Abstract:
Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are a set of seventeen chemically similar elements in the periodic
table, including fifteen metallic elements of the lanthanide series. Yttrium and Scandium.
REEs are significantly used in numerous high-tech applications in sectors, such as metallurgy,
military, petroleum and agriculture. Therefore, REEs are considered as critical and strategic
elements i n the industrial revolution towards a green economy i n the future. However, China
is the world's largest producer, consumer and exporter of REEs, currently controlling more
than 90% of the global supply. According to the recent Chinese industrial policies, they have
reduced their REEs export in 2010 in order to build up a REEs stockpile for future domestic
uses. As a result, currently, REEs supply is at a risk of disrupting i n the world market, which
has created many concerns among REEs stakeholders. Thus, worldwide explorations for
REEs are carried out to prospect new potential sources. In this context, Sri Lanka is a country,
which has geological settings implying the presence of probable primary REEs sources (e.g.
apatite in carbonatites, granitic and synitic pegmatites, granitic rocks and hydrothermal
veins) and secondary REEs sources (e.g. mineral sand, gem gravel, stream sediments, clay
deposits and laterite deposits). According to previous studies in Sri Lanka, considerable
contents of REEs have already been identified in a few locations of the country, such as
well-known monazite deposit in Pulmoddai containing Cerium (28%), Lanthanum (15%),
Neodymium (10%), Promethium (3%), Samarium (2%), Gadolinium (2%) and Yttrium
(1%).Therefore, aforesaid potential sources will be explored as a worthwhile approach to
address the impending REEs problems i n both local and global context. However, available
resources on land w i l l not be enough to cater the future demand, and therefore, offshore
sources, including upwelling areas in southern coast of Sri Lanka are also needed to be
investigated as a promising solution for future REEs scarcity. However, effectiveness of
extraction of REEs depends on the quality of the resources and the degree to which the
resources have been explored. Based on the REE concentrations in aforesaid sources, novel
extraction technologies will be developed to get the maximum benefits to the Sri Lankan
mineral industry and ultimately to the national economy of the country.
Citation:
Dushyantha, N.P., Batapola, N.M., Premasiri, H.M.R., Abeysinghe, A.M.K.B., Rohitha, L.P.S., Ratnayake, N.P., Dissanayake, D.M.D.O.K., & Ilankoon, I.M.S.K. (2019). Exploration of potential sources for extraction of rare earth elements (REEs) in Sri Lanka [Abstract]. In D.M.D.O.K. Dissanayake & G.V.I. Samaradivakara (Eds.), Proceedings of International Symposium on Earth Resources Management & Environment 2019 (p. 127). Department of Earth Resources Engineering, University of Moratuwa.