Separation of acid leach of Rare Earth Elements (REE)s;Rare Earth Elements (REE);bastnaesite route;Rare Earth Elements (REE) containing ore

Categories:
Categories:
Unit processes/Materials production/Non-energetic raw materials
Location:
NMG-CN
Reference year: 2014 -
Description

The rare earth elements (REEs) extracted from the described industrial process are utilized in various high-tech applications, including the production of powerful permanent magnets, hybrid vehicle batteries, fluorescent lamps, and electronics. Specifically, the acid leach separation process applied to bastnaesite route REE-containing ore is a critical step for isolating pure REE compounds necessary for these applications. When using this dataset for Life Cycle Assessment, ensure you account for variations in mineralogy and processing routes, as they can affect the environmental impacts of REE production. Studies pertaining to radioactivity should include radioactivity flows if available. Quantification of waste treatment flows in LCIs is essential due to the potential environmental impacts. Co-mining aspects have to be considered, highlighting the co-products obtained in addition to REE. The functional unit for comparison is the production of 1 kg of a basket of REO (Rare Earth Oxides) from the specified mineralogical and processing route.

Technology

In this study, the REE production system was analyzed from mining up to and including solvent extraction which contains product finishing processes such as precipitation and calcination

Process type
Unit
LCI modeling approach
Attributional
Multifunctional modeling
NONE
Format
ILCD
Aggregation type
NOT_APPLICABLE
Data provider
TianGong
Review status
Internal
Cost
Free
Contact
Tiangong LCI Data Working Group