Innovative Environmentally Safe Processes for the Extraction of Rare and Rare-Earth Elements from Complex Ores of Perplexed Material Composition

Abstract Domestic and world tendencies of involvement in the processing of ores of rare metals (RMs) and rare-earth metals (REMs) are shown. It is shown that the main direction of innovative activity is the development and application of modern breakthrough technologies for complex processing of mineral raw materials with the production of high-quality products while minimizing environmental damage. The main deposits of rare and rare-earth metals are systematized from the standpoint of the content of the main components, concentrator minerals and the main enrichment methods. The main principal technological schemes of processing of some deposits of RMs and REMs in Russia (Lovozer, Tomtor, and Afrikand deposits) are given. Options for involving technogenic and off-balance raw materials in the processing in order to extract strategic metals are considered. It is substantiated that innovative environmentally friendly processes for the extraction of rare and rare-earth metals from complex ores of complex material composition are being actively developed in Russia at present.