Iron Carbon Research Articles

Demonstrating a Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCMD) to Enhance the Monitoring and Mechanistic Understanding of Iron Carbonate Crystalline Films.

This paper reports the real time monitoring of siderite deposition, on both Au- and Fe-coated surfaces, using the changes in frequency and dissipation of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCMD). In an iron chloride solution saturated with carbon dioxide, buffered with sodium bicarbonate to pH 6.8, roughly spherical particles of siderite formed within 15 min, which subsequently deposited on the QCMD crystal surface. Imaging of the surface showed a layer formed from particles ca. < 0.5 μm in diameter. Larger particles are clearly deposited on top of the lower layer; these larger particles are >1 μm in diameter. Monitoring of the frequency clearly differentiates the formation of the lower layer from the larger crystals deposited on top at later times. The elastic moduli calculated from QCMD data showed a progressive dissipation increase; the modeling of the solid-liquid interface using a flat approximation resulted in a poor estimation of elastic and storage moduli. Rather, the impedance modeled as a viscoelastic layer in contact with a semi-infinite liquid, where a random bumpy surface with a Gaussian correlator is used, is much more accurate in determining the elastic and storage moduli as losses from the uneven interface are considered. A further step considers that the film is in fact a composite consisting of hard spherical particles of siderite with water in the vacant spaces. This is treated by considering the individual contributions of the phases to the losses measured, thereby further improving the accuracy of the description of the film and the QCMD data. Collectively, this work presents a new framework for the use of QCMD, paired with traditional approaches, to enhance the understanding of crystal deposition and film formation as well as quantify the often evolving mechanical properties.

Augmentation of Polymer-FeCO3 Microlayers on Carbon Steel for Enhanced Corrosion Protection in Hydrodynamic CO2 Corrosion Environments.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) internal corrosion of carbon steel pipelines is a significant challenge and is typically managed by adding corrosion inhibitors. In certain operational conditions, a natural protective layer of iron carbonate (FeCO3) can form on the internal walls of the pipeline, offering inhibition efficiency comparable to that of standard surfactant inhibitors. However, incomplete coverage of the FeCO3 layer on carbon steel can sometimes trigger localized corrosion. Our previous research demonstrated that poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) can work synergistically with FeCO3 when the corrosion product partially covers X65 carbon steel surfaces in an aqueous CO2 corrosion environment. In this study, we utilize rotating cylinder electrode (RCE) tests along with electrochemical measurements to investigate the FeCO3-PAH hybrid structure in a dynamic environment. We characterize the general and localized corrosion behavior as well as the surface properties of both naturally formed FeCO3 and FeCO3-PAH hybrid layers using interferometry and focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy.

Urban sports fields support higher levels of soil butyrate and butyrate-producing bacteria than urban nature parks.

Butyrate-producing bacteria colonise the gut of humans and non-human animals, where they produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid with known health benefits. Butyrate-producing bacteria also reside in soils and soil bacteria can drive the assembly of airborne bacterial communities (the aerobiome). Aerobiomes in urban greenspaces are important reservoirs of butyrate-producing bacteria as they supplement the human microbiome, but soil butyrate producer communities have rarely been examined in detail. Here, we studied soil metagenome taxonomic and functional profiles and soil physicochemical data from two urban greenspace types: sports fields (n = 11) and nature parks (n = 22). We also developed a novel method to quantify soil butyrate and characterised the insitu activity of butyrate-producing bacteria. We show that soil butyrate was higher in sports fields than nature parks and that sports fields also had significantly higher relative abundances of the terminal butyrate production genes buk and butCoAT than nature parks. Soil butyrate positively correlated with buk gene abundance (but not butCoAT). Soil moisture (r = .50), calcium (r = -.62), iron (ρ = .54), ammonium nitrogen (ρ = .58) and organic carbon (r = .45) had the strongest soil abiotic effects on soil butyrate concentrations and iron (ρ = .56) and calcium (ρ = -.57) had the strongest soil abiotic effects on buk read abundances. Overall, our findings contribute important new insights into the role of sports fields as key exposure reservoirs of butyrate producing bacteria, with important implications for the provision of microbiome-mediated human health benefits via butyrate.

Fine Structure of Lamellar Pearlite in Iron–Carbon Alloys (Review)

Fine Structure of Lamellar Pearlite in Iron–Carbon Alloys (Review)

Numerical exploration of a fully mechanistic mathematical model of aqueous CO2 corrosion in steel pipelines

A numerical exploration of a comprehensive mechanistic aqueous carbon dioxide (CO2) corrosion model is conducted across a range of temperatures (273–313 K), CO2 partial pressures (0.1–1 bar), and bulk pHs (5–6.5). Contour plots are produced to examine the impact on corrosion rate, surface pH, and surface saturation index of iron carbonate (FeCO3). Two response patterns are identified depending upon the limiting behaviour of the system, with a transition from charge-transfer control to mass-transport control as temperature is increased and partial pressure is reduced. FeCO3 surface saturation shows a strong correlation with the release of Fe2+ and increase in bulk pH.

Iron nanowire/carbon microsphere composite flexible fabric strain sensor for human motion monitoring

People pay more and more attention to sports and health, especially the goal of sports recovery and scientific sports is more and more clear. In order to avoid human injury caused by unreasonable sports, it is necessary to carry out real-time detection of human motion state. In this paper, the motion state of human body was taken as the test object, a flexible strain sensitive material combining iron nanowires and carbon microspheres was proposed, and polyester fabric was introduced as the sensor substrate to construct a sandwich structure flexible fabric strain sensor. Then a mechanical test platform was built to carry out mechanical property testing and practical application verification research. The mechanical test results show that the iron nanowires/carbon microspheres flexible fabric strain sensor has good linearity, the response time is 42 ms, and the hysteresis error is approximately 8.7 %. Finally, the flexible fabric strain sensor is fixed on the part of the human body that needs to be detected, and the electrical signal curve of the response is output by the electrochemical workstation. Through the analysis of the response curve, it can be seen that the iron nanowires/carbon microspheres flexible fabric strain sensor prepared in this paper has great potential in human movement health monitoring.

Design and Optimization of Critical-Raw-Material-Free Electrodes towards the Performance Enhancement of Microbial Fuel Cells

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are sustainable energy recovery systems because they use organic waste as biofuel. Using critical raw materials (CRMs), like platinum-group metals, at the cathode side threatens MFC technology’s sustainability and raises costs. By developing an efficient electrode design for MFC performance enhancement, CRM-based cathodic catalysts should be replaced with CRM-free materials. This work proposes developing and optimizing iron-based air cathodes for enhancing oxygen reduction in MFCs. By subjecting iron phthalocyanine and carbon black pearls to controlled thermal treatments, we obtained Fe-based electrocatalysts combining high surface area (628 m2 g−1) and catalytic activity for O2 reduction at near-neutral pH. The electrocatalysts were integrated on carbon cloth and carbon paper to obtain gas diffusion electrodes whose architecture was optimized to maximize MFC performance. Excellent cell performance was achieved with the carbon-paper-based cathode modified with the Fe-based electrocatalysts (maximum power density-PDmax = 1028 mWm−2) compared to a traditional electrode design based on carbon cloth (619 mWm−2), indicating the optimized cathodes as promising electrodes for energy recovery in an MFC application.

Convective heat transfer efficacy of an experimentally observed non-Newtonian MWCNT-Fe[formula omitted]O[formula omitted]-EG hybrid nanofluid in a driven enclosure with a heated cylinder

This study provides an in-depth analysis of the heat transfer (HT) characteristics of a hybrid nanofluid (HNF) composed of Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), Iron oxide (Fe3O4), and Ethylene glycol (EG), which is loaded in an enclosure with a heated cylinder. As per the exploratory report, this HNF exhibits Newtonian and non-Newtonian behavior depending on the percentage of nano-constituents suspended in the base fluid EG. The governing equations describing the convective HNF flow associated with the boundary conditions are numerically solved using the finite volume method. The study explores the HT performance of a loaded HNF by varying the volume fractions (ϕ), the driving condition of the vertical sides, and the aspect ratio (W∗) of the enclosure. The study investigates the variation of the Richardson number (Ri=0.01∼100) concerning the interactions between shear and buoyancy forces executed on the HNF. The study finds that the combination of the lower aspect ratio W∗=2.1 filled with non-Newtonian HNF with ϕ=1.8% in the forced convection regime (Ri=0.01) and the condition of both aiding and opposing forces applied to the side walls shows superior HT performance. The non-Newtonian HNF with ϕ=1.8% shows HT enhancement of 9.27% for aiding forces and 39.63% for opposing forces when Ri=0.01, revealing ultimate enhancement in the average Nusselt number (Nuavg). The study also investigates entropy production (Savg) from a thermodynamics perspective to assess the system’s thermal performance. The value of Savg is about 11.54 for ϕ=1.8% and Ri=0.01, and that value is comparable for both aiding and opposing force conditions. Results conclude that HT consistently enhances with nanoparticle addition in the forced convection regime. However, HT enhancement is only observed for non-Newtonian cases of HNF in the natural convection regime, suggesting the limitation of the HNF usage in the HT study. Additionally, the study discusses and compares different simulation results to comprehensively evaluate the HT characteristics and the system’s thermal performance, guiding the best benefit of the studied hybrid nanofluids in a thermal engineering system.

Iron-carbon microelectrolysis coordinated advanced N and P removal from municipal tailwater: Unexpected N conversion and microbial characteristic

The biochemical mechanisms that iron-carbon microelectrolysis (IC-ME) advanced and coordinated treating nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from tailwater are not intensive. Depending on the optimal operating conditions of the iron carbon biofilter (ICBF), the interface P reaction, functional microbial community and characteristics were analyzed. Results demonstrated that iron (Fe) engaged in reaction with nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), facilitating the release of both nitrite nitrogen (NO2−-N) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) to 0.75 and 2.46 mg/L. Total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were simultaneously removed lower than 10 and 0.3 mg/L under the optimum conditions i.e., gas water ratio of 15, empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 105 min, and backwashing cycle of 12 h. Microelectrolysis (ME) exhibited a robust capacity to degrade macromolecular pollutants, and P was predominantly eliminated via Fe3(PO4)2 and Fe4(PO4)3(OH)2 precipitation. Intriguingly, IC-ME did alter the microbial community composition, especially the Fe-containing microflora (Desulfuromonas, Azospira, Denitratisoma, Rhodobacter and Paludibaculum). The relatively high abundance of Gammaproteobacteria (29.67–38.3 %) promoted N transformation and the N cycle was mainly dominated by nitrogen respiration (1.95–3.39 %), nitrate reduction (2.06–3.45 %) and nitrate respiration (1.95–3.39 %). ME invigorated functional metabolism, thereby promoting organic carbon metabolism.

Исследование железоматричных композитов с карбидным упрочнением, полученных спеканием механоактивированных смесей титанидов железа с углеродом

Introduction. The addition of dispersed solid particles of refractory compounds (carbides, borides, silicides) to the structure of alloy is a widely used effective way to increase the wear resistance of steels and alloys. Composites with a matrix of iron-based alloys (steel and cast iron) strengthened by titanium carbide particles are of great practical interest. The main structural characteristics, which define hardness and wear resistance of the composites, are volume fraction, dispersion and morphology of the particles of the strengthening carbide phase. The structure of composites depends on the method of its preparation. The methods of powder metallurgy combined with preliminary mechanical activation of powder mixtures have become widespread. It is previously established that in mechanically activated powder mixtures of FTi35S5 ferrotitanium, consisting of 82 % of (Fe,Al)2Ti phase, and P-803 carbon black, a reaction occurs with the formation of a composite consisting of a steel binder and titanium carbide. The synthesis reaction of carbides occurs in a solid-phase mode at combustion’s temperatures of 900–950 °C. Therefore, there is no coarsening of the structure due to the growth of carbide particles, which is typical for reactions in the presence of a liquid phase. FTi35S5 alloy contains a plenty of impurities (silicon, aluminum and etc). The purpose of the work is to investigate the phase composition and structure of the products of the interaction of Fe2Ti and FeTi iron titanides with carbon under the conditions of reaction sintering of mechanically activated powder mixtures and to determine the possibility of synthesizing iron-matrix composites strengthened with submicron titanium carbide particles. Research methods. The structure and phase composition of sintered compacts from mechanically activated powders were studied by optical metallography, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using determination of the elemental composition by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Experimental technique. The reaction mixtures were prepared using intermetallic powders obtained by vacuum sintering of compacts from iron and titanium powder mixtures of 2Fe+Ti and Fe+Ti compositions. Carbon black was added to the intermetallic powders to convert all the titanium containing in the intermetallic compounds into carbide. The titanides – carbon black mixtures were processed by an Activator 2S planetary ball mill for 10 min milling time at a rotation speed of 755 rpm (40g). The mechanically activated mixtures were cold compacted into cylindrical samples with a diameter of 20 mm, which were sintered in vacuum at а temperature of 1,200 °C and an isothermal holding time of 60 minutes. Results and discussion. According to the results of X-ray diffraction analysis, almost all titanium contained in iron titanides reacts with carbon to form carbide and reduced iron. The sintering products of compacts of both compositions contain target phases: titanium carbide with a slight shift from the equiatomic ratio and α-iron, which has the lattice parameters close to the reference data, and also a few of other phases. The titanium carbide particles in the iron binder were identified on the back-scattered electron (BSE) images due to the tonal contrast: the heavy iron appears darker against the carbide, which is composed of lighter elements. According to EDX analysis, the relative content of titanium and carbon in the carbide particles indeed corresponds to the composition of non-stoichiometric titanium carbide. Conclusion. The composites including titanium carbide and α-iron binder were obtained by sintering of iron titanides and carbon (carbon black) mechanically activated powder mixtures. The granules of composite powders obtained by crushing of sintered compacts are of interest as feedstocks for wear-resistant coatings and additive technologies, as well as for manufacturing of dense materials by other compaction methods: spark plasma sintering (SPS) or hot pressing (HP).

An electrochemical study of iron carbonate layers formed on carbon steel during corrosion in elevated pressure CO2 environments

Iron carbonate (FeCO3) layers influence the electrochemical properties of carbon steel during aqueous corrosion in carbon dioxide–saturated environments. In this study, electrochemical measurements conducted in an autoclave at 80°C and 5 barg are combined with cross-sectional imaging to elucidate interfacial properties of X65 carbon steel at key stages of FeCO3 layer development. The effects of evolving system chemistry are also considered by variation of the X65 surface area to solution volume (A/V) ratio. FeCO3 reduces general corrosion rates through a combination of active site blocking and restriction of mass transport, with resultant layer properties dependent on the A/V ratio.

Effect of Different Multipurpose Tree Species on Physico-chemical Properties of Loamy Sand Soil Under Rainfed Conditions

A field experiment was conducted at Agroforestry Research Station, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Sardarkrushinagar, during 2019-20. The soils of the experimental field was low in organic carbon (0.24 per cent), available nitrogen (143.50 kg N/ha) and DTPA extractable iron (3.18 mg/kg), medium in available phosphorus (Olsen’s P 48.90 kg P2O5/ha), available potash (180.00 kg K2O/ha), manganese (7.8 mg/kg) and zinc (0.79 mg/kg) and high in copper content (0.61 mg/kg). An experiment consisting of six years old Agroforestry tree plantation which consisted of five multipurpose tree species (MPTs) viz., Tectona grandis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Gmelina arborea, Casuriana equstifolia and Melia azadiracht were designed in CRD with four replications. The experiment consisting of 96 trees per species with a plot size of 24 m × 16 m under 4 m × 4 m tree spacing. Among the above six tree species significantly the lowest BD (1.56 Mg/m3), higher WHC (27.87 per cent) and soil porosity (38.03 per cent) was recorded under Casuarinas equisetifolia tree species. Similarly the maximum mean organic carbon (0.445 per cent), available N (165.17 kg/ha), available K2O (196.26 kg/ha) and DTPA extractable iron (4.22 mg/kg) and copper (1.05 mg/kg) content were noted under Casuarina equisetifolia tree species. Whereas, the mean maximum available P2O5 (57.92 kg/ha) was noted under Tectona grandis. The mean maximum DTPA extractable manganese (8.34 mg/kg) and zinc (0.925 mg/kg) was noted under Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Melia azadiracht tree species, respectively.

Accelerated removal of organic pollutants by biochar-based iron carbon granule-activated periodate in chloride-containing water: The role of active chlorine

Ubiquitous in water environments, the chloride ion (Cl−) can impact the decontamination capacity of an oxidation system. However, minimal studies are available on its effects in periodate (PI)-based advanced oxidation processes. In this study, a novel biochar-based iron-carbon (FeBC) granule was synthesized to activate PI and remove organic pollutants from water containing Cl−. The FeBC/PI/Cl− system (FeBC: 0.5 g/L; PI: 0.5 mM; AO7: 20 mg/L; NaCl: 50 mM) exhibited excellent performance on various organic pollutants, with ＞ 85 % of Acid Orange (AO7) removal over a pH range of 3–10. Within 20 min after the tenth run, approximately 80 % of AO7 was removed. Inorganic ions and natural organic matter had a negligible effect on AO7 removal. Characterization results confirmed that the presence of Cl− enhanced Fe corrosion, thereby improving PI activation efficiency for removing AO7. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and active species trapping experiments verified that radicals (•OH and O2•−) and nonradical (1O2, Fe(IV), and electron transfer) oxidation processes participated in the FeBC/PI system. Moreover, the presence of Cl− accelerated •OH, O2•−, 1O2, and Fe(IV) formation and generated active chlorine, such as HOCl. The main pathways involved in the generation of multiple reactive species were evaluated. AO7 degradation pathways were proposed, and numerous intermediates exhibited decreased toxicity. These findings provide new insights for the decontamination of organic contaminants in water containing Cl−.

Remote sensing inversion on heavy metal content in salinized soil of Yellow River Delta based on Random Forest Regression—a case study of Gudao Town

To explore the potential of using the mineral alteration information extracted by remote sensing technology to indirectly estimate the heavy metal content of salinized soil, 23 sampling points were uniformly set up in the town of Gudao in the Yellow River Delta as the research area in 2022. The concentrations of seven heavy metals, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Mn and Ni, at the sampling points were determined in laboratory tests. Spectral derivative indices, topographic factors, and mineral alteration information (iron staining, hydroxyl, and carbonate ions) were extracted and screened as modeling factors using Sentinel 2 imagery. An inverse model of heavy metal content was constructed using the random forest algorithm, and the model accuracy was evaluated using the cross-validation method. The results of the study show that: (1) Hydroxyl and carbonate ion alteration can be effectively used for the inversion of soil As and Ni content in this study area. Iron-stained alteration can be used as a modeling factor in the inversion of Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Mn concentrations. (2) The inclusion of alteration information improves the accuracy of heavy metal content inversion. The Cu concentration was verified to be the best predictor, with an RMSE of 3.309, MAPE of 11.072%, and R2 of 0.904, followed by As, Ni, and Zn; the predictive value of Mn, Cr and Pb was average. (3) Based on the results of concentration inversion, the high concentration areas of As, Ni, and Mn are primarily distributed on both sides of the river and around lakes and ponds. The high-concentration areas of Zn were mainly distributed in the farmland areas on both sides of the river. Areas with high concentrations of Cu were mainly distributed in the eastern oil extraction area, both sides of the rivers, and around lakes.

Facile fabrication of 3D-α-Fe2O3@2D-g-C3N4 heterojunction composite materials: Effect of iron oxide loading on the electrochemical performance

Designing heterojunction nanocomposites is crucial for optimizing supercapacitor electrodes. This study addresses the challenge by introducing a facile synthesis method for creating 3D-α-Fe2O3@2D-g-C3N4 heterojunctions through a bulk carbon nitride-assisted hydrothermal process. During this process, the growth of ferric oxide particles coincides with the exfoliation and deposition of carbon nitride, leading to simultaneous structural changes in both iron oxide and carbon nitride phases. The resulting composite's properties strongly correlate with the iron oxide loading. Comprehensive characterization using XRD, FTIR, SEM-EDAX, XPS and TEM identified three distinct structures for α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 composites based on iron oxide loading: low, medium, and high. The medium-loaded sample demonstrated superior electrochemical performance, attributed to better interfacial contact and the formation of 3D-Fe2O3@2D-g-C3N4 heterojunctions. This composite, with an optimized 22 wt% iron oxide loading, exhibited a maximum specific capacitance of 925.1 Fg−1 at 5 mVs−1 and 498.6 Fg−1 at 6 Ag−1 in charge-discharge analysis, with stable performance over 2000 cycles. Overall, this research presents an enhanced hydrothermal method for facile preparation of effective α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 heterojunction materials.

Free and Combined Carbon in Iron Using CH4 as Carburizing Gas, in the Temperature Range from 900 °C to 1050 °C

Free and Combined Carbon in Iron Using CH4 as Carburizing Gas, in the Temperature Range from 900 °C to 1050 °C

ZIF-8 derived iron-, sulphur-, and nitrogen-doped catalysts for anion-exchange membrane fuel cell application

This study presents the preparation of tridoped Fe, N, S carbon-based catalysts using ZIF-8 as the main carbon source and iron(II)acetate, 1,10-phenanthroline, ammonia gas and thiourea as precursors for Fe, N and S elements. Thiourea was mixed via planetary ball-milling with a Fe–N–C catalyst prepared by inert gas pyrolysis, and different pyrolysis conditions were applied thereafter. The main goal of the work is to synthesise active non-precious metal electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). High electrocatalytic ORR activity in alkaline media was observed for the two materials obtained after thiourea addition and subsequent pyrolysis. Physico-chemical characterisation revealed successful S- and N-doping for all three catalysts with enhanced porosity for the two materials that were subjected to additional pyrolysis after the thiourea addition. The sulphur doping was highest for the FeNSC3 material that was subjected to a second pyrolysis in N2 and a third pyrolysis in NH3, compared to the FeNSC2 material that was subjected to a single pyrolysis in NH3 flow after thiourea addition. The ORR activity of FeNSC2 with half-wave potential of 0.88 V was slightly higher than that of FeNSC3, and the former was selected for evaluation as a cathode catalyst in an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell.

Assessment of soil fertility and nutrient management strategies in calcareous soils of Khuzestan province: a case study using the Nutrient Index Value method.

Soil fertility (SF) is a crucial factor that directly impacts the performance and quality of crop production. To investigate the SF status in agricultural lands of winter wheat in Khuzestan province, 811 samples were collected from the soil surface (0-25cm). Eleven soil properties, i.e., electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE), available phosphorus (Pav), exchangeable potassium (Kex), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and soil pH, were measured in the samples. The Nutrient Index Value (NIV) was calculated based on wheat nutritional requirements. The results indicated that 100%, 93%, and 74% of the study areas for CCE, pH, and EC fell into the low, moderate, and moderate to high NIV classes, respectively. Also, 25% of the area is classified as low fertility (NIV < 1.67), 75% falls under medium fertility (1.67 < NIV value < 2.33), and none in high fertility (NIV value > 2.33). Assessment of the mean wheat yield (AWY) and its comparison with NIV showed that the highest yield was in the Ramhormoz region (5200kg.ha-1), while the lowest yield was in the Hendijan region (3000kg.ha-1) with the lowest EC rate in the study area. Elevated levels of salinity and CCE in soils had the most negative impact on irrigated WY, while Pav, TN, and Mn availability showed significant effects on crop production. Therefore, implementing SF management practices is essential for both quantitative and qualitative improvement in irrigated wheat production in Khuzestan province.

Modeling remote-sensing and geophysical data to delineate the favorable mineralization localities at Semna area, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

Semna area is located within the Golden Triangle district in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt. The study maintains using multisource datasets of remote sensing, aero-spectrometry, aero-magnetic, and field investigations for unraveling the ambiguities associated with the alteration zones at the targeted area. Three remote sensing mapping techniques including; constrained energy minimization, linear spectral unmixing, and mineral indices, were adopted to delineate the alteration zones. The γ-ray spectrometry data of K (%), K/eTh, K/eU, and F-parameter enabled mapping the potassium-enriched localities as indication on possible potassic alteration zones. The surface and subsurface linear structural features were delineated from the digital elevation model and aero-magnetic data, respectively. The outcomes of all the implemented datasets were integrated using GIS overlay modeling, producing an integrated mineralization favorability/potentiality map. Eighteen localities with high potential for mineralization were highlighted. A field study was conducted to the investigated area during which, several alteration indicators were observed, including quartz veins, iron oxides staining, kaolinite, malachite, carbonate, and muscovite (sericite) alteration indicator minerals.

Integrated Remote Sensing for Geological and Mineralogical Mapping of Pb-Zn Deposits: A Case Study of Jbel Bou Dahar Region Using Multi-Sensor Imagery

This research applies remote sensing methodologies for the first time to comprehensively explore the geological and mineralogical characteristics of the Jbel Bou Dahar region. An integrated approach with multi-sensor satellite images, including ASTER, Landsat-8, and Sentinel-2 was applied with the aim to discriminate the different lithological units in the study area. We implemented a suite of well-established image processing techniques, including Band Ratios, Principal Component Analysis, and Spectral Angle Mapper, to successfully identify, classify, and map the spatial distribution of carbonate minerals, OH-bearing minerals, and iron oxide minerals. Due to its high spectral resolution in the short-wave infrared region (SWIR), the ASTER sensor provided the most accurate results for mapping carbonate and OH-bearing minerals compared to the Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 sensors. Conversely, Sentinel-2 offers high spectral and spatial resolution in visible and near-infrared (VNIR) corresponding to the regions where iron oxide minerals exhibit their characteristic absorption peaks. The results confirm the advantages of remote sensing technologies in the geological and mineralogical exploration of the study area and the importance of selecting the appropriate sensors for specific mapping objectives.