Highlights

• Bangladesh holds credible light rare earth resources in monazite-rich coastal sands, with recovery rates of 50-70%, but lacks the processing infrastructure to convert raw minerals into usable materials.
• China controls over 90-95% of global rare earth processing capacity, confirming that mining alone doesn't solve supply chain vulnerability without midstream separation and refining capabilities.
• Monazite processing poses significant environmental and regulatory challenges due to radioactive thorium and uranium content, requiring robust oversight to avoid public backlash seen in other countries.

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A new peer-reviewed review article (opens in a new tab) published in Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review by Dr. Md. Aminur Rahman (opens in a new tab) of the Institute of Mining, Mineralogy and Metallurgy (IMMM), Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR)—with collaborators from the University of Rajshahi, CSIRO Mineral Resources (Australia), and other Bangladeshi research institutes—examines whether monazite-rich sands in Bangladesh could support a domestic rare earth element (REE) industry.

The study finds that Bangladesh holds geologically credible light rare earth resources, particularly lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), and neodymium (Nd), and that modern extraction technologies could make recovery technically feasible. Yet the authors’ broader conclusion is more sobering: even if new countries like Bangladesh succeed in mining and beneficiation, China’s near-total dominance of rare earth processing remains the decisive choke point in the global supply chain.

Bangladesh has significant deposits of REEs

Found in heavy mineral sands along its southeastern coasts (like Kutubdia, Moheshkhali, Sonadia Islands) and river basins, containing valuable minerals like zircon, ilmenite, magnetite, garnet, and monazite, which host REEs like lanthanum (La) and cerium (Ce).

While exploration by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (opens in a new tab) has confirmed these finds, the country is still assessing the full economic potential and developing frameworks for large-scale extraction, which could boost its economy and attract global investment.

Study Overview: Why Monazite Matters

Rare earth elements are essential for electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, and military systems. Monazite—a phosphate mineral commonly found in beach and river sands—is one of the world’s most important sources of light rare earth elements (LREEs). The study reviews decades of geological surveys showing that Bangladesh’s southeastern coast (Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf–Moheshkhali) and major river systems contain monazite concentrations comparable in grade to deposits in India and Australia.

Laboratory and pilot-scale testing indicate monazite recovery rates of 50–70%, suggesting the resource is real. The authors therefore ask a practical question: can Bangladesh translate this geology into a viable rare earth supply chain?

Study Methods: A Global Review, Not a Mine Plan

This paper is a review study, not a feasibility study or mine development proposal. The authors synthesize:

• Geological and mineralogical surveys of Bangladeshi monazite
• Global best practices in monazite beneficiation
• Chemical extraction routes (alkaline and acid digestion)
• Environmental and radiation safety literature
• Economic and strategic analyses of global REE markets

Rather than proposing a single plant design, the study evaluates which technologies are mature, scalable, and environmentally manageable, and how they might apply in a developing-country context.

Key Findings: Processing Is the Real Barrier

The most important takeaway is structural rather than local.

While Bangladesh—and many other countries—may possess mineable rare earth minerals, China controls more than 90–95% of global rare earth processing and separation capacity. Mining alone does not produce usable materials; REEs must be chemically separated into ultra-pure oxides and metals, a process that is capital-intensive, environmentally sensitive, and technologically complex.

The study shows that:

• Monazite processing requires multi-stage physical beneficiation, followed by chemical digestion, solvent extraction, and calcination
• These steps generate radioactive by-products (thorium and uranium), requiring strict regulatory oversight. Rare Earth Exchanges™ suggests this fact can at time be underplayed.
• China’s dominance stems from decades of investment in precisely these midstream and downstream steps, not from geology alone

In short, new producers can dig ore, but they still struggle to escape Chinese processing bottlenecks.

Bangladesh as a Case Study in Global Constraints

The authors outline several possible extraction routes for Bangladesh, particularly acid digestion pathways optimized to recover LREEs while stabilizing radioactive waste. These routes are technically viable and comparable to operations in India and Australia.

Yet, even if Bangladesh successfully produces rare earth oxides, the study implicitly highlights a dilemma: where will these materials be refined, separated, and converted into magnets or components? Today, the answer remains—largely—China.

This underscores a broader reality Rare Earth Exchanges has repeatedly flagged: diversifying supply without diversifying processing merely shifts the mine, not the ultimate power, and leverage.

Environmental and Controversial Dimensions

Monazite processing is not politically neutral. The mineral contains thorium and uranium, making it mildly radioactive. The study carefully reviews:

• Radiation exposure risks
• Waste containment requirements
• International safety standards (IAEA, ISO, ICRP)

In densely populated or coastal regions, these issues can trigger public resistance, as seen in Malaysia’s long-running controversies over rare earth processing facilities. Bangladesh would need robust regulation, public transparency, and international oversight to avoid similar backlash.

Emerging “greener” techniques—such as biosorption, ionic liquids, and supercritical fluids—are discussed, but the authors acknowledge these remain experimental or costly, reinforcing China’s advantage with mature industrial infrastructure.

Implications: What This Means Beyond Bangladesh

For policymakers and investors, the implications are clear:

• Mining is not the bottleneck—processing is
• New entrants face high environmental, regulatory, and capital hurdles
• China’s dominance is structural, not accidental
• Countries seeking rare earth security must invest in midstream processing, not just upstream exploration

Bangladesh could become a regional contributor of light rare earth feedstock, but without parallel investment in processing capacity—domestically or through trusted partners—it risks remaining dependent on the same global system it hopes to diversify.

Limitations of the Study

The authors are explicit about constraints:

• Reserve estimates remain preliminary
• Most data come from laboratory and pilot-scale work
• Economic viability depends on future policy, prices, and infrastructure
• The study does not model geopolitical shocks or export controls

In other words, this is a strategic and technical review, not a commercialization roadmap.

Conclusion

This study reinforces a central truth of the rare earth economy: control of processing equals control of supply. Bangladesh’s monazite sands represent a genuine opportunity—but also illustrate why China’s grip on rare earths has proven so resilient. Until processing capacity is meaningfully diversified, new mines alone will not rebalance the system.

Source: Rahman, M.A. et al. (2025). Extraction of Rare Earth Elements from Monazite: A Review of Current Practices and Emerging Opportunities for Bangladesh. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review. DOI: 10.1080/08827508.2025.2598605

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