of REEs. The utilization of technogenic mineral formations besides solving the primary task, i.e. extraction of REEs, also touches upon issues of environmental safety.