Effective utilization of iron ore slime, a mining waste as adsorbent for removal of Pb(II) and Hg(II)

Mining waste may contain potential minerals that can act as essential feedstock for long-term carbon sequestration through a mineral carbonation process. This study attempts to identify the mineralogical and chemical composition of iron ore mining waste alongside the effects of particle size, temperature, and pH on carbonation efficiency. The samples were found to be alkaline in nature (pH of 6.9–7.5) and contained small-sized particles of clay and silt, thus indicating their suitability for mineral carbonation reactions. Samples were composed of important silicate minerals needed for the formation of carbonates such as wollastonite, anorthite, diopside, perovskite, johannsenite, and magnesium aluminum silicate, and the Fe-bearing mineral magnetite. The presence of Fe2O3 (39.6–62.9%) and CaO (7.2–15.2%) indicated the potential of the waste to sequester carbon dioxide because these oxides are important divalent cations for mineral carbonation. The use of small-sized mine-waste particles enables the enhancement of carbonation efficiency, i.e., particles of <38 µm showed a greater extent of Fe and Ca carbonation efficiency (between 1.6–6.7%) compared to particles of <63 µm (0.9–5.7%) and 75 µm (0.7–6.0%). Increasing the reaction temperature from 80 °C to 150–200 °C resulted in a higher Fe and Ca carbonation efficiency of some samples between 0.9–5.8% and 0.8–4.0%, respectively. The effect of increasing the pH from 8–12 was notably observed in Fe carbonation efficiency of between 0.7–5.9% (pH 12) compared to 0.6–3.3% (pH 8). Ca carbonation efficiency was moderately observed (0.7–5.5%) as with the increasing pH between 8–10. Therefore, it has been evidenced that mineralogical and chemical composition were of great importance for the mineral carbonation process, and that the effects of particle size, pH, and temperature of iron mining waste were influential in determining carbonation efficiency. Findings would be beneficial for sustaining the mining industry while taking into account the issue of waste production in tackling the global carbon emission concerns.

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The Characteristics of Iron Ore Slimes and Their Influence on The Flotation Process

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min10080675 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 675

Author(s):

Neymayer Pereira Lima ◽

Klaydison Silva ◽

Thiago Souza ◽

Lev Filippov

Keyword(s):

Particle Size ◽

Iron Ore ◽

Corn Starch ◽

Reverse Flotation ◽

Flotation Process ◽

Froth Stability ◽

Iron Ore Slime ◽

Iron Ore Slimes ◽

Main Effects

The flotation has been successfully applied to process the iron ore for the particle size (Ps) from 10 µm up to 150 µm. The presence of the slimes (Ps < 10 µm) is harmful on the reverse flotation of quartz, so they are usually prior removed by hydrocyclones. The main effects of the presence of slimes on the flotation are related to the increase on reagents consumption, the froth stability, and decrease on the selectivity. The lower floatability of coarse quartz particles (+74 µm) combined with the presence of slimes, even in small quantities, drastically affect the flotation response. This paper shows a study of characterization of a typical iron ore slime, aiming to create a better understanding of its role on the concentration by flotation. The main characteristics of typical slimes from the Iron Ore Quadrangle in Brazil are the presence of almost 70% of hematite, 25% of quartz, and 5% of kaolinite, as the main silicates gangue minerals. Furthermore, the particle size distribution revealed that 80% of the hematite and the kaolinite are below 20 µm. The affinity between the ultrafine kaolinite of the slimes with the corn starch is harmful to the reverse flotation of quartz, as the starch has an important depressing action over the hematite. The presence of 20% of hematite −20 µm decreased the recovery to the froth of quartz + 74 µm from 97% to 62%, where the slimes coating seems to be the main responsible.

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