We characterized the tailings from the Santa Barbara tailings dam, which is located in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, to: (i) identify its chemical, mineralogical, and metallurgical properties, and (ii) perform an environmental evaluation of the water at the surface of the tailings facility. The potential recovery of elements such as Sb, As, and Au was also considered for potential tailings reuse. The water was alkaline, with maximum pH values of ≈ 10, and contained potentially toxic elements, such as Sb (up to 0.500 mg/L), As (up to 0.080 mg/L), and Cu (up to 20 mg/L). Gold enrichment areas were found in the tailings dam, with concentrations up to 0.5 g/t. Alignment exists among tailings management, demand for critical raw materials, and increased interest in the processing of low-grade ores and mining waste, which is important in the context of the circular economy. They suggest that valorisation of tailings, although challenging, can be achieved by economic recovery of the more valuable metals.

我们对位于巴西东南部米纳斯吉拉斯州的圣塔芭芭拉尾矿坝的尾矿进行了表征，以：（i）确定其化学，矿物和冶金特性，以及（ii）对地表水进行环境评估尾矿设施。还考虑了元素如Sb，As和Au的潜在回收率，以用于潜在的尾矿再利用。水是碱性的，最大pH值约为10，并且含有潜在的有毒元素，例如Sb（最高0.500 mg / L），As（最高0.080 mg / L）和Cu（最高20 mg / L）。 ）。在尾矿坝中发现了金富集区，其浓度高达0.5 g / t。尾矿管理，对关键原材料的需求以及对低品位矿石和采矿废料的兴趣日益浓厚，这在循环经济的背景下很重要。他们认为，尽管尾矿的增值具有挑战性，但可以通过经济上回收更有价值的金属来实现。