TREO (Total Rare Earth Oxides)

The combined oxide content of all rare earth elements in a deposit, reported as a percentage.

Definition

The sum of all rare earth element oxides in a mineral deposit, typically expressed as a grade percentage or parts per million (ppm). TREO is the standard metric for reporting rare earth resource estimates and provides a measure of total rare earth content.

Why it matters

TREO is the headline grade for rare earth projects, and on its own it says very little. Almost all the value sits in four magnet metals — neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium — so the split within TREO matters far more than the total.

Where people go wrong

A high TREO grade dominated by cerium and lanthanum, which are abundant and cheap, can be worth less than a lower TREO grade rich in magnet metals.

See also

  • Magnetic Rare Earths Rare earth elements used in permanent magnet production, primarily neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and te
  • Heavy Rare Earths (HREE) The heavier elements in the rare earth series, including europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, e
  • Light Rare Earths (LREE) The lighter elements in the rare earth series, including lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethiu
  • REE (Rare Earth Elements) A group of 17 metallic elements including the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium. Despite the name, rare
  • NdPr Oxide A combined rare earth product containing neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) and praseodymium oxide (Pr2O3), the two most

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