The types, contents, and microstructures of clay minerals play important roles in controlling the adsorption and desorption of ion-absorbed type rare earth ores and heavy metals. By selecting a typical rare earth ore profile, we conducted a leaching experiment and used XRD (X-ray diffraction) and TEM (Transmission electron microscopy) analyses to determine the clay mineral types and microstructural changes after various leaching periods. The XRD phase analyses showed that the main minerals in the simulated rare earth ore were quartz, potassium feldspar, kaolinite, and illite. TEM images showed that the mineral aggregates were broken, disintegrated, and transformed by the leaching process, and a large number of moire fringes were visible. With continuous leaching, REEs (Rare Earth Elements) were gradually re-solved and leached. The results of the leaching experiment indicate that fine-grained minerals in rare earth ores, such as potassium feldspar and clay minerals, migrated downward with the leaching solution. Leaching also promoted the alteration of potassium feldspar to clay minerals, as well as mutual alteration of clay minerals. Under acidic or neutral conditions during the early stage, potassium feldspar was altered to kaolinite or illite, whereas during the middle and late stages of leaching it was altered as follows: illite → mixed-layer illite-kaolinite → kaolinite → mixed-layer kaolinite-illite → illite. This transformation has an important effect on the release of REEs and heavy metals and provides insights into improving the leaching process and explaining heavy metal pollution in rare earth mining areas.

Although clay mineral content in ion-absorbed rare earth ores is crucial for migrating and releasing rare earth elements, the formation, distribution, and migration of clay minerals in supergene rare earth ores have not been fully understood. Therefore, this study analyzes the characteristics of clay mineral type and content, soil particle size, pH value, leaching solution concentration, and leaching rate. This analysis was performed using different methods, such as regional rare earth mine soil surveys, in situ leaching profile monitoring, and indoor simulated leaching. The results showed that the grain size and volume curve of rare earth ore have unimodal and bimodal shapes, respectively. X-ray diffraction showed the differences in clay mineral types formed by different weathered bedrocks. The principal clay minerals were kaolinite, illite, chlorite, and vermiculite, with their relative abundance varying with parent rock lithology (granite and low-grade metamorphic rocks). In the Ganxian granite weathering profile, the kaolinite content increased from top to bottom. The decomposition of feldspar minerals to kaolinite was enhanced with an increase in the SiO₂ content during weathering. The in situ leaching profile analysis showed that the kaolinite content increased initially and then decreased, whereas the illite/mica content exhibited the opposite trend. Under stable leaching solution concentration and leaching rate, clay mineral formation is favored by lower pH. Low pH, low leaching rate, and highly-concentrated leaching solution (12 wt%) resulted in a slow increase in kaolinite content in the upper part of the profile (30 cm). A lower concentration of the leaching solution (4 wt%) resulted in rapid enrichment of kaolinite after 15 days. Low pH, leaching solution concentration, and leaching rate promoted the formation of distinct kaolinite horizons. We suggest that by disregarding other control factors, rare earth recovery of over 90% can be achieved through leach mining with solutions of 8 wt% and a pH of 5 at a leaching rate of 5 mL/min.