Characteristics of Treated Monazite in Different Particle Sizes to Upgrade the Rare Earth Elements Content by Using Mechanochemical and Roasting Process 

The Rare Earth Elements (REE) contained in monazite are found in the form of phosphate. So, in this study, mechanochemical and roasting processes are carried out to convert REE-Phosphate to REE-Oxide. The mechanochemical process will change the REE-Phosphate compound into REE-Hydroxide, which will then be converted into REE-Oxide in the roasting process. The phosphate in monazite will bind to Na⁺ from adding NaOH in the mechanochemical process, which will be dissolved in the water leaching process. In this study, five variations of the initial particle size were used, namely +65#, -65#+100#, -100#+140#, -140#+170#, and -170#. Based on the research results, the four observed REEs, namely Ce, La, Yb, and Y, showed that Light Rare Earth Elements (LREE) had a higher % recovery than Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE). Cerium has the highest content compared to the other three elements. The four elements showed similar results, where the larger the initial particle size, the higher the % recovery and grade. 

By-product; Monazite; Particle size; REE-Oxide; Roasting