风化壳型稀土矿开采工艺及稀土应用进展

Advances in Extraction Technology and Rare Earth Applications from Weathered Crust Rare Earth Deposits

摘要: 风化壳型稀土矿是我国优势战略资源，供应全球90%以上的重稀土。其开采技术历经四代演变：早期桶浸/池浸效率低且污染严重；第二代堆浸与第三代原地浸出虽提升采收率，但铵盐工艺造成氨氮污染，于2018年被禁用。第四代技术实现根本性突破：镁盐浸取从源头消除氨氮，如广西崇左六汤矿；电驱开采更以电场驱动离子定向迁移，2025年开展的试采收率 > 95%、氨氮减排95%、浸取剂用量减少80%，标志着开采理念从末端治理转向源头防控。稀土应用正从传统“工业味精”向战略性核心材料体系跃升：在新能源领域支撑风电与电动汽车，在高端制造领域助力航天器减重与激光器发展，在电子信息领域赋能显示与催化材料。其角色已从“添加改良”转变为“功能主导”，成为驱动绿色低碳转型的战略基石。未来开采技术将向智能化迈进，应用研究需深化基础机制突破，构建全产业链创新体系，巩固我国在战略资源领域的引领地位。

Abstract: Weathered crust rare earth deposits are a strategically advantageous mineral resource in China, supplying over 90% of the world’s heavy rare earth elements. Their mining technology has evolved through four generations. Early-stage tank leaching and pit leaching suffered from low efficiency and serious pollution. Although the second-generation heap leaching and the third-generation in-situ leaching improved recovery rates, the use of ammonium salts resulted in ammonia‑nitrogen pollution, leading to their ban in 2018. The fourth-generation technology has achieved fundamental breakthroughs: magnesium‑salt leaching eliminates ammonia‑nitrogen at the source, as demonstrated at the Liutang Mine in Chongzuo, Guangxi; electrically‑driven mining uses an electric field to induce directional ion migration. Pilot tests conducted in 2025 achieved a recovery rate of >95%, a 95% reduction in ammonia‑nitrogen emissions, and an 80% decrease in leaching agent consumption, marking a paradigm shift in mining philosophy from end‑of‑pipe treatment to source control. The application of rare earths is also transitioning from their traditional role as “industrial monosodium glutamate” to a strategic core material system. In the new energy sector, they support wind power and electric vehicles; in high‑end manufacturing, they contribute to spacecraft weight reduction and laser development; in electronic information, they enable display and catalytic materials. Their function has evolved from “additive modification” to “function‑oriented dominance”, establishing them as a strategic cornerstone for driving the green and low‑carbon transition. Future mining technologies will advance toward intelligent operations, while application research needs to deepen fundamental mechanisms and establish an innovation system covering the entire industrial chain, thereby consolidating China’s leading position in strategic resources.