The Investigation of Concentration Processes of Rare Earth Elements from Primary and Secondary Mineral Resources by Physical and Physico-chemical Methods

Abstract

Rare earth elements (REE) are used in products requiring high technology and the defense industry and they have recently been on the agenda with their strategic importance. With the restrictions imposed on exports by China, which has a monopoly in terms of production and reserve, other countries producing high technology have started to search for new REE resources. Primary commercial REE minerals are bastnasite, monazite, and xenotime. Countries that do not have these mineral resources have begun to search for new sources and new processes using secondary REE minerals such as eudialyte, loparite, pyrochlore, anklicite and aegirine. Within the scope of this study, after giving general information such as REE minerals, reserves and production status in the world, and their usage areas, information about the concentration methods from primary and secondary mineral resources, case studies, and process flow charts are compiled.

Keywords

• Gravity separation
• flotation
• concentration
• REE
• enrichment methods

Birincil ve İkincil Mineral Kaynaklarından Nadir Toprak Elementlerinin Fiziksel ve Fizikokimyasal Yöntemlerle Üretim Proseslerinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

Nadir toprak elementleri (NTE), sahip olduğu özellikler sayesinde yüksek teknoloji gerektiren ürünlerde ve savunma sanayiinde kullanılmakta olup, stratejik öneme sahip olmaları ile son zamanlarda gündemdedirler. Üretim ve rezerv konusunda tekel konumda olan Çin’in ihracata getirdiği sınırlamalar ile birlikte yüksek teknoloji üreten ülkeler kaynak arayışına başlamıştır. Ticari olarak birincil NTE mineralleri bastnazit, monazit ve ksenotimdir. Bu minerallere sahip olmayan ülkeler ikincil NTE minerallerinden [Eudialyte (Ödalit), loparit, piroklor, anklisit, aegirine (egrin)] üretimleri araştırmaya ve işlemeye başlamışlardır. Bu çalışma kapsamında NTE mineralleri, dünyadaki rezerv ve üretim durumu, kullanım alanları gibi genel bilgilere değinildikten sonra, birincil ve ikincil mineral kaynaklarından konsantre elde edilmesinde uygulanan yöntemler, yapılan çalışmalar ve proses akım şemaları ile ilgili bilgiler derlenmiştir.

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