The Phosphate Mineral Assemblages from La Viquita Pegmatite, San Luis, Argentina

La Viquita is a rare-element pegmatite of LCT signature, REL-Li subclass, spodumene subtype, that shows Fe > Mn mineral paragenesis instead of Mn > Fe, which is more common in the rare-element pegmatite population of the San Luis ranges. The phosphate mineral association of this pegmatite can be subdivided into (1) primary, with dendritic triphylite [(Fe/(Fe + Mn) = 0.72] and montebrasite–amblygonite as main phases; (2) metasomatic, with subsolidus replacement of triphylite by ferrisicklerite and heterosite; and (3) hydrothermal, with secondary growth of alluaudite at the expense of heterosite and wardite from montebrasite caused by Na-metasomatism. A Ca-rich influx under oxidizing conditions produced childrenite–eosphorite–ernstite, jahnsite-(CaMnFe), and kingsmountite. Apatite-group minerals are present throughout the processes. Very late-stage solutions formed millimetric crystals of hydroxylherderite associated with hydroxylapatite in cavities in K-feldspar.

Chemical and textural relations of britholite- and apatite-group minerals from hydrothermal REE mineralization at the Rodeo de los Molles deposit, Central Argentina

Britholite group minerals (REE,Ca)5[(Si,P)O4]3(OH,F) are widespread rare-earth minerals in alkaline rocks and their associated metasomatic zones, where they usually are minor accessory phases. An exception is the REE deposit Rodeo de los Molles, Central Argentina, where fluorbritholite-(Ce) (FBri) is the main carrier of REE and is closely intergrown with fluorapatite (FAp). These minerals reach an abundance of locally up to 75 modal% (FBri) and 20 modal% (FAp) in the vein mineralizations. The Rodeo de los Molles deposit is hosted by a fenitized monzogranite of the Middle Devonian Las Chacras-Potrerillos batholith. The REE mineralization consists of fluorbritholite-(Ce), britholite-(Ce), fluorapatite, allanite-(Ce), and REE fluorcarbonates, and is associated with hydrothermal fluorite, quartz, albite, zircon, and titanite. The REE assemblage takes two forms: irregular patchy shaped REE-rich composites and discrete cross-cutting veins. The irregular composites are more common, but here fluorbritholite-(Ce) is mostly replaced by REE carbonates. The vein mineralization has more abundant and better-preserved britholite phases. The majority of britholite grains at Rodeo de los Molles are hydrothermally altered, and alteration is strongly enhanced by metamictization, which is indicated by darkening of the mineral, loss of birefringence, porosity, and volume changes leading to polygonal cracks in and around altered grains. A detailed electron microprobe study of apatite-britholite minerals from Rodeo de los Molles revealed compositional variations in fluorapatite and fluorbritholite-(Ce) consistent with the coupled substitution of REE3+ + Si4+ = Ca2+ + P5+ and a compositional gap of ~4 apfu between the two phases, which we interpret as a miscibility gap. Micrometer-scale intergrowths of fluorapatite in fluorbritholite-(Ce) minerals and vice versa are chemically characterized here for the first time and interpreted as exsolution textures that formed during cooling below the proposed solvus.

Selective Separation of Hematite by a Synthesized Depressant in Various Scales of Anionic Reverse Flotation

Demand for high-quality iron concentrate is significantly increasing around the world. Thus, the development of the techniques for a selective separation and rejection of typical associated minerals in the iron oxide ores, such as phosphorous minerals (mainly apatite group), is a high priority. Reverse anionic flotation by using sodium silicate (SS) as an iron oxide depressant is one of the techniques for iron ore processing. This investigation is going to present a synthesized reagent “sodium co-silicate (SCS)” for hematite depression through a reverse anionic flotation. The main hypothesis is the selective depression of hematite and, simultaneously, modification of the pulp pH by SCS. Various flotation experiments, including micro-flotation, and batch flotation of laboratory and industrial scales, were conducted in order to compare the depression selectivity of SS versus SCS. Outcomes of flotation tests at the different flotation scales demonstrated that hematite depression by SCS is around 3.3% higher than by SS. Based on flotation experiment outcomes, it was concluded that SCS can modify the pH of the process at ~9.5, and the plant reagents (including NaOH, Na2CO3, and SS gel) can be replaced by just SCS, which can also lead to a higher efficiency in the plant.

Chemical Composition of Mn- and Cl-Rich Apatites from the Szklary Pegmatite, Central Sudetes, SW Poland: Taxonomic and Genetic Implications

Although calcium phosphates of the apatite group (apatites) with elevated contents of Mn are common accessory minerals in geochemically evolved granitic pegmatites, their Mn-dominant analogues are poorly studied. Pieczkaite, M1Mn2M2Mn3(PO4)3XCl, is an exceptionally rare Mn analogue of chlorapatite known so far from only two occurrences in the world, i.e., granitic pegmatites at Cross Lake, Manitoba, Canada and Szklary, Sudetes, SW Poland. In this study, we present the data on the compositional variation and microtextural relationships of various apatites highly enriched in Mn and Cl from Szklary, with the main focus on compositions approaching or attaining the stoichiometry of pieczkaite (pieczkaite-like apatites). The main goal of this study is to analyze their taxonomical position as well as discuss a possible mode of origin. The results show that pieczkaite-like apatites represent the Mn-rich sector of the solid solution M1(Mn,Ca)2M2(Mn,Ca)3(PO4)3X(Cl,OH). In the case of cation-disordered structure, all these compositions represent extremely Mn-rich hydroxylapatite or pieczkaite. However, for cation-ordered structure, there are also intermediate compositions for which the existence of two hypothetical end-member species can be postulated: M1Ca2M2Mn3(PO4)3XCl and M1Mn2M2Ca3(PO4)3XOH. In contrast to hydroxylapatite and pieczkaite, that are members of the apatite-group, the two hypothetical species would classify into the hedyphane group within the apatite supergroup. The pieczkaite-like apatites are followed by highly Mn-enriched fluor- and hydroxylapatites in the crystallization sequence. Mn-poor chlorapatites, on the other hand, document local contamination by the serpentinite wall rocks. We propose that pieczkaite-like apatites in the Szklary pegmatite formed from small-volume droplets of P-rich melt that unmixed from the LCT-type (Li–Cs–Ta) pegmatite-forming melt with high degree of Mn-Fe fractionation. The LCT melt became locally enriched in Cl through in situ contamination by wall rock serpentinites.

Looking for an Ideal Particle Size for Apatite Flotation

Today, the phosphate rock processed in the world represents around some 20 billion dollars per year. Some exploitable deposits are characterizing by low grade phosphate rocks, composed of the apatite group in association with a wide assortment of accessory minerals. Usually a combination of beneficiation techniques is used to process a phosphate rock since run of mine, and then a flotation is applied to recovery apatite. This work proposes an evaluation of particle size for apatite recovery by column flotation in bench-scale. The variables collector dosage and depressant dosage were investigated experimentally applying a factorial design. According to the experimental results, the particle size range between 37&m and 105&m is an optimum size used to obtain simultaneously a product with the industry demand grade (at least 33%) and phosphorus recovery, upper than 60%.