GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

Detailed explanation-1: -Monazite is an important ore for thorium, lanthanum, and cerium . It is often found in placer deposits. India, Madagascar, and South Africa have large deposits of monazite sands. The deposits in India are particularly rich in monazite.

Detailed explanation-2: -Monazite ore is composed of 55–60 per cent rare-earth metal oxides, 24–29 per cent P2O5, 5–10 per cent ThO2, and 0.2–0.4 per cent U3O8. At input temperatures of 150 to 180 °C, pulverised monazite is blended with strongly concentrated sulfuric acid (93 per cent acid).

Detailed explanation-3: -The process examined uses sulfuric acid leaching and water to extract the thorium, and rare earth oxides are also extracted as byproducts in the process. The rare earth elements, REEs, are a part of the lanthanide group; specifically, La, Ce, and Nd are the REEs examined here.