IREL (India) Limited is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It has a specialization in mining and refining of rare earth metals.
It has installed capacity to process about 10,000 MT of rare earth bearing mineral. As regards production, capacity and capabilities in terms of mining, processing, extraction, refining and production of high pure RE oxides is adequately available in India.
Production Facilities
Rare Earths Division (RED) Aluva
This plant, the first unit of IREL, was made operational way back in 1952 for processing of monazite, whose capacity was subsequently increased by about three times. Rare Earths Division (RED), Udyogamandal, Aluva is located on the banks of river Periyar in Kerala at a distance of 12 kms from the port city of Kochi and 15 kms from Kochi International Airport.
In the year 2012, the plant was refurbished to process mixed rare earth chlorides. It produces high pure individual rare earth compounds of lanthanum and cerium in oxide and carbonate form, and that of neodymium-praseodymium, samarium, gadolinium and yttrium in oxide and oxalate form (with more than 99% Purity). RED also produces strategic materials for the Department of Atomic Energy.
Odisha Sand Complex (OSCOM) and OSCOM - Rare Earth Extraction Plant(REEP)
IREL commissioned its largest division called Odisha Sand Complex (OSCOM) at Chhatrapur, Odisha. Today IREL operates these four units along with a corporate office in Mumbai and a unit located in Manavalakurichi of Kanyakumari district. It produces/sells six heavy minerals namely ilmenite, rutile, zircon, monazite, sillimanite, and garnet as well as various value added products.
From 1 May 2015 it started commercial operation of Monazite Processing Plant at Orissa to process 10000tpa monazite to produce 11220tpa of rare earth chloride, 13500 tri-sodium phosphate, 26tpa NGADU etc. Similarly High Pure Rare Earth facility also commenced operation to refine pure rare earth compounds. In 2013 Gopalpur port shipped 7,500 metric tonne of ilmenite from Orissa Sand Complex (OSCOM) to South Korea for the first time after IREL started the operation. Monazite deposit in Odisha contains rare earths like, Lanthanum, Cerium, Praseodymium, Neodymium etc. It also contains Thorium which is a "prescribed substance", the list of which was revised in 2006 under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.
IREL has set up a Rare Earth Extraction plant (REEP) producing mixed Rare Earth chloride (MRCL) Tri-sodium phosphate etc, at its unit OSCOM Odisha. MRCL produced from the above plant is processed at IREL’s plant at Rare Earth Division (RED) in Aluva Kerala for producing separated High Pure Rare Earth (HPRE) Oxides/Compounds.Rare Earth processing unit having installed capacity of 11200 tpa mixed Rare Earth Chlorides was commissioned in the year 2015-16.
Manavalakurichi unit (MK) IREL opened the division in 1963 after becoming a fully public sector undertaking under the administrative control of Department of Atomic Energy(DAE), Government of India, IREL will carry out beach sand mining and extract heavy minerals at an area of 1,144.06 hectare in eight villages of Kanniyakumari district.It currently holds beach sand mining lease for an area of 178.06 hectare including 29.78 hectare in Midalam and Keezhmidalam,148.27 hectare in Manavalakurichi of Kanyakumari district.
IREL has a mineral manufacturing unit functioning in Manavalakurichi village near Colachel in Kanniyakumari for extracting ilmenite, zircon, rutile, monazite and sillimanite.Annual production capacity of MK mineral separation plant is 91,200 tonnes per annum (tpa) of Ilmenite and other associated minerals such as Rutile, Zircon and Garnet.
Chavara Mineral Division
Chavara mineral separation plant is located 10 kms north of Kollam and 85 kms from Thiruvananthapuram the Capital of Kerala. It is about 135 kms from Kochi, the major port in Kerala. The nearest airport is at Thiruvananthapuram. The adjacent area of Chavara is blessed with one of the best mineral sand deposits in the country – the renowned “Q” Grade minerals.
The Chavara mines contain as high as 40% heavy minerals extending over a stretch of 23 kms in the coastal belt of Neendakara and Kayamkulam, The deposits is quite rich with ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite and is unique with weathered variety having 60% TiO2 ilmenite.