Historical assessment of metal recovery potential from old mine tailings: A study case for porphyry copper tailings, Chile

Alcalde, Juan; Kelm, Ursula; Vergara, Diane

doi:10.1016/j.mineng.2018.04.022

Cited by 50 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Additionally, an insufficient liberation degree and alterations of bulk and surface properties limit potential reprocessing. Examples for reprocessing studies were reported on tailings containing tin [9,16], tungsten [18], cobalt [19], copper [11,17,19,20] and zinc [21].…”

Section: Valorization Of Tailingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reprocessing of a Southern Chilean Zn Tailing by Flotation—A Case Study

et al. 2018

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The reprocessing of tailings can have economic and environmental benefits compared to the processing of primary ore deposits. In this paper we present the characterization of a tailings dam in southern Chile by means of mineralogical and geochemical investigations, focusing on sphalerite and trace elements with the aim to investigate a potential reprocessing. The assessment is followed by a flotation study, focusing on the recovery of sphalerite with a high selectivity towards sulfidic and non-sulfidic gangue minerals. An in-depth analysis of a selected test based on mineral liberation analysis data is used to refine the liberation, concentration and flotation weighting function for future investigations.

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Section: Valorization Of Tailingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reprocessing of a Southern Chilean Zn Tailing by Flotation—A Case Study

et al. 2018

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“…Froth flotation has previously been used to recover Cu, Co, and other metals from tailings [13,14]. Prior works investigated the particle size of the tailings, the behavior of the froth during flotation, the age of the tailings, and the nature of the metal-bearing minerals (e.g., sulfides, oxides) as the main parameters affecting metal recovery [15][16][17][18]. Several recent studies also investigated bioleaching as a potential technology for removing heavy metals and sulfides from mine tailings [19][20][21].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Desulfurization of the Old Tailings at the Au-Ag-Cu Tiouit Mine (Anti-Atlas Morocco)

et al. 2019

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Tailings from the abandoned Tiouit mine site in Morocco are mainly composed of sulfides, hematite, and quartz. They contain 0.06–1.50 wt % sulfur, mostly in the form of pyrite, pyrrhotite, and chalcopyrite. The tailings also contain gold (3.36–5.00 ppm), silver (24–37 ppm), and copper (0.06–0.08 wt %). Flotation tests were conducted to reprocess the tailings for Au, Ag, and Cu recovery, and at the same time to prevent acid mine drainage (AMD) generation through the oxidation of sulfide minerals, including pyrite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena. The flotation results confirmed that environmental desulfurization is effective at reducing the overall sulfide content in the tailings. The recovery of sulfides was between 69% and 75%, while Au recovery weight-yield was between 2.8% and 4.7%. The test that showed the best sulfur recovery rate and weight-yield was carried out with 100 g/t CuSO4 (sulfide activator) and 50 g/t of amyl xanthate (collector). The goal of this study was also to assess the remaining acid-generating potential (AP) and acid-neutralizing potential (NP) of the desulfurized tailing. The geochemical behavior of the initial tailings sample was compared to that of the desulfurized tailings using kinetic weathering cell tests. The leachates from the desulfurized tailings showed higher pH values than those from the initial tailings, which were clearly acid-generating. The residual acidity produced by the desulfurized tailings was most likely caused by the hydrolysis of Fe-oxyhydroxides.

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“…Mining is one of the most important economic activities in Chile, however, it generates large amounts of waste products, particularly when processing sulfide ores from porphyry copper deposits [1]. The main residue from mining activities are tailings, which consist of a mixture between fine-grained ground-up rock and processed water with dissolved metals and reagents that remain after the minerals of economic importance have been extracted.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Copper Analysis by Two Different Procedures of Sequential Extraction after Electrodialytic Remediation of Mine Tailings

Lazo

Urtubia

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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The analysis of Cu distribution in pre-treated mine tailings after electrodialytic remediation was carried out by using two methods of sequential extraction. The initial content of copper in the tailings was 1109 mg Cu/kg of dry tailing, where close to 40% of the sample in weight corresponded to a soluble fraction. The tailing was treated with a leaching solution for 24 h. Three different solutions were tested: H2SO4 + HNO3 with pH = 1.9; H2SO4 + HNO3 with pH = 4.2; and NH4Cl 0.8 mol/L with pH = 5.5. After that, electrodialytic remediation experiments were carried out using an electric field of 2.7 V/cm for 15 days. The best performance for the complete cell was obtained with H2SO4 + HNO3 solutions, with a copper removal efficiency in the range of 62% to 67% and a current efficiency between 6% and 9%. The results of the remaining copper concentration between anode and cathode, from both procedures of sequential extraction, showed similar trends. The differences were mainly attributed to the use of different extractant solutions and extraction times. Soluble and exchangeable fractions were easily removed, with efficiencies higher than 80%. The lowest copper removal efficiency was obtained with NH4Cl 0.8 mol/L.

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Historical assessment of metal recovery potential from old mine tailings: A study case for porphyry copper tailings, Chile

Cited by 50 publications

References 12 publications

Reprocessing of a Southern Chilean Zn Tailing by Flotation—A Case Study

Reprocessing of a Southern Chilean Zn Tailing by Flotation—A Case Study

Desulfurization of the Old Tailings at the Au-Ag-Cu Tiouit Mine (Anti-Atlas Morocco)

Copper Analysis by Two Different Procedures of Sequential Extraction after Electrodialytic Remediation of Mine Tailings

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