Determination of rare earth elements in Algerian bentonites using k 0-NAA method

Abstract

Abstract This work focused the determination of the rare earth elements (REE) in Algerian bentonites named Mos and Mag using k 0-NAA method. Eleven rare earth elements such as Ce, Nd, La, Sc, Sm, Yb, Tm, Ho, Tb, Eu and Lu were determined. Results revealed that the total light REE (LREE) in Mos (168 ppm) is higher than in Mag (68.5 ppm). In addition, the ratio of total LREE (LREE) to the total heavy rare earth elements (HREE) found to be 6.40 in Mag and 27.6 in Mos which indicates that Mos is highly rich with REE than Mag. Ce and Eu correspond to the highest and lower trace of REE in both bentonites, respectively. The concentration of Sc, Tb and Ho are comparable in two materials. All results are compared with other data of literature in terms of La, Sc, Ce, Nd, Sm and Yb. Amounts and the proportion of LREE comparing to THREE are discussed in this study.