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Rare-earth magnets: a promising Brazilian industry

Conference Paper · September 2014

DOI: 10.13140/2.1.4575.1041

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 Rare-earth magnets: a promising Brazilian industry
Marcos Flavio de Campos1, Daniel Rodrigues1, Jose Adilson de Castro 1
1
Universidade Federal Fluminense,PUVR, Volta Redonda, RJ, BRASIL
e-mail: marcosflavio@id.uff.br

Abstract: Brazil has large reserves of rare-earth minerals. Relevant sites are Araxá, Serra
Verde, Catalão and Morro dos Seis Lagos. Many of the occurrences of rare-earth in Brazil
consist in monazite, which present big amount of light rare-earths as Neodymium and
Praseodymium. However, Serra Verde, Mata Azul and Pitinga mines presents larger amount
of heavy rare-earth as Dysprosium. High efficiency electrical motors are a subject where the
Brazilian industry has large tradition, generating internal demand for high energy product
magnets. The present situation enables the establishment of a rare-earth magnet industry in
Brazil, where several mines are starting rare-earth oxide production. Brazilian rare earth
reserves are estimated in at least 86.8 million of tons of rare earth oxide.
Keywords: rare-earths, magnets, neodymium, NdFeB

Introduction

That the rare earths (REs) are not in fact rare is very well known. However, some rare
earths are hard to find and have larger prices. The heavy rare earths are much more scarce
than the light rare earths. Besides, the applications determine the price. As example,
Samarium was expensive in the eighties, because the high demand for SmCo magnets, but
now Samarium price has been reported as low as the price of Cerium [1]. Greenland and
Australia have large RE reserves, besides China. Catalão, State of Goiás (Brazil) is reported
to have 120 million of tons of ore, with 5.5% rare-earth oxide, resulting in 6.6 millions of tons
[2]. Even it is basically monazite, it is a considerable RE amount. In the last November of
2013, CBMM officially announced reserves estimated in 26.69 millions of tons in Araxá,
state of Minas Gerais [3]. All those data confirm Chen [4], which already in 2011 pointed out
that Brazil is the country with the largest reserves of rare-earth in the world, exceeding China.
The usual high amount of Thorium associated with monazite is a long time problem.
However, Thorium nowadays is seriously considered as a source of nuclear energy, and this
renewed the interest on monazite and similar ores. Several of the relevant occurrences of
Niobium and Tantalum in Brazil are associated with monazite. An exception is Pitinga in
Amazon, where there is a large cassiterite mine, with also production of Tantalum and a large
amount of heavy are earths. Most of the significant reported Brazilian occurrences of rare
earth are monazite, with large amounts of light RE as Neodymium and Praseodymium, but
scarce in Dysprosium. The recent prices (August/2014) [1] suggest that the heavy REs
Europium, Terbium and Dysprosium, and that the light REs Praseodymium and Neodymium
are now the most relevant. Yttrium and Samarium prices are not far from Cerium [1].
Nowadays, there is significant oversupply of Cerium, and its price is predicted to decrease in
the next years. The price of rare-earths now in 2014 decreased to the level before of the 2011
peak, and thus many projects for rare-earth production need to be reconsidered. Although
Niobium business was clearly profitable, rare-earth business was never seen as profitable in
Brazil, in the last 20 years. Because this, nobody in Brazil was interested in rare-earths until
2011, when the prices spiked. Brazil was in the past a relevant producer of rare-earth minerals
[5]. Brazil may recover this condition: since February/2014 CBMM produces 1200 tons/year
of rare-earth concentrate [3]. Lanthanum is a low price RE with large application in catalysis:
an amount of 1000 tons/year of La2O3 is requested by Petrobras, needed for cracking of crude
Oil [5]. Wind energy plants, rapidly growing in Brazil, maybe a possible market for
neodymium iron boron magnets. High efficiency electrical motors are a subject where the
Brazilian industry has large tradition, generating demand for high energy product magnets.
Besides, the opportunities for new energy sources, as wind power and high demand from
automotive industries enables the establishment of a rare-earth magnet industry in Brazil,
especially if, besides CBMM, other mines start rare-earth oxide production. As the price of
rare-earth is very small now, extraction of rare earth in Brazil only could be justified if the
rare-earths were exported not as commodities, but inside high technology products, following
the example of China.

Brazilian Rare-Earth Reserves

Table 1 summarizes recent information about about Brazilian reserves. Vale do Rio
Doce has announced reserves in Salobo, state of Pará, but focus on iron ore and does not have
plans at the moment for commercial production of rare-earth ore. In terms of relevance,
Morro dos Seis Lagos and CBMM Araxa [3] are the sites with largest reported reserves. Near
the CBMM site in Araxá, Vale do Rio do Doce and MBAC [6] companies also have Niobium,
Rare Earths, Thorium, and other minerals [7]. Minaçu, Serra Verde in Goiás is promising to
produce 5000 ton/year of separate rare-earth oxides starting in 2019 [8]. The Serra Verde
mine reportedly consists in ionic clays with large amount of heavy rare-earths. Morro do
Ferro, in Poços de Caldas [9], presents Thorium associated with rare earths. Guarapari is a
very beautiful beach resort, famous by its black sands, a characteristic of monazite. All coasts
from the north of state of Rio de Janeiro the south of Bahia (from Delta do Paraíba to
Cumuruxatiba) are rich in monazitic sand. The amount of rare earth at the Brazilian coast is
small, if compared with those of Goiás and Amazon. The reserves of Morro dos Seis Lagos
and Serra do Repartimento have large potential, but they remain in evaluation. Besides, Serra
do Repartimento is in indigenous area, and this may limit its commercial use. Other places
with heavy rare earths as Minaçu – GO and Mata Azul - TO may exist in Amazon, in less
explored areas, as for example Maicuru, state of Pará [10].

Table 1. Estimate of Brazilian Reserves

Project Site Ore Total Grade[% RE Production Heavy source
Ore TREO] Reserves RE
[MT]
CBMM Araxá-MG Monazite 820 3.25 26.69 Yes 2014 No [11]
MBAC Araxá-MG Monazite 21.94 3.99 0.9 In Evaluation No [11]
Vale Araxá-MG Monazite 450 - 8.0 No No [12]
Catalão Catalão - GO Monazite 120 5.5 6.6 No No [2]
Serra Minaçu - GO Ionic Clays 931 0.12 1.1 In Evaluation Yes [8]
Verde 2017-2019
CREC Mata Azul - “Granitoids” ? ? ? In Evaluation Yes [13]
TO
WMR Serra do Baotou-type ? 0.05-2,61 ? In Evaluation No [14]
Ramalho - BA
- Morro Seis Monazite/car 2,900 1.4 43.5 No ?? [12]
Lagos - AM bonatites
TOTAL 86.79
 Brazil already produced rare-earth metal in the past; CIF produced mischmetal (using
fluorides) by fused-salt electrolysis [15], but focused only on the tantalum production since
mid 1990s. The fused salt process remains in use today for neodymium [16]. Brazilian
companies are at the present moment developing technology for rare-earth oxide separation
and for metallic rare-earth production. It is general belief that the investment of CBMM and
other mining companies is only viable with existence of magnet manufacturing plants in
Brazil. Unfortunately, Brazilian government is typically focused on commodities, rather than
in industry. There is internal market for magnets in Brazil from both: high-efficiency
electrical motors industry as well as automotive industry. Besides, wind energy plants could
benefit substantially from the use of NdFeB magnets.

Conclusions

Although the reported numbers are not official, the Brazilian reserves of rare-earths may
be larger than those of China. The recent interest in Thorium as nuclear fuel, together with the
interest on rare-earths for magnets and catalysis, has increased the relevance of the Brazilian
reserves of monazite and associated minerals. The Brazilian rare-earth market for catalysis
(La2O3) and for magnets make viable the rare earth oxide production in Brazil. However, the only
application able to sustain the economic viability of the rare-earth business (cost plus volume) is
the magnet production. The production of rare-earth magnets may boost high-technology
industries in Brazil, since the government and entrepreneurs gives a proper attention and support
for this area.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by CNPq, CAPES and FAPERJ.

References

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