Rare Earth Elements (REE) is a strategic commodity for the last few decades. The rare earth elements consist of 17 elements on the periodic table, including 15 elements starting with atomic number 57 (lanthanum) and extending up to 71 (lutetium), as well as two other elements with similar properties (yttrium and scandium). Rare earth metals are widely distributed in the earth's crust in low concentrations. The existence of rare earth metals is widely distributed in various countries, with the largest distribution in China. Rare earth element in Indonesia have potential but are still in the category of not being suitable for large-scale production. Indonesia's rare earth elements are found in tin tailings and are produced as a by-product of the parent commodity.
Rare earth elements began to be mined in the 1950s. In the 1950-1960 era, the world's supply of rare earth elements came from Placer deposits in the Southeastern United States. After the discovery of new deposits in the 1970s in Mountain Pass, California, the world's rare earth elements have been met primarily from this region. Australia was also a major supplier of rare earth elements until the 1990s. Entering the 20th century, the era of the rulers of rare earth elements shifted to China after the discovery of the Bayan Obo deposit, Mongolia which is still the main supplier of the world's rare earth elements.
In 2010-2011 China issued a policy of limiting the export of rare earth elements which disrupted advanced industrial countries such as America, Japan and South Korea. This policy was spearheaded by the then Premier of China, Wen Jiabao who served in 2003-2013. His background as a graduate of the Beijing Institute of Geology makes him understand how strategic this metal is in global competition. Not only controlling the market for electronic goods such as computers, televisions, monitors and cell phones, but almost all types of other industrial products at very competitive prices.
Characteristics of rare earth elements
Rare earth elements commonly referred to as REE are a group of heavy elements consisting of elements Sc, Y and 15 elements of the lanthanide group. The mention of rare earth elements does not reflect the abundance of these elements in the earth's crust. The most abundant rare earth element is Cerium (Ce) with an abundance in the earth's crust of 60 ppm and is the 27th most abundant element in the earth's crust. Even the least abundant rare earth element, namely Lutetium (0.5 ppm) is still 200 times more abundant than the abundance of Au which is only 0.0031 ppm. It's just that all elements of this group tend to be isolated from their carrier material, so the term rare earth elements are used. Currently, more than 100 types of rare-earth carrier minerals are known. However, only 3 main minerals are carriers of this element and can be mined and extracted for their rare earth metals content. These minerals are Basnasite [(Y,Ce)(CO3)F], Monazite [(Ce, La, Y, Th)PO4] and Xenotime [YPO4]. However, rare earth elements can also be obtained from apatite and zircon.
Potential rare earth element deposits in Indonesia
Indonesia is not a major producer of rare earth elements. However, that does not mean that Indonesia does not have the potential for rare earth element deposits. To understand the potential for rare earth element deposits in Indonesia, it is necessary to know the various types of rare earth element deposits. According to Castor and Hedrick (2006), there are 7 types of rare earth element deposits, namely Iron-UTJ deposits, carbonate deposits, laterite deposits, placer deposits, UTJ in alkaline rocks, UTJ in veins and UTJ in underwater sediments. The tropical climate in Indonesia allows the formation of laterite and placer type deposits. The parent rock that produces the most rare earth elements found in Indonesia is S type granite which is rich in ilmenite (ilmenite series). These rocks can be found in the granite belt in the Bangka Belitung region. Currently the placer tin mine in Bangka Belitung which produces secondary minerals has not been exploited. The secondary minerals produced include monazite, xenothime and zircon, which are minerals that carry rare earth elements.
Not only that, in the Kalimantan region there are alluvial gold deposits that carry minerals such as ilmenite and zircon, the content of rare earth elements has also not been exploited. Type S ilmenite granite was also found in the Banggai Islands, Central Sulawesi, and cassiterite and zircon minerals were also found in dulang placer concentrates in this region. The results of the study by the Geological Agency in the Aek Manarsar area, Sisoding, North Tapanuli, found that the distribution of Cerium (Ce) in the soil was 1-17,312 ppm (1.73%). Meanwhile in Aek Bulusorik, Raja Julu Dolok ranged from 1 – 13,358 ppm (1.33%). Based on the data above, the potential for rare earth element deposits in Indonesia is quite large. However, exploration and exploitation of rare earth elements has not become a priority in Indonesia. So the development of this commodity is less significant. In fact, if Indonesia wanted to learn from China, which was so massive in exploring rare earth elements until the 20th century, it could control almost 80% of the world's rare earth element market, it is not impossible that Indonesia could become a leading country in controlling modern industry and be able to compete in the era of globalization
Comments