Process information
| Key Data Set Information | |
| Location | NMG-CN |
| Geographical representativeness description | Bayan Obo (China) |
| Reference year | 2014 |
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| Use advice for data set | Users of this dataset should account for the technological specificity of the solvent extraction process when applying this data to LCA models, considering the various separation stages required for achieving the desired purity levels of individual REEs. Special attention should be given to the inclusion or exclusion of impacts associated with the co-extraction of radioactive elements like thorium and uranium. Additional methodological considerations must include the potential need for supplemental extraction steps to isolate each REE and meet high purity specifications, which can affect the overall environmental impact assessment. |
| Technical purpose of product or process | The separated rare earth elements (REE) obtained through solvent extraction processes are critical for various high-tech applications, including the production of magnets for wind turbines and electric vehicles, battery alloys, electronics, optical equipment, and catalysts. The final products, individual rare earth carbonates, are integral to the manufacturing of specialized components where high purity REE are required due to their unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties. |
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| General comment on data set | The separated rare earth elements (REE) obtained through solvent extraction processes are critical for various high-tech applications, including the production of magnets for wind turbines and electric vehicles, battery alloys, electronics, optical equipment, and catalysts. The final products, individual rare earth carbonates, are integral to the manufacturing of specialized components where high purity REE are required due to their unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical properties. |
| Copyright | No |
| Owner of data set | |
| Quantitative reference | |
| Reference flow(s) | |
| Functional Unit | One ton of rare earth chloride aqueous solution processed at a solvent extraction facility in China to produce individual rare earth carbonates was defined as the functional unit. |
| Technological representativeness | |
| Technology description including background system | After the leaching step, using solvent extraction processes, the metal ion solution is separated into heavy, medium, and light rare earth ions. In addition, due to the ability to handle larger volumes of dilute pregnant solutions in industrial scale, solvent extraction has become the common practice to separate individual rare earth ions. It is worth mentioning that since the separation techniques are according to the variation in the potential of complex formation between the extractants (organic solvents) and the rare earth ions, the separation of neighboring rare earth ions by applying traditional solvent extraction approaches is laborious. Moreover, the presence of significant amount of radioactive elements such as thorium and to a marginal level uranium in primary REE resources and co-extraction of these elements make the REE production process more challenging. Additional solvent extraction steps are also mandatory to produce solutions of individual rare earths with purity higher than 99% |
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Modelling and validation
Administrative information
Inputs and Outputs