Mineral Sands
Mineral Sands+ 2 related classifications
Mineral sands deposits contain heavy minerals — including monazite and xenotime — as co-products alongside zircon, ilmenite, and rutile. These beach and fluvial placer deposits are an important secondary source of rare earths, where REE recovery improves the economics of established titanium and zirconium mining operations.
Processing
DifficultyMedium
Processing & Metallurgy
Gravity and magnetic separation isolate the monazite and xenotime fraction from other heavy minerals. These concentrates are then processed using established phosphate cracking methods.