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“EURARE: Development of a sustainable exploitation scheme for Europe’s REE ore

deposits”

Rare Earth Elements basics

2 - Project Overview

Rare Earth Elements


The rare-earth metals or elements (REEs) are a unique group of chemical elements that exhibit a range of special electronic, magnetic, optical and catalytic properties They have hundreds of applications. Their use in components manufactured from a wide range of alloys and compounds, can have a profound effect on the performance of complex engineered systems. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry defines the rare-earth metals as the 15 lanthanoid elements (with atomic numbers of 57 through to 71) in addition to scandium (Sc) and yttrium (Y)

Rare Earth Elements


Light Rare Earths Heavy Rare Earths

HREE are generally much scarcer than LREE. The majority of REE deposits are dominated, in tonnage terms, by the presence of LREE


Rare Earth Elements Deposit types

Primary Deposits

Carbonatite associated

Bastnäsite

Apatite

Monazite

Allanite

Iron-REE Deposits

Bastnäsite

Monazite

Alkaline Ingeous rocks

Eudialyte

Apatite

Loparite

(more than 50% carbonate minerals)

Secondary Deposits

Placer deposits

Phosphate minerals

(Monazite, Xenotime)

Weathering deposits (lateritic)

Phosphate minerals

Ion adsorption

clays

Hydrated HREE ions adsorbed in

clay minerals (e.g. kaolin)

Main REE production today (China, USA) Minor REE production today

(Russia, India, Malaysia, Brazil)

Athens 11-12 Feb 2013 EURARE Kick off meeting 6 - Project Overview BGS@NERC 2011

Rare Earth Elements Deposits


Currently Europe is completely depended on imported REE raw materials

China’s REE reserves may amount from 30% to 50%

of global reserves

Rare Earth Elements Production

Athens 11-12 Feb 2013 EURARE Kick off meeting 8 - Project Overview

Rare Earth Elements Production

China’s is the global leader in REE

production for the past 15 years


Metallic state

Oxidized state

Rare Earth Elements Applications

EU 2020 Strategic Energy Technology plan (SET-Plan) To achieve a the target of

400GW wind power supply, by 2030 Europe will need: at least 4.0% of 2010’s world

supply in Dy and

at least 3.8% of 2010’s world supply in Nd.

China similarly plans to achieve 150 GW of wind power capacity by 2020


App. 300 kg of Nd, Pr, Dy are needed for a 3.5 MW wind turbine

At least seven different REE are present in every car produced & sold in Europe


Glass and Mirrors polishing powder-Cerium

UV cut Glass-Cerium

Car body primers and anti-corrosive coatings-Yttrium

Catalytic Converter-Cerium-Lanthanum

Rare Earth phosphors and filters are used in automotive headlights to reduce glare-Neodymium

+25 Electric Motors Throughout vehicle-Neodymium Magnets-Dysprosium

Engine Sensors-Yttrium (ceramics)

Ductile cast ironCerium, Lanthanum

Glass and Mirrors polishing powder-Cerium

UV cut Glass-Cerium

Car body primers and anti-corrosive coatings-Yttrium

Catalytic Converter-Cerium-Lanthanum

Rare Earth phosphors and filters are used in automotive headlights to reduce glare-Neodymium

+25 Electric Motors Throughout vehicle-Neodymium Magnets-Dysprosium

Engine Sensors-Yttrium (ceramics)

Ductile cast ironCerium, Lanthanum

Total REE content amounts between 100 gr and 1.0 kg per car

European car industry needs between 5,000 to 10,000 t/year in REE


LaaMaa NTUA 2012

Electronic and chemical industry strongly depends on REE


Rare Earth Elements Supply and Demand

5 REEs are considered critical for clean energy production: Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy & Y.


Rare Earth Elements Supply and Demand


Rare Earth Elements Supply and Demand Production data prior to

2008 and projected future production levels are based on USGS Hedrick, 1997; 2002; 2007; 2010; Projected demand for 2008 to 2040 is based on mid-term annual increase in demand of less than 8%. Non-China projected production, from 2009 forward, is hypothetical.


Rare Earth Elements Prices

LREE are more common in most deposits (e.g. Bayan Obo) LREE used in magnets (Nd, Pr) have the highest prices

HREE are more rare in most deposits

(exception Ion adsorption clays)

Eu2O3

Tb2O3

Dy2O3 CeO2

Nd2O3

Pr2O3

Sm2O3


Rare Earth Elements Chinese production

In 2011 China supplied 90% of the global REE In 2011 China produced 70% of the world’s REE components/products. In total US, Germany, France, Canada and Japan have invested 732 million EUR in China’s REE industry

2011 Chinese REE Exports

Does Europe have REE deposits ?



Kvanefjeld

Norra Kärr

Kringlerne


Table 1: EURARE REE Primary and Secondary Mineral Resources

Locality name/

Country

Holder of the license

Geological setting / Genetic

classification

REE target mineral(s)

HREE/LREE ore grade

(%)

Estimated grade of TREO

(%)

Estimated tonnage

(tons TREO)

Kvanefjeld / Greenland

GME Peralkaline nepheline

syenite

Steenstrupine, vitusite,

lovozerite, 12/88 1.07 6,500,000

Norra Kärr / Sweden TASMET

Peralkaine nepheline

syenite

Eudialyte, (catapleiite) 49/51 0.57 331,170

Kringlerne / Greenland TANBREEZ

Peralkaline nepheline

syenite Eudialyte 31/69 0.4 87,200

Fen Complex/ Norway FEN Carbonatite Bastnaesite,

monazite, parasite All REO Not known Not known

Peramos /Greece State Marine

Placers

Ilmenite, magnetite, titanite

tourmaline, 5/95 1.17% Not known

Viotia/Greece ALSA Bauxite residue

(Red Mud) (Phosphates) Not known 0.1% Not known

Importance of European REE deposits


G.P. Hatch, Critical Rare Earths: Global supply & demand projections and the leading contenders for new sources of supply, Technology Metals Research LLC (TMR), August 2011

Known REE potential in Europe is estimated to about 7 Mt TREO

The Kvanefjeld deposit is one of the largest deposits worldwide

The Norra Karr and the Kringlerne deposits are globally important due their a high HREE to LREE ratio


The EURARE Project Developing a sustainable

exploitation scheme for Europe’s REE ore deposits

the main goal of the EURARE project is to set the basis for the development of a European REE industry that will safeguard the uninterrupted supply of REE raw materials and products to crucial for the EU economy industrial sectors, such as automotive, electronics, machinery and chemicals, in a sustainable, economically viable and environmentally friendly way.



No Partner Short name Country

1 NATIONAL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF ATHENS NTUA Greece

2 RHEINISCH-WESTFAELISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE AACHEN RWTH Germany

3 KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN KUL Belgium 4 SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET SLU Sweden

5 ETHNIKO KENTRO VIOSIMIS KAI AEIFOROU ANAPTYXIS EKBAA-IGME Greece

6 SVERIGES GEOLOGISKA UNDERSOKNING SGU Sweden

7 GEOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS GTK Finland 8 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NORWAY NGU Norway

9 THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF DENMARK AND GREENLAND GEUS Denmark &

Greenland

10 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL NERC UK

11 BUREAU DE RECHERCHES GEOLOGIQUES ET MINIERES BRGM France

12 KEMAKTA KONSULT AB KEMAKTA Sweden 13 OUTOTEC (FINLAND) OY OUTOTEC Finland 14 MEAB CHEMIE TECHNIK GMBH MEAB Germany 15 D'APPOLONIA SPA DAPP Italy 16 ALOUMINION AE ALSA Greece 17 TASMET AB TASMET Sweden

18 GREENLAND MINERALS AND ENERGY (TRADING) A/S GME Greenland

19 FEN MINERALS AS FEN Norway 20 LESS COMMON METALS LTD LCM UK 21 NEOREM MAGNETS OY NEOREM Finland 22 JOHNSON MATTHEY PLC JM UK 23 TANBREEZ MINING GREENLAND A/S TANBREEZ Greenland


I. Definition and assessment of the exploitable REE mineral resources and REE demand in Europe.

II. Development of sustainable and efficient REE Ore Beneficiation Technologies, that will lead to the production of high grade REE concentrates and minimization of produced tailings

III. Development of sustainable REE Extraction and Refining Technologies, achieving at least 95% extraction and separation yields of REE and to produce at least 98% pure REE oxides, REE metals and REE alloys suitable for use in downstream industries

IV. The development of a Strategy for safe REE mining and processing

V. Field Demonstration of the novel EURARE REE exploitation technologies.

VI. Identification of novel sustainable exploitation schema for Europe’s REE deposits

EURARE Concept and Objectives


Current problems in the REE production chain

• Low concentration ores require extensive mining • No REE mining in Europe Mining

• Mining Tailings (land usage/fine particles/leachates) • Radioactive / heavy metals in tailings • Froth flotation chemicals - waste water production

Ore Beneficiation

• Energy intensive (ore roasting, high temperature leaching) • Air emissions (fluorides , CO2 ,SO2) • Reagent intensive (use of concentrated acids/bases)

REE Extraction

• Multi stage Solvent extraction (up to 1400 reactor vessels required to achieve complete separation) REE Separation

• Halide salt bath electrolysis • Energy and resource intensive metallothermic reduction • Magnet alloy production is a patented process (China and

Japan) REE Metal/Alloy


EURARE innovations • Exploit new types of deposits (Peralkaline) • Utilization of metallurgical by-products (e.g. bauxite residues) Mining

• Minimize tailings through holistic approaches • Stabilize Radioactive / heavy metal contents • Use physical beneficiation methods • Waste water purification

Ore Beneficiation

• Process under milder (atmospheric) conditions • “Green” reagents (ionic liquids, biodegradable surfactants ) REE Extraction

• Novel REE separation concepts (use of Ionic Liquids, nano-particle magnetic adsorbents) REE Separation

• Electro-deposition form Ionic Liquids • Salt electrolysis in calcium/sodium oxide melts • Direct magnet master alloy production

REE Metal/Alloy


RTD Effort


Demonstration Plan

EURARE’s Expected Impact Promote sustainable / holistic mining and ore

beneficiation Foster the development of new mining and extractive

industries in Europe - Jump start a European REE industry

Strengthen leadership of European technology developers and providers in extractive metallurgy

Secure critical raw material supply in Europe The Kvanefjeld project could potentially supply >20% of global

REE demand (Europe currently imports 14% of the global REE production)

The Norra Karr project could potentially supply 14% of the projected 2014 world demand in Dy oxide, 7% in Tb oxide and 2.2% of Nd oxide.

Create and sustain jobs in critical industrial sectors (automotive, renewable energy, electronics and others)



T H A N K

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Development of a sustainable exploitation scheme for ...promine.gtk.fi/documents_news/promine_final_conference/8_50... · Engine Sensors-Yttrium ... Secure critical raw material supply