Abstract
The numerous applications of rare earth elements (REE) has lead to a growing global demand and to the search for new REE deposits. One promising technique for exploration of these deposits is laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Among a number of advantages of the technique is the possibility to perform on-site measurements without sample preparation. Since the exploration of a deposit is based on the analysis of various geological compartments of the surrounding area, REE-bearing rock and soil samples were analyzed in this work. The field samples are from three European REE deposits in Sweden and Norway. The focus is on the REE cerium, lanthanum, neodymium and yttrium. Two different approaches of data analysis were used for the evaluation. The first approach is univariate regression (UVR). While this approach was successful for the analysis of synthetic REE samples, the quantitative analysis of field samples from different sites was influenced by matrix effects. Principal component analysis (PCA) can be used to determine the origin of the samples from the three deposits. The second approach is based on multivariate regression methods, in particular interval PLS (iPLS) regression. In comparison to UVR, this method is better suited for the determination of REE contents in heterogeneous field samples.
Highlights
Rare earth elements (REE) are used in a wide range of modern technologies, which include, for instance, renewable energy technologies, communication technologies and petrochemistry [1,2,3]
Zirconium dioxide stabilized by yttrium will be applied as electrolyte material in fuel cells [2]
The concentrations of REE in the synthetic samples are summarized in Table S1 in the Supplementary Materials
Summary
Rare earth elements (REE) are used in a wide range of modern technologies, which include, for instance, renewable energy technologies, communication technologies and petrochemistry [1,2,3]. Zirconium dioxide stabilized by yttrium will be applied as electrolyte material in fuel cells [2]. These diverse applications, especially in high-tech-industries, drive the global demand for REE. While in 2013 the need for REE in important future technologies accounted for about 30,900 t, studies predict an increasing demand of up to 70,900 t by 2035 [4]. Due to this increasing demand, REE are important resources [5]
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