Rare earth processing

Extracted Attributes

• Elements Processed

  Light rare-earth elements (LREEs), Heavy rare-earth metals (HREEs)

• Strategic Importance

  Critical technology for national security and future industries

• Primary U.S. Facility

  Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility

• Processing Complexity

  Multi-step purification and separation, high-cost, requires specialized facilities

• Cost Efficiency Leader

  China (due to lower labor costs, fewer environmental/regulatory hurdles)

• U.S. Role in Processing

  Front runner as a global rare earth processing hub

• Common Processing Methods

  Grinding, magnetic/electrostatic separation, flotation, liquid solvent extraction, fused salt electrolysis, metallothermic reduction

• Mountain Pass Deposit Size

  Largest single known deposit of rare-earth minerals globally

• Owner of Mountain Pass Facility

  MP Materials

• Location of Primary U.S. Facility

  California, United States

• Mountain Pass Production Share (2020)

  15.8% of world's rare-earth production

• Typical Ore Concentration Requirement

  From less than 10% to 60% extractable components

Timeline

• Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine supplied 15.8% of the world's rare-earth production. (Source: summary, Wikipedia)

  2020

• Processing capabilities for light rare-earth elements (LREEs) resumed at the Mountain Pass facility. (Source: summary, Wikipedia)

  2022

• The Mountain Pass mine was reported as operating. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2025

• The U.S. Department of Defense funded the restoration of processing capabilities for heavy rare-earth metals (HREEs) to reduce supply chain risk. (Source: summary, Wikipedia)

  Ongoing

• The United States is exploring measures such as price floors and the creation of a strategic reserve to mitigate its supply chain dependency on China. (Source: summary, related documents)

  Ongoing

Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine

The Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility, owned by MP Materials, is an open-pit mine of rare-earth elements on the south flank of the Clark Mountain Range in California, 53 miles (85 km) southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2020 the mine supplied 15.8% of the world's rare-earth production. It is the only rare-earth mining and processing facility in the United States. It is the largest single known deposit of such minerals. From 2022, processing capabilities began again for light rare-earth elements (LREEs). The United States Department of Defense has funded the restoration of processing capabilities for heavy rare-earth metals (HREEs) to reduce supply chain risk. In 2025, the mine was reported as operating.

Web Search Results

• Rare and rare-earth metals. Methods of processing rare-earth raw ...

  1. All rare-earth ores contain less than 10% of extractable components and must be concentrated to 60% for further processing. 2. Initially the ore materials are ground to powder, then subjected to separation from other materials in the ore body by means of various standard processes, including magnetic and/or electrostatic separation and flotation. 3. Using the liquid solvent extraction method, rare-earth element producers separate mixtures into individual elements with a purity of up to 95%. [...] All rare-earth ores contain less than 10% extractable components and must be concentrated to 60% for further processing.Initially, ore materials are ground to powder, then separated from other materials in the ore body by means of various standard processes, including magnetic and/or electrostatic separation and flotation. ### Bastnasite ores. [...] The most important role in the technology of obtaining rare-earth metals (REM) is assigned to separation and concentration methods. Despite their variety, the main methods are extraction and precipitation. It should be noted that these methods are applied in a multi-stage process, and satisfactory results can be achieved by combining the methods. As industrial extractants for REM cation-exchange and neutral reagents are used.

• Rare Earth Processing & Refining - SFA (Oxford)

  While rare earth element deposits are geographically dispersed, processing and refining capacity is significantly more concentrated. Once extracted from mines, unrefined rare earths must undergo extensive multi-step purification and separation to isolate individual elements in their pure, usable forms. However, the specialised facilities required to transform raw ores into refined rare earth oxides and metals are expensive to build and operate. As technologies raise demand for individual rare

• Developing Rare Earth Processing Hubs: An Analytical Approach

  Labor, water, energy, processing materials, and technology costs make rare earth processing a high-cost endeavor with slim profit margins. This price environment creates additional challenges for REE processors struggling amid such tight margins, and low operation costs are a significant determinant of whether a hub can be competitive. Chinese rare earth processing operations remain the most cost-efficient in the world due to lower labor costs, fewer environmental and regulatory hurdles, and [...] The United States emerges as the front runner as a global rare earth processing hub, scoring 2.7 out of 3.0. Several factors position the U.S. as an ideal location for rare earth processing: In addition to adequate infrastructure, ample feedstock, and significant R&D investment, recent policy developments position the U.S. to become a leader in REE processing. First and foremost, the U.S. government has made a firm commitment to develop REE processing and magnet manufacturing capabilities in [...] the form of the DOD’s $400 million equity investment in MP Materials with price support and guaranteed offtake of its permanent magnets. LREE and HREE processing facilities under construction in Texas and California will be well-suited to process rare earth feedstock from around the world for secure magnet supply chains independent of China.

• Rare Earth Extraction - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

  Rare earth metals are very reactive. Exposure of rare earth metals to air converts them back to rare earth oxide within days. Hence, proper storage and handling of rare earth in inert atmosphere or vacuum is required. The rare earths have to be stored in inert organic solvents or under vacuum-sealed cup boards. The alloys are reactive and may require proper processing techniques. Most of the high rare earth containing alloys are brittle and are processed through special powder metallurgy [...] The high rare earth containing alloys such as Nd–Fe–B and Sm–Co are melted by processes such as vacuum induction melting. The refractory choice is critical for the process as rare earths can react with most refractory crucible materials. MgO-based refractories are best. The rare earth metal along with pure metals are melted in the required alloying proportion and are cast in chill-walled copper or iron molds or water-cooled molds. Some of the alloys are also melted in small induction furnace [...] The individual rare earth metals are extracted by either fused salt electrolysis or metallothermic reduction processes [3,6,8]. The fused salt process used for rare earth extraction can further be divided based on the rare earth feed material used as oxide–fluoride process or chloride process. The most popular rare earth produced in the world through electrolysis route is misch metal, which is a mixture of all different rare earth metals. Misch metal is used as alloying additive in steels, Ni

• Rare Earth Magnet Supply Chain Summarized in 5 Simple Steps

  This step involves taking the mixed REE concentrates and separating them out into individual rare earth oxides through heated chemical known as calcination. Though the chemical processing required to produce rare earth oxides is pollutive and costly, China is enacting regulations to remediate waste and pursue sustainable processes.Step #4: Processing (Metal) [...] This process involves mining large amounts of ore that contain a mixture of rare earth minerals. Rare earth elements (REE) are found in large mixed mineral deposits such as bastnaesite, monazite, and xenotime. These mineral deposits contain large amounts of rare earth elements such as cerium, lanthanum, and neodymium. Rare earth minerals are in fact not that rare and deposits are located all over the planet. Step #2: Extraction (Mineral Concentrates) [...] The final step in the process is to produce magnet material. This process requires 1) melting alloys using a combination of materials including rare earth metals, 2) milling, pressing and sintering to produce rare earth magnets with the desired properties, 3) machining the magnets into final part geometries, and 4) magnetizing finished magnets. Note: Rare earth magnets were first developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the world’s first commercially available rare earth magnets were