Rare Earth Elements & Critical Minerals

Microbeam is at the forefront of rare earth element analysis, extraction, processing, and sorting method development. Our team has a strong understanding of the associations of REE and other critical minerals (REE-CM) in all coal types and associated sediments.

Microbeam provides services and solutions related to:

Resource evaluation

Detection of and sorting of REE-CM, both on-site and in real-time through predictive measurement methods:

  • On-belt sorting

  • Drill core analysis

  • Outcrop analysis

Determining modes of occurrence of REE-CM

Critical mineral extraction and refinement from coal and coal byproducts:

  • Rare earth elements

  • Germanium

  • Gallium

Microbeam is uniquely positioned to:

Determine modes of occurrence of Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals (REE-CM)

Investigate the extractability of REE-CM from carbon ore

Detect and sort resources based on REE-CM concentration

What are Rare Earth Elements?

Rare earth elements (REE) are a group of 17 lanthanide series elements that are used in a wide variety of applications, including electronics, magnets and batteries.

Rare earth minerals are crucial materials in electronic devices, energy system components and military defense applications. These minerals are difficult to extract and process, which makes them expensive.

Why are Rare Earth Elements & Critical Minerals Important?

The U.S. considers the REE market a national security issue, given the supply risks and the importance of their end uses to both energy applications and military defense applications.

Due to the import reliance, it is imperative that alternative domestic sources of REEs be identified, and methods be developed to produce them. Coal and coal byproducts have been identified as one of these promising alternative resources. 

Microbeam-Developed REE Technologies

REE Detection & Sorting through XRF, PGNAA, and DGA (U.S. Patent 11,733,184 B2)

Production of Germanium (Ge) and Gallium (Ga) Concentrates for Industrial Processes (Patent Pending)

Current Projects

REE Pilot Processing Plant (Subaward to University of North Dakota)

REE Demonstration FEED Study (Subaward to University of North Dakota)

REE Resource Evaluations of Current and Potential Resources

Let’s work together

Interested in learning more? Contact us to see how we can help.