Ore Profile
Apatite
Typical elements
Projects
Processing difficulty
Key Facts
- Typical elements
About Apatite
Apatite is the calcium phosphate mineral that is the main source of the world's phosphorus, and its crystal structure can also hold rare earth elements. That makes apatite rare earth supply largely a byproduct question: the rare earths often come with phosphate rock mined at huge scale for fertilizer, or with iron ore. The hard part is getting them back out.
What apatite is
Apatite is the most abundant naturally occurring phosphate on Earth and is mined to make fertilizers and phosphoric acid (Hughes and Rakovan, Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry). The name covers three minerals, fluorapatite, chlorapatite and hydroxylapatite.
World mine production of phosphate rock was an estimated 250 million metric tons in 2025, led by China, Morocco, the U.S. and Russia (USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026). The U.S. added phosphate rock to its final 2025 List of Critical Minerals in November 2025 (USGS).
How apatite hosts rare earth elements
Many metal cations, including yttrium and the rare earths, can take the place of calcium in apatite, usually in trace amounts (Hughes and Rakovan). The USGS gives REE-bearing fluorapatite the formula (Ca,REE,Na)5(PO4)3(F,OH) and lists it among the rare earth minerals of carbonatites, peralkaline intrusions and magmatic iron-oxide deposits (USGS Professional Paper 1802-O).
Content varies widely. Phosphate rock averages about 0.046 weight percent rare earths (Xie et al., Molecules, 2023). At the Mineville iron district in New York, a 1956 study found that 14 samples of apatite separated from the iron ore averaged 11.14 percent rare earth oxide, and thorium sits in the same apatite grains (USGS PP 1802-O).
Why phosphate processing decides apatite rare earth recovery
More than 95% of the phosphate rock mined in the U.S. goes into wet-process phosphoric acid (USGS). In the sulfuric acid route, more than 70% of the rare earths end up in phosphogypsum, the solid byproduct, and each ton of P2O5 leaves 4 to 5 tons of it (Xie et al.). The rare earths are mostly locked inside the gypsum crystals, which keeps leaching efficiency low.
A USGS-led study of 23 U.S. phosphorites found them significantly enriched in rare earths, and leaching experiments with dilute sulfuric and hydrochloric acid extracted nearly 100% of the rare earth content (Emsbo et al., Gondwana Research, 2015). The authors argued U.S. phosphate rock could supply a significant share of world demand as a byproduct.
In March 2026, Mosaic, a major fertilizer producer, and Rainbow Rare Earths entered a joint project development agreement to treat about 2.7 million metric tons a year of phosphogypsum at Uberaba, Brazil. Initial production is targeted for 2030, subject to studies, approvals and financing (Mosaic; REEx coverage).
Apatite rare earth projects (as of October 2026)
Nolans, Australia. Arafura names apatite, monazite and allanite as the most abundant rare earth minerals at Nolans (Arafura). The flowsheet floats a phosphate-rich concentrate, then a pre-leach removes fertilizer-grade phosphoric acid as a byproduct before sulfation and water leach (Arafura). Planned output is 4,440 metric tons a year of neodymium-praseodymium oxide (ASX, May 21, 2026). Arafura made its final investment decision on May 21, 2026, and began construction that September. As of October 22, 2026, main construction still depended on signing the long-form project finance documents and completing the EFA and KfW share subscriptions (Arafura AGM; REEx coverage).
LKAB, Sweden. At Per Geijer near Kiruna, the rare earths occur with phosphorus in apatite inside what is mainly an iron ore deposit, so they could be produced as byproducts (LKAB, January 2023). LKAB calls it the largest known deposit of its kind in Europe and said in 2023 that, based on past permitting timelines, mining could be at least 10 to 15 years away.
The nearer-term feed is apatite concentrate from iron ore streams at Gällivare, home of Malmberget, to be refined in Luleå, with full operation planned for the 2030s (LKAB). A court granted the Luleå industrial park its environmental permit in May 2026, and LKAB expected its demonstration plant to run later that year (LKAB, May 26, 2026; REEx coverage). The full-scale investment decision depends on technical and market factors. A June 2026 permit for Gällivare includes a new apatite plant to feed Luleå (LKAB; REEx coverage).
Khibiny, Russia. PhosAgro's Apatit mines apatite-nepheline ore at six Khibiny fields, including Kukisvumchorr (PhosAgro Annual Report 2024). Acron launched rare earth production at Veliky Novgorod in 2016 with capacity of 200 metric tons a year of rare earth oxides, using apatite concentrate from its Oleniy Ruchey mine (Acron, July 2016).
Frequently asked questions
What is apatite?
Apatite is the most abundant naturally occurring phosphate on Earth and the main ore mineral of phosphorus. The name covers fluorapatite, chlorapatite and hydroxylapatite.
Does apatite contain rare earth elements?
Yes. Rare earths and yttrium can substitute for calcium in apatite, usually in trace amounts. Phosphate rock averages about 0.046 weight percent rare earths, while apatite separated from Mineville, New York, iron ore averaged 11.14 percent rare earth oxide in a 1956 study.
Can rare earths be recovered from phosphate fertilizer production?
Yes, in principle, and companies are studying it. In the sulfuric acid process, more than 70% of the rare earths end up in phosphogypsum, and Mosaic and Rainbow Rare Earths are studying recovery from phosphogypsum at Uberaba, Brazil, with initial production targeted for 2030, subject to studies, approvals and financing.
Why is it hard to recover rare earths from phosphogypsum?
The rare earths in phosphogypsum are mostly locked inside the gypsum crystals, which keeps leaching efficiency low. The volumes are also large, at 4 to 5 tons of phosphogypsum per ton of P2O5.
Which projects aim to recover rare earths from apatite?
As of October 2026, Arafura had started construction at the Nolans project in Australia, with main construction still subject to project finance, and LKAB was preparing a demonstration plant in Luleå, Sweden, to process apatite concentrate from iron ore streams. In Russia, Acron launched rare earth production in 2016 using apatite concentrate from its Oleniy Ruchey mine in the Khibiny massif.
Projects
Deposit Data
Project-level data for Apatite deposits, including resource estimates and grades, is in REEx Insights.
