Praseodymium doesn't move through the supply chain alone. It's produced alongside neodymium, sold as NdPr, and processed through the same separation, metal-making, and magnet manufacturing steps. Understanding the supply chain means understanding where capacity constraints form and why downstream processing matters more than ore availability.
Mining and concentrate (Pr co-produced with other REEs)
Cracking and leaching (dissolving concentrate)
Separation (isolating NdPr or Pr specifically)
Metal-making (oxide to NdPr metal)
Magnet manufacturing (NdFeB sintering and assembly)
The critical bottlenecks are separation capacity, metal-making capability, and magnet production qualification, not raw ore.
Praseodymium is co-produced in rare earth mineral deposits, primarily from bastnäsite and monazite ores. The element naturally occurs alongside neodymium, cerium, lanthanum, and other rare earths, which means you can't just "mine praseodymium" selectively.
Major rare earth mining regions include:
The mineral deposit type determines the Nd-to-Pr ratio. Light rare earth deposits typically yield Nd:Pr ratios around 4:1 to 5:1, which is why they're marketed together as NdPr.
After concentrate is cracked and leached into solution, the real challenge begins: separating individual rare earth elements. This is where China's dominance is most pronounced, controlling roughly 85-90% of global separation capacity.
Separation methods include:
Many operations produce "NdPr oxide" or "NdPr carbonate" without fully separating Nd from Pr, since magnet manufacturers can use the mixed material. This makes economic sense when:
Once you have NdPr oxide (or separated Pr oxide), it needs to be converted to metal form for magnet manufacturing. This metallization step involves:
Metal-making capacity is highly concentrated in China, with limited capacity in Japan and emerging capacity in the US and other regions. This is a key supply chain vulnerability.
The final step is sintered NdFeB magnet production, where NdPr metal is alloyed with iron, boron, and other elements to create permanent magnets. This involves:
Major magnet production centers:
China controls the majority of separation, metal-making, and magnet production capacity. Policy changes or export restrictions can disrupt global supply quickly.
New separation facilities and metal plants require years to qualify material for critical applications. You can't just "switch on" praseodymium supply.
Rare earth processing generates waste streams that require careful management. This creates permitting friction outside China.