Abstract
Feldspar is a Na-K-Ca-Al tectosilicate, generally poor in iron or other elements with large magnetic moments. Being the most abundant constituent minerals in Earth’s crust, feldspars are technologically used in a broad variety of applications, which include glass-manufacturing, fabrication of ceramics elements, fillers in paintings, enamels, floors, etc. However, most applications require the absence (or minimization) of Fe inclusions, being this a very relevant factor that controls the price of the mineral. Typically, Fe content in the mineral produced at a mine is determined by chemical analysis, which implies an off-site test and small sampling volume. Separation of magnetic inclusions is usually made by crushing the rocks and applying a magnetic field gradient that, in combination with gravity, guides the magnetic particles out from the production line. In this work we use FORC to determine the content of the magnetic phases and show that the conventional separation methods used in the mine, which indirectly affect the final price of the product, are selective in the extraction of magnetic particles, as evidenced by the different FORC distribution of the natural rock and that of the separated particles.
Highlights
Natural samples respond in some way to magnetic fields
There is little knowledge about which magnetic phases are present inside this feldspar production, as Fe content is usually determined by chemical analysis
We study the ability of First Order Reversal Curves (FORC) distributions to unravel complex magnetic signals, as bimodal distributions and mixtures of different magnetic phases in natural alkali feldspar samples and to gain insight about the results of the separation processes used in the mine
Summary
Some minerals have diverse magnetic properties and are sensitive to magnetic field of earth and environmental processes. The classification of magnetic components inside natural samples is important in order to assign their nature and origin (rock forming processes) and can provide, for example, climatic and diagenetic signals. From the point of view of the mining industry, the application of magnetic characterization could be interesting in order to improve the separation techniques of these magnetic phases from the ore in the treatment phase of the mineral. We have studied alkali feldspar from “El Realejo” mine located in Sevilla, Spain. The production of “El Realejo” mine has represented the 25% of the national production in Spain for 10 years. Improving the techniques used nowadays for magnetic characterization and separation of these particles would lead to an eventual improvement of the final product
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