Moscow State Mining University (Moscow, Russia):

Yaltanets I. M., Professor, Doctor of Engineering Sciences
Minaev K. V., Post-graduate Student, e-mail: minaev@vnipipt.ru

This article gives the information about monazite and monazite-containing placer deposits, and their geological and industrial classification. Monazite sands are one of the major industrial sources for obtaining of rare-earth elements and thorium. Niobium, titanium, zirconium, etc. are the most significant metals for the high technologies, among the whole amount of rare metals. These metals have unique chemical, optical, electrical and magnetic properties. They have no developed equivalent in high technologies. Monazite placers are distributed throughout the world. These placers are radioactive. Their radioactivity level can be determined by the amount of thorium. Rareearth metals and rare metals are the strategically important raw materials. According to this, demand for these materials will steadily grow all over the world. Intensification of extraction of rare-earth metals and rare metals from the coastal-sea and continental monazite-containing placers will require the improvement of existing extraction technologies for the placer non-radioactive deposits. Because of an insignificant production volume and low ecological requirements of legislation of a number of depositary countries of monazite placers, there was paid no serious attention to the problem of radiation safety, and to the problem of adjustment of mining operations in the development of radioactive placers. However, because of the current deficiency of rare-earth metals and rare metals, their extraction from available placer deposits will be increased inevitably. In the medium term prospect, this growth will require the solution of a problem of radioecological safety of extraction technologies, which should be directly reflected in the technologies and processes of mining operations.

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