Rare Earth Element Analysis: From Exploration to Processing with Desktop SEM

Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential to technologies ranging from electric vehicles and renewable energy systems to advanced electronics, defense applications, and scientific instrumentation. However, identifying and efficiently recovering rare earth minerals can be challenging due to their low concentrations, complex mineral associations, and similarities in chemical behavior.

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) provides a powerful approach for characterizing REE-bearing materials throughout exploration and processing. In this webinar, we will discuss how desktop SEM can be used to visualize mineral morphology and texture, identify and confirm rare earth elements with EDS, and rapidly distinguish REE-bearing phases from surrounding minerals. We will also explore how elemental mapping and automated particle analysis can provide a more comprehensive understanding of mineral distribution, particle size, and composition.

Real-world examples will demonstrate the identification of individual rare earth elements using EDS, large-area SEM imaging of REE-bearing samples, and elemental mapping of complex mineral systems. The webinar will also highlight how automated particle analysis can rapidly locate low-abundance REE-bearing particles and generate quantitative information across large particle populations.