Visualisation of high-tech metals in rare earth element ores using High-Speed PIXE

Contrary to popular opinion we have to accept that not every significant enrichment of rare-earth-elements (REE) in the earth’s crust is economically and ecologically exploitable. Deposits of heavy rare earth elements are of particular interest. A further critical point is the knowledge in which phases the elements of interest, ecotoxical as well as deleterious elements are concentrated. This information must be complemented by the determination of grain size and possible intergrowths of mineral phases. These are typical geometallurgical analytical tasks routinely performed by methods of automated mineralogy, like MLA or QEMSCAN. The newly established High-Speed PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) set-up at HZDR combines the capabilities of electron beam based devices with fast determination of trace elements. On the basis of qualitative studies of the distribution of REE in REE-mineralizations as well as in different REE-minerals like bastnaesite, monazite and xenotim we will prove the importance of this innovative concept for geometallurgical research.