Cobalt Minerals Research Articles

Childhood and the geology of media

ABSTRACT This paper concerns children’s relations with the geological aspects of digital media technologies. Using ideas from media theory, I develop a new conceptual framework for childhood studies research on digital media that goes beyond the dominant focus on children’s use of technology. I argue that studies of use would benefit from being linked up with analyses of the technicality and physicality of technology. Following recent debates concerning the Anthropocene, the planetary nature of digital media require analyses that link local and global scales, and address the politics of the specific materialities of digital media. As an example of the analytical potential of this approach, I discuss the issue of child labour in cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

China's domestic and foreign influence in the global cobalt supply chain

In addition to increasing interest in the supply risk of minerals produced in China, there is also concern that China's efforts to mitigate its own mineral supply risk—through overseas foreign direct investment—may limit mineral availability for other countries in the short-term (due to production capacity constraints). However, little is publicly known about the quantity of global mineral production that is subject to Chinese ownership influence or how this influence may mitigate China's exposure to mineral commodity supply risk. In this analysis, we estimate China's ownership-share of foreign production for cobalt mine and intermediate materials (in the year 2016), as well as the net import reliance of China's cobalt refinery industry—which is then adjusted to reflect China's ownership share of foreign production. First, we find that China's foreign cobalt ownership is predominantly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the largest source of cobalt mine and intermediate imports for China's growing cobalt refinery industry. Second, overseas foreign direct investment provided China with ownership influence over roughly 29% of its cobalt mine and intermediate imports in 2016—which may have reduced the supply risk exposure of China's refinery industry from a net import reliance of 97% (on cobalt mine and intermediate materials) to an adjusted net import reliance of 68%. Third, China's global production share jumps from 2% to 14% (for cobalt mine material) and from 11% to 33% (for cobalt intermediate material) when China's ownership-share of foreign production is added to China's domestic production share. Fourth, over time China's foreign direct investment appears to have targeted facilities with progressively larger cobalt production capacities. Finally, China's global production share increases as cobalt material moves downstream (i.e. mine, 14%; intermediate, 33%; refined, 50% in 2016). If a primary motivation of China's Going Out Strategy is to secure natural resources, then China's global production share may be reserved for Chinese manufacturers. As a result, this analysis indicates that—for countries outside China—concerns related to critical mineral availability and supply risk may not be confined to minerals produced in China.

Blockchain for Supply Chain Traceability: Business Requirements and Critical Success Factors

We seek to guide operations management (OM) research on the implementation of supply chain traceability systems by identifying business requirements and the factors critical to successful implementation. We first motivate the need for implementing traceability systems in two very different industries – cobalt mining and pharmaceuticals – and present business requirements and critical success factors for implementation. Next, we describe how we carried out thematic analysis of practitioner and scholarly articles on implementing blockchain for supply chain traceability. Finally, we present our results pertaining to the needs of different stakeholders such as suppliers, consumers, and regulators. The business requirements for traceability systems are curbing illegal practices; improving sustainability performance; increasing operational efficiency; enhancing supply-chain coordination; and sensing market trends. Critical success factors for implementation are companies’ capabilities; collaboration; technology maturity; supply chain practices; leadership; and governance of the traceability efforts. These findings provide a nascent measurement model for empirical work and a foundation for descriptive and normative research on blockchain applications for supply chain traceability.

Ensuring human rights underpin the global energy transition

FOCUS | CLIMATE CHANGE & TRADE UNIONS 5 26/4 | International Union Rights | The global transition to a low-carbon economy is pivotal to ensuring the planet remains habitable for future generations. But this transition is at risk if respect for the human rights of workers and communities is not embedded throughout the process. For years, workers have documented and stood up against abuses associated with both the fossil fuel industry and, increasingly, renewable energy operations. A handful of renewable energy companies are beginning to demonstrate their commitment through decent jobs by taking steps such as signing the B Team’s ‘Pledge for a Just Transition to Decent Jobs’1. But workers must continue to play a central role in highlighting corporate practices that may threaten the sustainability of this transition. Renewable energy companies have the potential to set a precedent for a new energy sector that integrates the rights of workers and communities. However, early observations indicate the sector is ill prepared to embrace this leadership role. Between 2010 and June 2019, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre received 152 allegations of human rights abuses associated with renewable energy projects. Analysis of these allegations reveals a lack of respect for indigenous and affected communities who live on or near project sites, as well as workers’ rights abuses. Workers’ rights are affected at various stages of renewable energy supply chains. From forced and child labour uncovered at the cobalt mines that produce the mineral critical for rechargeable lithiumion batteries,2 to myriad health, safety, and other hazards for workers at the mid- and end-tier production and manufacturing levels. The boom in current and projected demand for more clean energy technology is, in some cases, amplifying harms to workers. In September 2019, a California judge ruled that the electric car manufacturer Tesla – the only major US automaker without a unionised workforce – had repeatedly violated the US National Labor Relations Act. Workers at the company’s Fremont factory had been trying to organise with the United Auto Workers union since 2016, citing concerns over long hours, low wages and worker safety. Workers were interrogated and threatened with dismissals for promoting unionisation – one was dismissed for expressing pro-union opinions – and in May 2018, Tesla CEO Elon Musk himself sent a tweet threatening to penalise unionised workers by taking away their employee stock options3. Renewable energy projects globally also face in some cases delays, funding challenges, or cancellations as a result of companies’ shirking their responsibility to respect the human rights of their workers and the people impacted by their projects. Weak or poorly implemented human rights due diligence policies and practices threaten our collective goal of an urgent transition to a low carbon economy. As companies and consumers further embrace renewable energy, the rights of workers must be upheld – including freedom of association and collective bargaining, right to a living wage, health and safety, and anti-discrimination, among others. Companies should commit to fundamental labour rights and adopt practices that put those commitments into meaningful practice, taking advantage of a range of resources and guidelines4 that have been developed to aid companies. In the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s recently released renewable energy and human rights benchmark methodology5 we identified performance proxies that act as a barometer for determining whether a company’s policies make it off the paper or out of the boardroom. These include: disclosing health and safety statistics and adverse trends analysis; paying a living wage and disclosing how that wage is determined, including engaging trade unions or relevant worker bodies; and reporting gender wage gap information and progress against closing it. Additionally, other themes in our benchmark methodology reinforce and build upon key labour standards, such as requiring companies to have a policy of non-retaliation against workers who exercise their rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, or protest – whether against the company or not. Because renewable energy supply chains are not linear, many companies play multiple and overlapping roles ranging from project manager to component manufacturer to energy producer. This complexity necessitates that companies adopt policies not only for their own operations but also extend these policies to their supply chains. Workers can provide early warnings highlighting discrepancies...

An Obsolescing Bargain in a Rentier State: Multinationals, Artisanal Miners, and Cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Drawing from theories on the political-economy of natural resources, this paper broadens the discussion surrounding cobalt sourced from the former Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of Congo; specifically, the use of that cobalt in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries as energy storage in electrified transportation and distributed energy systems. Two theories, Rentier State and Obsolescing Bargaining, are applied to the cases of multinational and artisanal cobalt mining operations in the former Katanga region. Risks between the DRC government and multinational cobalt mining companies are compared to the risks present in artisanal cobalt mining. Additionally, this paper explores how the decision to include or exclude Congolese, artisanal cobalt from supply chains involves broader questions of bargaining power, political stability, and resource dependency. Additionally, this paper expands consideration to explore how the inclusion of artisanal cobalt in the supply chain might impact political stability and corruption in the DRC, rather than focusing on how Western or Chinese purchasers of electrified vehicles, for example, might perceive the suitability of the product’s supply chain. By relating artisanal cobalt mining to multinational mining companies and the broader political issues present in the DRC, decision-makers can better consider current and historical outcomes as part of a broader political-economy that includes both artisanal and multinational mining. Furthermore, this paper hopes to provide a robust argument for the transparent and intentional inclusion of artisanal cobalt in electrified vehicle supply chains to make the transition to low-carbon transportation more sustainable through improvements to measures of social sustainability in the DRC.

Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo.

The sustainability of cobalt is an important emerging issue because this critical base metal is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. More than half the world’s cobalt mine production comes from the Katanga Copperbelt in DR Congo, with a substantial proportion (estimated at 15-20%) being extracted by artisanal miners. Here we show, in a case study performed in the town of Kolwezi, that people living in a neighbourhood that had been transformed into an artisanal cobalt mine, had much higher levels of cobalt in urine and blood than people living in a nearby control area. The differences were most pronounced for children, in whom we also found evidence of exposure-related oxidative DNA damage. It was already known that industrial mining and processing of metals have led to severe environmental pollution in the region. This field study provides novel and robust empirical evidence that the artisanal extraction of cobalt that prevails in the DR Congo may cause toxic harm to vulnerable communities. This strengthens the conclusion that the currently existing cobalt supply chain is not sustainable.

Live and Let Die? Life Cycle Human Health Impacts from the Use of Tire Studs.

Studded tires are used in a number of countries during winter in order to prevent accidents. The use of tire studs is controversial and debated because of human health impacts from increased road particle emissions. The aims of this study are to assess whether the use of tire studs in a Scandinavian studded passenger car actually avoids or causes health impacts from a broader life cycle perspective, and to assess the distribution of these impacts over the life cycle. Life cycle assessment is applied and the disability-adjusted life years indicator is used to quantify the following five types of health impacts: (1) impacts saved in the use phase, (2) particle emissions in the use phase, (3) production system emissions, (4) occupational accidents in the production system, and (5) conflict casualties from revenues of cobalt mining. The results show that the health benefits in the use phase in general are outweighed by the negative impacts during the life cycle. The largest contribution to these negative human health impacts are from use phase particle emissions (67–77%) and occupational accidents during artisanal cobalt mining (8–18%). About 23–33% of the negative impacts occur outside Scandinavia, where the benefits occur. The results inform the current debate and highlight the need for research on alternatives to tire studs with a positive net health balance.

Application of Knelson Concentrator for Beneficiation of Copper–Cobalt Ore Tailings

ABSTRACTThe beneficiation of high talc-containing copper–cobalt flotation tailings was studied by centrifugal gravity concentration. It was found that copper and cobalt minerals were finely disseminated in the gangue matrix so that conventional gravity concentration using spirals and shaking tables would be ineffective. The actual experimental test work was performed using the Knelson gravity concentrator and the results were transposed to industrial scale by simulating several beneficiation scenarios. The results indicated that integration of Knelson concentrators in the concentration circuit to treat the flotation tailings would significantly improve copper and cobalt recoveries from 65.00% to 86.09% and 67.00% to 86.96%, respectively.

Changes in the Signature of Cobalt Colorants in Late Antique and Early Islamic Glass Production

Prior to the eighteenth century, cobalt was exclusively employed as a colouring agent for vitreous materials, and its use appears to be concurrent with the earliest large-scale production of glass during the Late Bronze Age (LBA). LBA cobalt deposits with a distinctive elemental signature have been identified in the oases of the western Egyptian desert, while cobalt mines in Kashan (Iran) and in the Erzgebirge (Germany) are known to have been exploited during the later Middle Ages. For most of the first millennium BCE and CE, however, the identity of cobalt sources and their supply patterns remain elusive. The aim of this study is to characterise the chemical composition of cobalt colorants used during the first millennium CE. Compositional variations indicate the use of different raw materials and/or production processes, which in turn has implications for the underlying exchange networks. Using mainly correlations between cobalt, nickel and zinc as discriminants, our results show that the compositional signature of cobalt underwent two major changes. An increase in the CoO/NiO ratios occurs between the late fourth and the beginning of the sixth century, while a new zinc-rich source of cobalt begins to be exploited during the second half of the eighth century in the Islamic world.

Effect of Humic Fertilizers from Brown Coal on the Mineral Composition of Vegetable Crops

The results of the atomic-emission and X-ray spectrometry analysis of the mineral composition of humic fertilizers from brown coal are reported. Upon the treatment of soil with bedded out carrot and lettuce using humic fertilizers, a portion of the mineral matter of humates was transferred into the vegetable crops. It was found that the concentrations of boron, iron, magnesium, manganese, copper, molybdenum, calcium, potassium, cobalt, selenium, and zinc minerals in the vegetable crops increased by 13.7–281.0%.

The Lure of the Quick Technological Fix: Blockchain and the Case of Cobalt

We live in a time where new technologies seem to promise new solutions to old problems. One example of digitalisation that is very in fashion right now is blockchain technology. Blockchains are the subject of a lot of media hype: promising everything from the protection of privacy to its final destruction, from a new intrusion of artificially intelligent machines to the salvation of humanity. As discussed in Industriall’s research paper, The Challenge of Industry 4.0 and the Demand for New Answers, mining falls into the ‘low’ immediate impact category of Industry 4.0. However blockchain technology ranks high among pathways proposed to address and tackle labour abuses and other unsustainable practices in mineral supply chains. What is a Blockchain? Fundamentally, blockchain is an information security strategy. It provides a different level of security than, say, defending a database at the perimeter of the computer it resides on. Blockchain security is at the level of specific records or blocks of data, structured in what are called ‘linked lists’. Each item on each list has identifying data and a pointer to the previous item and/or the next item. Each new block of data must authenticate itself at particular nodes by some kind of proof, for example performing a mathematical operation on the current block, in order to be added to the chain. This proof must be difficult to falsify but easy to verify, to discourage spammers and hackers. This creates a data chain where one can be reasonably certain that each item was added in chronological order and not manipulated. It works fairly well with Bitcoin, for example. It is this property that makes blockchain seem attractive for the task of verifying the cobalt supply chain. Cobalt mining and the DRC New technologies such as smartphones and electric vehicles require batteries, and have greatly increased global demand for cobalt, a rare metal. It is estimated that over 60 percent of the world’s cobalt resources are to be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Industriall general secretary Valter Sanches recently described the working conditions at some multinational mining companies’ operations in the DRC as ‘appalling and disturbing’. In a letter to DRC President Kabila after a fact-finding mission to Glencore’s DRC mines, Sanches wrote that the global union was ‘saddened and outraged’ to discover ‘the daily experience of abuse and violation of fundamental labour rights of Congolese mine workers at these operations are in total disregard of the laws of the country and collective bargaining arrangements. The testimonies of around 80 workers represented by the union, offer clear proof of the abuse and violation of their labour rights and human rights, extending beyond the mine operations into their homes, families, communities and the surrounding environment’. A traceable and verifiable digital record of cobalt from its origin in mines in the DRC through to its installation in the battery of a Tesla would, proponents argue, enable anyone to know exactly when and in which mine – and potentially even by which miners – the particular cobalt in a particular battery was produced. This could provide assurance that environmental and social abuses, such as child labour, or abuse of trade union rights – were not used in the production of the cobalt, or if they were, enable tracing and tackling the abuses for remedy or punishment. Access to remedy is fundamental, and represents the litmus test for blockchain technology’s utility in bridging the divide between abuse and remedy. Technological Limitations It is worth remembering that even though we use terms like ‘blockchain’, in reality there is no abstract entity called a blockchain, it is just a network of physical computers, owned by a variety of people, using an agreed-upon authentication protocol. Where are these physical computers, and what are their characteristics? Are they vulnerable to failure or compromise? The application of blockchain to the cobalt supply chain raises the problem of capacity. It can be assumed that most small-scale producers, particularly so-called artisanal miners, will not have the resources or capacity to participate as a node in the chain. Artisanal mining, even though it is legal in the DRC and forms a large part of the...

Rock stability analysis – A case study

The problems of the stability of the mineral-bearing structure ST2 at 560 m of depth in the east zone of Bou-azzer mine disturbs the advance of the exploitation. The geological and structural study based on field observations and the analysis of core drilling shows the presence of altered and fractured diorite surmounted by cobalt mineralization. Based on the empirical methods of Barton (Q-system) and Bieniawski (RMR) the bed rock is classified as poor quality. The analytical study made it possible to dimension supporting by bow-pieces and bolting. The existence of several types of discontinuities (fault, diaclases and joints) has made the realization of numerical simulation by the finite elements method very difficult. These discontinuities create a network of natural fractures which cut out the blocks in various forms likely to be detached or slip into the excavation, thus encouraging the infiltration of water creating pressure on the massif. The classical studies show their limits in practice for installation of supporting because they must take into account the characteristics of discontinuities. Hence a structural analysis of the massif is essential. The cracking survey of ST2 at 560 m of depth in the east zone of Bou-azzer mine at 560m of depth, and their processing by the DIPS software, showed the existence of three main families of discontinuity NW-SE with a dip of 75SW, NS subverticale and NE-SW with a dip of 57NW, and two families of minor joints NW-SE and NE-SW with successive dips of 40SW and 75SE. The analysis of fracturing surveys allowed us to evaluate the risks of falling blocks and the families of discontinuity responsible for them, and to limit the zones presenting a risk of slip and the families responsible for them. The importance of this study is of knowing how and where to put supporting to be opposed to the risk of fall and tilting of the blocks, caused by the network of discontinuities of the massif.

Rock stability analysis – A case study

The problems of the stability of the mineral-bearing structure ST2 at 560 m of depth in the east zone of Bou-azzer mine disturbs the advance of the exploitation. The geological and structural study based on field observations and the analysis of core drilling shows the presence of altered and fractured diorite surmounted by cobalt mineralization. Based on the empirical methods of Barton (Q-system) and Bieniawski (RMR) the bed rock is classified as poor quality. The analytical study made it possible to dimension supporting by bow-pieces and bolting. The existence of several types of discontinuities (fault, diaclases and joints) has made the realization of numerical simulation by the finite elements method very difficult. These discontinuities create a network of natural fractures which cut out the blocks in various forms likely to be detached or slip into the excavation, thus encouraging the infiltration of water creating pressure on the massif. The classical studies show their limits in practice for installation of supporting because they must take into account the characteristics of discontinuities. Hence a structural analysis of the massif is essential. The cracking survey of ST2 at 560 m of depth in the east zone of Bou-azzer mine at 560m of depth, and their processing by the DIPS software, showed the existence of three main families of discontinuity NW-SE with a dip of 75SW, NS subverticale and NE-SW with a dip of 57NW, and two families of minor joints NW-SE and NE-SW with successive dips of 40SW and 75SE. The analysis of fracturing surveys allowed us to evaluate the risks of falling blocks and the families of discontinuity responsible for them, and to limit the zones presenting a risk of slip and the families responsible for them. The importance of this study is of knowing how and where to put supporting to be opposed to the risk of fall and tilting of the blocks, caused by the network of discontinuities of the massif.

Key Technology Research on the Efficient Exploitation and Comprehensive Utilization of Resources in the Deep Jinchuan Nickel Deposit

To understand the resource features and geology in the deep Jinchuan nickel deposit, difficult geological conditions were systematically analyzed, including high stress, fragmentized ore rock, prevalent deformation, difficult tunnel support, complicated rock mechanics, and low mining recovery. An integrated technology package was built for safe, efficient, and continuous mining in a deep, massive, and complex nickel and cobalt mine. This was done by the invention of a large-area continuous mining method with honeycomb drives; the establishment of ground control theory and a technology package for high-stress and fragmented ore rock; and the development of a new type of backfilling cement material, along with a deep backfilling technology that comprises the pipeline transport of high-density slurry with coarse aggregates. In this way, good solutions to existing problems were found to permit the efficient exploitation and comprehensive utilization of the resources in the deep Jinchuan nickel mine. In addition, a technological demonstration in an underground mine was performed using the cemented undercut-and-fill mining method for stressful, fragmented, and rheological rock.

Cobalt mineral ecology

Minerals containing cobalt as an essential element display systematic trends in their diversity and distribution. We employ data for 66 approved Co mineral species (as tabulated by the official mineral list of the International Mineralogical Association, http://rruff.info/ima, as of 1 March 2016), representing 3554 mineral species-locality pairs (www.mindat.org and other sources, as of 1 March 2016). We find that cobalt-containing mineral species, for which 20% are known at only one locality and more than half are known from five or fewer localities, conform to a Large Number of Rare Events (LNRE) distribution. Our model predicts that at least 81 Co minerals exist in Earth’s crust today, indicating that at least 15 species have yet to be discovered—a minimum estimate because it assumes that new minerals will be found only using the same methods as in the past. Numerous additional cobalt minerals likely await discovery using micro-analytical methods. Primary Co minerals include 26 species, most of which are hydrothermally deposited chalcogenides. We identify 33 additional plausible as yet undiscovered primary cobalt chalcogenide minerals, including 28 phases with spinel, nickeline, pyrite, and marcasite structural topologies. All 40 secondary cobalt minerals are oxides, and 37 of these phases also incorporate hydrogen. We tabulate an additional 117 plausible secondary Co minerals that are related compositionally and/or structurally to known species. New cobalt minerals are likely to be discovered in specimens collected at the 10 most prolific Co localities, all of which are mining districts with hydrothermal Co mineralization and hosting at least 10 different primary and secondary Co species.

From Ore to Pigment: A Description of the Minerals and an Experimental Study of Cobalt Ore Processing from the Kāshān Mine, Iran

Ore samples collected from the cobalt mine of Qamsar, Kāshān, were studied using optical microscopy (OM), qualitative X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD), semi‐quantitative X‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and quantitative electron micro‐probe with wavelength‐dispersive spectrometry (EMP–WDS). These analytical data provide the characteristics of the Kāshān cobalt ore, which can be compared with the composition of the blue pigments and colourants applied to glass and glazes, not least those of Islamic and Chinese blue‐and‐white wares. Preliminary replication studies of the pigment were also conducted according to the descriptions given in the Persian and European historical texts reviewed in a previous paper. The resulting phases were examined under an optical microscope and a semi‐quantitative energy‐dispersive spectrometer (EDS) attached to a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The ore was shown to contain high Fe and As concentrations and negligible Zn and Ni concentrations. Cobaltite (CoAsS) and erythrite (Co3(AsO4)2.8H2O) made up the two main cobalt‐bearing minerals in the ore. The washing processes that were conducted based on a historical text rendered the ore more enriched with erythrite. In light of the new data on the Kāshān cobalt ore, the origins of the blue pigments used in some of the Islamic and Chinese ceramics are reconsidered.

Using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) to determine the provenance of the cobalt pigment of Qinghua porcelain from Jingdezhen in Yuan Dynasty of China (1271–1368AD)

The provenance of cobalt mineral of the blue decoration in Yuan Qinghua porcelain would reveal the technological and cultural interaction between ancient China and the Islamic world. However, the limitation of conventional methods in the determining trace elements of the blue decoration hampered the deep research on provenance of the cobalt mineral. In the paper, we employed the good advantage of Laser-ablation-inductively-coupled-plasma-mass-spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS) to determine the major element and trace elements of blue decoration of the different type of Qinghua successfully. The blue decoration of all different types of samples shared the same characteristics of higher FeO and lower Mn, which suggested the potter adopted the non-native cobalt material of China to paint the Yuan Qinghua in Jingdezheng, and the difference on the outside appearance of blue decoration of different samples were supposed to be related to the tenor of ore, the different treatment process of cobalt material and the firing process in the kiln. In addition, the significant differences on the element concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb, Zr and Sb in the blue decoration between Yuan Qinghua and the Islamic blue and white wares of 13–14th century provided a new evidence to discuss the provenance of the cobalt of Yuan Qinghua porcelain.

Historical Accounts of Cobalt Ore Processing from the Kashan Mine, Iran

The cobalt mine of Qamsar, south-west of the city of Kashan in central Iran, has long been considered a prime source of cobalt ore from ancient times until the early twentieth century AD. A review of the known Persian and European historical accounts describing the deposit, its cobalt ores, and the technologies involved in the production of the blue pigment is presented here. The aim is to provide a comprehensive background against which to understand the traditional ore processing technologies involved in the production of the famous cobalt blue pigment.

Establishing Cynodon dactylon on mining tailings and mining-impacted soil of a copper–cobalt mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mining for copper and cobalt generates extensive mounds of removed topsoil and subsoil, and tailings with toxic levels of copper and cobalt. The threat of soil erosion in a high rainfall regime can be countered with rapid establishment of a sod-forming grass, such as Cynodon dactylon, that covers and binds the soil. An experiment was initiated in early 2013 to investigate whether planting vegetative material (plugs) was more effective than sowing of seed, and whether soil amelioration (fertilisation) was necessary on a substrate-specific basis. The experiment was assessed at the end of May 2013. Aerial vegetative cover was correlated with above-ground dry mass. Planting of plugs in combination with fertilisation was overall the most effective. On tailings, seed without fertilisation was a complete failure and fertilisation was essential for growth of plugs. Fertilised plugs resulted in a high density of stolons but fertilised seeds did not, although the response was delayed on tailings. Once phyto-stabilisation has been achieved, C. dactylon might serve as a nursery bed for establishing locally adapted cuprophytes of conservation significance.

External milli-beam PIXE analysis of the mineral pigments of glazed Iznik (Turkey) ceramics

25 Iznik glazed ceramics fragments - shards of vessels, plates for wall decorations found in Moldova’s capital Suceava, in Prince Vasile Lupu (1600-1640) palace and shards excavated from a Danube ford - Piua Pietrii, a renowned commercial centre during 17th Century were studied. We used external milli-beam PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) spectroscopy to investigate the capabilities of this method to identify the metals from ceramics mineral pigments. Cobalt, Lead-Antimony, Copper, Chromium, Iron and Manganese minerals used to obtain blue, yellow, green, red and brown colours were identified. Our PIXE results were compared with data from literature obtained on Iznik tiles samples using Raman spectroscopy proving a good compatibility.