Characterizations and potential recovery pathways of phosphate mines waste rocks

Safhi, Amine el Mahdi; Amar, Hicham; Berdai, Yahya EL; Ghorfi, Mustapha El; Taha, Yassine; Hakkou, Rachid; Al‐Dahhan, Muthanna H.; Benzaazoua, Mostafa

doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134034

Cited by 16 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The mixture is crushed and sized to separate sand-phosphate from waste rocks. Coarse rocks are discarded as waste in PMWR Stockpiles, while fine sandy phosphate is processed further [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, based on a preliminary characterization of PMWR, ref. [1] reported that it is possible to recover and valorize phosphate, by joining the conventional mineral processing with the fine fraction (<30 mm). This preliminary hypothesis was based on 25 tons samples of destoning and screening PMWR each, subjected to manual sorting.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Figure12. Illustration of the stockpile construction process and its evolution 1. ⃝-Artificial stratification resulting from a grain-size classification with fine particles at the top and coarse particles at the base of the screening PMWRS in2 ⃝ 3.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Design and Implementation of Sampling Wells in Phosphate Mine Waste Rock Piles: Towards an Enhanced Composition Understanding and Sustainable Reclamation

El Ghorfi,

Inabi,

Amar

et al. 2024

Minerals

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Establishing a circular economy in mining begins with a dedicated sampling strategy as its fundamental phase. This specific approach is crucial for enhancing resource retrieval and isolating essential minerals from mining residues. By carefully examining and defining the makeup of waste materials, mining activities can discover overlooked possibilities, promoting sustainability. A thoughtfully planned sampling strategy not only reduces environmental harm but also sets the stage for the effective use of resources. In doing so, the mining industry can shift towards a circular model, adhering to the principles of waste reduction, material reuse, and ultimately promoting a more environmentally conscious and economically viable industry. In the phosphate industry and during the pre-concentration process of phosphate ore through screening, significant amounts of mining waste, consisting of various lithologies including indurated and fine phosphate, coarse-grained silicified phosphate, limestone, and marls, are deposited in waste rock stockpiles. Collecting representative samples from these heterogeneous materials presents challenges in accurately characterizing the entire stockpile. To overcome this issue, circular mining wells were implemented as a novel sampling method in waste rock stockpiles, enabling the collection of intact representative samples. This paper shares a successful experience in constructing three concrete-lined wells within a phosphate mine waste rock stockpile measuring 662 m in length, 240 m in width, and ranging in height from 0 to 65 m. The wells were dug at various depths, ranging from 20 m to 55 m, with a circular section and a diameter of 1.5 m. An integrated method utilizing analytical techniques in conjunction with numerical modeling via Robot Structural Analysis software (version of 2020) was utilized to assess the stress on the well supports and confirm their stability. This methodology serves as a valuable tool for evaluating the stability of similar wells, ensuring the safety of operators. The structural model yielded a stress level of 1 MPa, which aligned with the values obtained from the analytical model. Sensitivity analysis was performed on various parameters (friction angle, Poisson Ratio, and gravity), and the safety factor consistently remained above 1.5 for all scenarios investigated up to a depth of 60 m. Consequently, this study demonstrates that concrete-lined wells can be utilized safely for intact sampling in waste rock stockpiles. This sampling operation will allow the pursuit of optimizing resource utilization and enhancing environmental sustainability, by studying phosphate distribution in the Phosphate Mine Waste Rock (PMWR) for better recovery.

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“…The mixture is crushed and sized to separate sand-phosphate from waste rocks. Coarse rocks are discarded as waste in PMWR Stockpiles, while fine sandy phosphate is processed further [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Design and Implementation of Sampling Wells in Phosphate Mine Waste Rock Piles: Towards an Enhanced Composition Understanding and Sustainable Reclamation

El Ghorfi,

Inabi,

Amar

et al. 2024

Minerals

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“…These mining wastes, which include both solids and liquids, are unwanted and unprofitable byproducts that are typically deposited near the mines or processing facilities [1]. Some examples are overburdens, waste rocks, tailing, process by-products, slag, and effluents [2,3]. Due to the production of dust and the potential leaching of heavy and toxic metals, these wastes pose serious storage issues on-site and threats to both the health and the environment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recycling of Mine Wastes in the Concrete Industry: A Review

El Machi,

El Berdai,

Mabroum

et al. 2024

Buildings

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The mining industry generates a substantial amount of waste materials, including tailings and waste rocks, which, if not managed correctly, pose threats to the environment and public health due to their long-term accumulation and disposal. Simultaneously, the construction sector consumes important amounts of natural resources like water and rocks. However, research shows that inert mining waste can serve as a substitute for conventional raw materials in construction, particularly in concrete. This review focuses on using mining waste as an alternative to concrete technology to promote cleaner practices in construction and circular economy in mining. Mining waste, with its physical characteristics and chemical composition, can function as diverse components in concrete, such as sand, aggregates, and binders. This article assesses these properties and explores their incorporation into concrete production, aiming to stimulate further research and development, foster environmentally responsible approaches, and underline the direct link to reaching SDGs to achieve sustainability in the construction industry.

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“…Recently some review articles have published in the same area [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20] creating an exchange platform for cost effective engineering solutions in sensor based ore sorting. More beneficiation and advanced techniques for minerals like copper, coal, and diamond have also been proposed in [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33], [34], [35], and [36], but none of these approaches intently reviews a generalized approach to sensor based ore sorting through the application of the interaction of electromagnetic waves with matter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensor-Based Ore Sorting—A Review of Current Use of Electromagnetic Spectrum in Sorting

et al. 2022

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Sensor-based sorting has had a wide range of industrial use in automating and speeding up the process which requires substances or objects to be segregated from each other. The high demand for goods including raw materials, food, minerals, and waste recycling has increased the pressure for high-speed sorting. The first part of this paper presents a comprehensive theoretical and practical survey and comparison of current sorting methods relying on the use of the electromagnetic spectrum. Sorting methods are classified among other things, which portion of the EM spectrum is it, background noise rejection capacity, sample size limitations, sample chemistry limitations, sample surface cleanliness, spatial resolution capacity, spectral resolution, and feed rate limitations. The analysis focuses on color or visible light sorting, gamma-ray sorting, infra-red sorting, x-ray transmission-based sorting and x-ray fluorescence sorting, coupling the findings to the classification criteria outlined. We see a need to define a universal sorting scheme that will in general be applied to most sorting tasks. To do this, the final part of this paper re-looks at the x-ray transmission and x-ray fluorescence sorting scheme in line with the established limitations and proposes a dual x-ray transmission and fluorescence method to mitigate the challenge affecting the different schemes.

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Characterizations and potential recovery pathways of phosphate mines waste rocks

Cited by 16 publications

References 49 publications

Design and Implementation of Sampling Wells in Phosphate Mine Waste Rock Piles: Towards an Enhanced Composition Understanding and Sustainable Reclamation

Design and Implementation of Sampling Wells in Phosphate Mine Waste Rock Piles: Towards an Enhanced Composition Understanding and Sustainable Reclamation

Recycling of Mine Wastes in the Concrete Industry: A Review

Sensor-Based Ore Sorting—A Review of Current Use of Electromagnetic Spectrum in Sorting

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