Geochemistry of rare earth elements in groundwater from deep seated limestone aquifer in Renlou Coal Mine,Anhui Province,China

Rare earth element （REE） concentrations were measured by ICP-MS for groundwater collected from deep seated Taiyuan Fm limestone aquifer （from -400 to -530 m） in Renlou Coal Mine, northern Anhui Province, China. It can be concluded that the groundwater is warm （34.0-37.2 ℃） C1-Ca, Na type water with circum-neutral pH （7.35-8.28） and high total dissolved solids （TDS, 1 746-2 849 mg/L）. The groundwater exhibits heavy REEs enrichment relative to light REEs compared with Post Archean Average Shale （PAAS）, as well as their aquifer rocks （limestone）. The enrichment of REEs is considered to be controlled by terrigeneous materials （e.g. zircon） in aquifer rocks, whereas the fractionation of REEs is controlled by marine derived materials （e.g. calcite）, to a less extent, terrigeneous materials and inorganic complexation. The Ce anomalies normalized to PAAS and aquifer rocks are weak, which probably reflects the signature of the aquifer rock rather than redox conditions or pH. The similarities of REE patterns between groundwater and aquifer rocks imply that aquifer rocks play important roles in controlling the REE characteristics of groundwater, and then provide a probability for discrimination of groundwater sources by using REEs.

Distributions of rare-earth elements in two Chinese coals and their burnt products

The concentrations of two fresh Chinese coals (lignitie and fatty coal ) from dif-ferent geological origin and the corresponding fly and bottom ashes were determined us-ing inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(ICP-MS). The ranges and means of concentrations of these elemennts were given. Based on the combustion simulating ex-periment in the one-dismensional boiler, the contents of REE (rare-earth element) of 18 samples in lignite, fatty coal and their fly and bottom ashes in different combustion condi-tion were determined, and geochemical feature of REE were analyzed.

Behavior of rare earth elements in granitic profiles, eastern Tibetan Plateau, China

Rare earth elements(REEs) can record geologic and geochemical processes. We studied two granitic regolith profiles from different climatic zones in eastern Tibetan Plateau and found that(1)∑ RREEs ranged from119.65 to 275.33 mg/kg in profile ND and5.11–474.55 mg/kg in profile GTC, with average values of205.79 and 161 mg/kg, respectively. ∑RREEs was higher in accumulation horizon and semi-regolith;(2) Influenced by climate, the fractionation of light and heavy REEs(LREEs and HREEs) varied during weathering. The ratio of LREEs/HREEs in pedosphere was higher than semi-regolith in tropical profile;(3) A negative Eu anomaly in both profiles was the result of bedrock weathering. A positive Ce anomaly was observed in all layers of profile ND, and only in the upper 100 cm of profile GTC. This indicates that redox conditions along the regolith profile varied considerably with climate.(4) Normalized by chondrite,LREEs accumulated much more than HREEs; REE distribution curves were right-leaning with a V-type Eu anomaly in both profiles.

The Sino-Foreign Battle for Rare Earth and Countermeasures of China in the WTO

Since 2010, the export restraints of rare earth in China have been of great concern in the world. On March 13, 2012, the United States（U. S. ） , the European Union（EU） and Japan requested consultations with China with respect to China＇s export restraints of rare earth, tungsten and molybdenum （＂ Rare Earth Case＂）. Although the export restraints of rare earth are similar in essence to the disputed measures related to the export restraints on various raw materials in 2009, namely the competition between China and other WTO members, the specific forms of restraints have been developed. Combining to the WTO n.des and latest dispute setdements, this paper makes an in-depth study of the dispute triggered by rare earth and tries to propose some countermeasures in attempt to provide resolution for the Rare Earth Case and safeguard legitimate interests of China.