Thermodynamic Modeling of Hypergene Processes in Loparite Ore Concentration Tailings

Svetlana Mazukhina,Victoria Maksimova,Eugenia Krasavtseva,Dmitriy Makarov

doi:10.3390/min11090996

Abstract

Thermodynamic modeling was undertaken of hypergene processes in loparite ore concentration tailings at a temperature of 3 °C and 20 °C. We investigated water evaporation in the top layers of tailings in the summer months at low filtration coefficients. It was found that the main anions of pore solutions are CO32−, HCO3−, SO42−, HSiO3−, and cations—Na+ and K+. The main forms of REE migration have been revealed: lanthanum and cerium. Dominant newly formed phases in the system were shown to be gibbsite and goethite, minerals of the smectite group, muscovite, feldspars, silica, mica, apatite, secondary nepheline minerals, and strontianite.

Highlights

The Murmansk Region is one of the most developed mining regions of the RussianFederation’s Arctic zone and is home to major mining and mineral processing operations.Almost all operations have been active for decades
Loparite ore concentration tailings deposited over those years amounted to 6.7 million tons
In our previous modeling work [23],ofelevated concentrations of REEs, lanthanum hypergene processes in loparite oreincluding concentration tailand were found along the perimeter of the tailing dump, which confirms this ingscerium, supports the following conclusions: assumption

Summary

Introduction

The Murmansk Region is one of the most developed mining regions of the RussianFederation’s Arctic zone and is home to major mining and mineral processing operations.Almost all operations have been active for decades. The Murmansk Region is one of the most developed mining regions of the Russian. Federation’s Arctic zone and is home to major mining and mineral processing operations. Almost all operations have been active for decades. Murmansk Region has laid the foundation for the region’s prosperity, and led to a range of problems associated with itsnegative impact on the environment and public health. Lovozerskiy GOK LLC is currently processing the lower horizons of the Karnasurt and Kedykvyrpakhk blocks of its Karnasurt Mine at the Lovozeroloparite ore deposit. The mine has enough commercial ore reserves to support more than 70 years of operation. The loparite ore with an average loparite grade of 2.4% is processed at the Karnasurt Concentrator in a gravity circuit, followed by cleaner flotation and upgrading of the rougher concentrate by electric and magnetic separation

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Conclusion