Browsing by Author "Dissanayake, O"

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item: Conference-Full-text
Rare earth element enrichment in intrusive rocks of Sri Lanka as a potential low-grade source
(IEEE, 2022-07) Batapola, N; Ratnayake, R; Abeysinghe, B; Premasiri, R; Rohitha, S; Dushyantha, N; Illankoon, IMSK; Dissanayake, O; Dharmaratne, P; Rathnayake, M; Adhikariwatte, V; Hemachandra, K
Owing to the crucial role-playing in the decarbonization of the global economy, the demand for rare earth elements (REEs) is burgeoning while the supply is highly uncertain. This lack of secure supply coupled with high-grade resource depletion has led to increased explorations on potential low-grade resources of REEs. Thus, the present study focuses on the enrichment of REEs in intrusive rocks in Sri Lanka – a prospective low-grade REE resource. We analyzed fifty-five rock samples from a few granitic bodies (Massenna, Thonigala, Arangala), Eppawala Phosphate Deposit (EPD), and Ratthota pegmatite for their REE concentrations. Amongst the studied prospects, EPD (4185 mg/kg), Arangala granite (2183 mg/kg), and Massenna granite (937 mg/kg) had high REE concentrations with increased LREE enrichments over HREEs. However, EPD contains processable REE minerals (apatite and monazite), and REEs can be extracted as a by-product after developing the phosphate fertilizer production flow. Thus, EPD is the highest prospective of all the studied intrusive rocks of Sri Lanka. Compared to global occurrences, although it is low-grade (0. 48 wt% REO, 0.29 million tons REE reserve), such low-grade REE resources could become viable in the future due to the ever-increasing demand and the expected resource depletion of REEs.
item: Conference-Full-text
Rare earth element potential in the beach placers along the southwest coast of Sri Lanka
(IEEE, 2021-07) Batapola, N; Dushyantha, N; Ratnayake, N; Premasiri, R; Abeysinghe, B; Dissanayake, O; Rohitha, S; Ilankoon, I; Dharmaratne, P; Adhikariwatte, W; Rathnayake, M; Hemachandra, K
In the recent few years, rare earth elements (REEs) were considered as critical metals with strategic importance due to their high usage in modern technology and green energy applications. Currently, with the unexpected increase of rare earth element (REE) demand and China's market dominance, many REE processing projects are being launched or revived. In this regard, the present work is focused on assessing the REE potential in the beach placers along the southwest coastline in Sri Lanka. The collected 36 beach sand samples from the mean sea-level in the southwest coast during both southwestern and northeastern monsoons were subjected to both elemental and mineralogical analyses. Based on the findings, Galle, Ginthota, Wadduwa, and Thelwatta areas were found with significant contents of REEs ranging from 32.8-1,359.1 mg/kg. Moreover, the results suggest that REE-bearing heavy minerals are heavily concentrated in the beach face due to stronger oceanic currents generated by the strong winds of the southwestern monsoon along with the increased sediment supply by inland rivers. The findings in this study would provide insights for future REE prospecting studies, which is helpful in unraveling the hidden potential of REE resources in Sri Lankan beach placer deposits.