Phosphogypsum and residues
Assess REE potential in industrial by-products where spatial variability is poorly understood.
Rare earth element assessment
SORBEX-REE
A resin-mediated workflow under development for rapid REE screening in phosphogypsum, phosphate residues, mine waste and other secondary raw material deposits.
SORBEX-REE resin granules
From broad possibility to mapped evidence
White resin granules, benchtop XRF and REE spectrum screening with reference-lab verification.
Purpose
Rapid screening for secondary REE resources.
The concept links controlled leaching, selective resin capture, XRF measurement, ICP verification and spatial interpretation. It is an assessment and decision-support platform, not a public extraction claim.
ICP-anchored screening
Use resin-XRF for faster sample ranking and selected ICP-OES/MS checks for traceability.
3D interpretation
Connect analytical results with depth, sampling geometry and preliminary distribution models.
Development status
SORBEX-REE builds on the SORBIONEX resin-XRF platform and extends it toward third-generation selective resins for rare earth capture from complex leachates. Each material stream requires its own validation of selectivity, XRF response and reference correlation.
The first useful question is not "can this recover REE at scale?" but "which zones or material streams deserve more detailed work?"
Independent scientific verification
University validation is built into the SORBEX-REE method.
The proposed validation programme separates rapid resin-XRF screening from independent reference analysis. It is designed to establish where the method is reliable, quantify its limitations and prevent unverified analytical claims.
University of Girona
Planned micro-XRF and EDXRF studies of REE-loaded SORBEX resin targets will assess signal response, spectral overlaps, target homogeneity, measurement geometry and calibration strategy.
Reference laboratory verification
Selected leachates, resin fractions and solid samples will be checked by ICP-OES/MS with documented QA/QC to link REE concentration, resin loading and XRF response.
Verification criteria
The method must demonstrate reproducible REE capture, measurable resin-XRF response, meaningful correlation with reference data, and clearly reported detection limits and matrix constraints.