Mumbai, 17 November 2025

 

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) today announced the release of an indigenously developed Certified Reference Material (CRM) titled Ferrocarbonatite (FC) – BARC B1401. The CRM was formally launched by Dr. A.K. Mohanty, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, DAE. This newly developed CRM is expected to play a vital role in exploration, extraction, and process control in Rare Earth Elements (REEs) ore mining and allied production sectors. It will also support analytical method development, instrument calibration, and quality control across scientific, academic, and industrial domains.

Certified Reference Material of High Strength Low Alloy Steel in chip form encompassed in a bottle

Rare Earth Elements are critical to strategic sectors including electronics, renewable energy, manufacturing, defence, and medical technologies. Ferrocarbonatite, a proven source rock for REEs, occurs abundantly within several carbonatite complexes across India and is being extensively explored by the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD). The availability of matrix-matched CRMs is essential for accurate quantification of individual REEs; however, such materials are limited globally and often available at prohibitively high costs.

Aligned with the national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, the development of this FC-CRM bridges a crucial gap in India’s analytical and technological capability. The CRM has been jointly prepared by the National Centre for Compositional Characterisation of Materials (NCCCM), BARC and AMD, Hyderabad, following ISO guidelines for certification.

The FC-CRM provides certified values for thirteen (13) Rare Earth Elements—Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, La, Nd, Pr, Sc, Sm, Tb, Y and Yb—along with six (06) major elements, namely Al, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn and P. This achievement marks the first such CRM developed in India and only the fourth of its kind in the world.

The release ceremony was attended by senior DAE officials including Shri Vivek Bhasin, Director, BARC; Shri Dheeraj Pande, Director, AMD; Dr. A.C. Bhasikuttan, Associate Director, Chemistry Group, BARC; Shri K. Jayakumar, Controller, BARC; Shri Daniel P. Babu, Head, Public Awareness & Media Interaction Division (PA&MID), DAE; and Dr. K. Dash, Head, NCCCM-BARC.

 

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