Adsorption of REE in Weathered Granite and Its Importance for Resources

Abstract

Ion-adsorption ores, which have been economically mined only in southern China, are weathered granites and are important supply sources for both LREE and HREE. As REE are electrostatically adsorbed onto weathering products (e.g., kaolinite) in the ores, they can be extracted by ion exchange using an electrolyte solution. Ion-adsorption type mineralization is constrained by the occurrences of REE-bearing minerals in parent granite and a change in pH of soil water, and is characterized by negative Ce anomaly. A series of studies on mineralogy, geochemistry, granite petrology and regional geology are acquired for understanding the genesis of ion-adsorption ores.