Abstract
The heavy mineral sands of Senegal are exploited to extract titanium oxides and zircon. Mining is carried out first by means of a floating dredge and concentration plant which produces a heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) containing on average 78% titanium oxides, 11% zircon and a set of silicate and alumino-silicate minerals. This heavy mineral concentrate is then treated by gravity, magnetic and electrostatic separation to produce titanium oxide concentrates (ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile) and three varieties of zircon concentrates (Premium zircon, standard zircon and medium grade zircon standard). In this study, we describe the various mineral concentrates in terms of mineralogical assemblages, and textural variability within grains, using Qemscan and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The titanium oxide concentrates are differentiated by their TiO2 content and vary from ilmenite to rutile. The zircon concentrates are characterized by the presence of impurities in the zircons, which consist in numerous inclusions of titanium oxides and silicate minerals. The mineralogical characteristics determined by scanning electron microscopy and by Qemscan showed great variability within the grains themselves. Heavy minerals contain many mineral inclusions and show strong chemical zoning.
Highlights
Heavy mineral sands (HMS) present a great economic interest
Qemscan analysis detected the presence of monazite on all samples of heavy mineral concentrate (HMC), florencite and crandallite only on certain samples
The mineralogical study of the heavy mineral sands from the Senegalese great coast by Qemscan made allow the quick determination of a large variety of minerals
Summary
Heavy mineral sands (HMS) present a great economic interest In Senegal, the great coast is 100 km long and 5 km wide along the north coast It is operated by the company Grande Côte Operation (GCO). This study aims to determine the complete mineralogical composition of the heavy mineral sands of the great coast of Senegal. The innovative Qemscan technique is used to determine the chemical variability of the different minerals in the HMS of Senegal. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations provide a complement to QEMSCAN analyses and allow identifying the different textural relationships between the main minerals, mainly titanium oxides and zircon. The study of mineralogical variations is important and allows us to better understand the difficulties in reaching the chemical specifications of heavy mineral concentrates
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