A model has been developed for the deposition of rare earth elements with yttrium, trace elements, and nonferrous metals in platform and activated structures of the Upper Amur region. Genetic types of lanthanide enrichment are considered; lanthanides are shown to concentrate nonuniformly in coal seams and in coal combustion products. Light rare earth elements predominate in coals. The capacity of peat and coal for metal extraction from aqueous solutions was proven. Criteria for a preliminary assessment of coal as a raw material for lanthanides were considered and prospects for their identification were analyzed.

The formation of metal-bearing coalfields of the Raichikhinskoe deposit in the conjugation zone of distributive provinces of the Bureya uplift and coal-accumulation areas of the Zeya–Bureya sedimentary basin was studied. It was established that it occurred under conditions of the successive extraction of ore components from weathering crusts of the Bureya uplift, transportation, and unloading in the paleodelta of the Bureya River. These processes proceeded synchronously with volcanic activity in the Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt, which is associated with the supply of volcanic ash. The association of these events made it possible to distinguish two types of enrichment of the Raichikha coals in rare earth elements and yttrium (REY): terrigenous with the supply of REY by surface waters and combined terrigenous volcanogenic associated with the shedding and leaching of acidic and alkaline volcanic ash. The cerium group lanthanides predominate in coals and their combustion products. The largest fraction of REY was contained in fly ash (0.11% on a total weight basis). The mechanisms of accumulation of ore components at the stage of peat deposits are considered from the standpoint of the localization of trace ore components as clastogenic mineral forms and under the conditions of interaction of ore solutions with the organic environment of peat bogs. The quality of REY was assessed, and the most enriched sections of the Verkhnii layer were identified. Prospects for the extraction of lanthanides from coal are considered from the standpoint of the possible recovery of a number of rare, nonferrous, and noble metals in this process.

The concentration, speciation, and localization of rare earth elements in Miocene brown coals from the Sergeevskoe deposit (Amur oblast) have been studied. The total rare earth element content of the test coals (97.43 mg/kg) exceeds the clarke value by a factor of 1.5; the amount of light lanthanides (74.57 mg/kg) prevails over that of heavy ones (7.68 mg/kg). The main concentrators of lanthanides in Miocene brown coals are humic acids. The amount of rare earth elements in water-soluble, ion-exchange, silicate, and disulfide forms does not exceed 5% of the total content with the exception of scandium, 22% of which is associated with silicate minerals such as clays.

The formation of metal-bearing coalfields of the Raichikhinskoe deposit in the conjugation zone of distributive provinces of the Bureya uplift and coal-accumulation areas of the Zeya–Bureya sedimentary basin was studied. It was established that it occurred under conditions of the successive extraction of ore components from weathering crusts of the Bureya uplift, transportation, and unloading in the paleodelta of the Bureya River. These processes proceeded synchronously with volcanic activity in the Sikhote-Alin orogenic belt, which is associated with the supply of volcanic ash. The association of these events made it possible to distinguish two types of enrichment of the Raichikha coals in rare earth elements and yttrium (REY): terrigenous with the supply of REY by surface waters and combined terrigenous volcanogenic associated with the shedding and leaching of acidic and alkaline volcanic ash. The cerium group lanthanides predominate in coals and their combustion products. The largest fraction of REY was contained in fly ash (0.11% on a total weight basis). The mechanisms of accumulation of ore components at the stage of peat deposits are considered from the standpoint of the localization of trace ore components as clastogenic mineral forms and under the conditions of interaction of ore solutions with the organic environment of peat bogs. The quality of REY was assessed, and the most enriched sections of the Verkhnii layer were identified. Prospects for the extraction of lanthanides from coal are considered from the standpoint of the possible recovery of a number of rare, nonferrous, and noble metals in this process.

The chemical and physicochemical characteristics of brown coals from the Arkhara–Boguchan deposit were studied. These coals have increased ash content (to 18.7%) and high aluminum and silicon contents (to 30.5 and to 69.5%, respectively) and the main petrographic components—vitrinite (42%) and semivitrinite (46%). Separate combustion products (slag, fly ash, and sludge) were obtained by burning a bulk sample of 270 kg in the Amur Experimental Technological Complex. In the course of this study, the noble metals Au, Ag, and Pt, which were represented by two morphological types, were detected in all of these fractions. The first type of massive lumpy individuals, often with a noticeable treatment in an aqueous medium, was characterized by a high gold content (>80%), sizes from 2.0 × 1.6 to 115.0 × 160.0 μm, and the presence of impurity elements. According to their characteristics (fineness, composition of impurity elements, etc.), they largely reflected the mineral specialization of ore materials in source areas. The second form of the release of noble metals was loose agglomerates consisting of Au and Ag grains with various concentrations in a temperature range of 600–800°C. The ability to concentrate the grains of noble metals of various genetic natures allows one to consider this interval as the initial stage of gold preservation in fly ash from volatilization by a gas stream.