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Rare earth elements (REE) extraction primarily involves two types of deposits: primary and secondary. Primary deposits are mainly composed of alkaline igneous rocks, carbonatites, and iron-oxide copper-gold deposits. On the other hand, secondary deposits are associated with ion adsorption clays (IAC), laterites, placers, and bauxite. While there are over 250 known rare earth minerals, only a small number, such as xenotime, monazite, and bastnaesite, are economically valuable and processed for REE production.
China has held a significantly dominant position in the global market for REEs, supplying over 90% of the world’s requirements by 2019. However, other countries like Australia, the USA, Russia, Vietnam, Brazil, Malaysia, and India also make notable contributions to global REE production.
Here, we focus on two REE resources found in Malaysia: river sediments and shale deposits. These resources, along with their abundance of REE-containing elements, have been seldom evaluated for their potential as REE sources. By compiling and analyzing the data, we aim to shed light on the availability of these two local upstream sources of REEs in Malaysia.