Under the oxidative roasting process, pyrite, as a major mineral in sulfidic mine tailings, can transform to iron oxides. Generated iron oxides, if exhibiting enough magnetic properties, can be recovered via magnetic separation resulting in partial mine tailings valorization. However, due to the presence of various minerals and sintering possibility, it is advantageous to remove impurities and increase

The newly invented diamond anvil cell (DAC) in 1960, and the newly constructed Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) in 1979 were a perfect match, as CHESS could provide such an intense X-ray beam with such extraordinary properties that a whole new approach to mineral physics research became possible. The very high intensity of the X-ray beam from CHESS made it possible to make real-time observations

Seismic anisotropy of S-wave, trench-parallel or trench-normal polarization direction of fast S-wave, has been observed in the fore-arc and back-arc regions of subduction zones. Lattice preferred orientation (LPO) of elastically anisotropic chlorite has been suggested as one of the major causes of seismic anisotropy in subduction zones. However, there are two different LPOs of chlorite reported based

Monazite ((Ce, La, Nd, Th)PO4) is one of the widely used minerals for U–Th–Pb dating in geochronology. To better understand the possible effects of radiogenic Pb on the in situ dating method, a natural monazite U–Th–Pb standard sample (RW-1) was chemically and structurally characterized down to atomic scales by using the combination of Raman spectrum (RM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and

The average thickness of Paleogene sandstones reaches about 3000–4000 m at the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin. However, the provenance and sedimentary environment of these sandstones are uncertain; thus, more comprehensive research is needed. Integrated research is conducted on the provenance and weathering process based on petrographic characteristics, clay minerals, and geochemical compositions

The selective agglomeration of a fine coal tailings stream using a high internal phase emulsion binder was investigated using a continuous steady-state plug flow through a high shear constriction. The emulsion binder effectively switches off the viscous resistance to particle–binder collision and adhesion, revealing the remarkable underlying speed of hydrophobic interactions. The emulsion binder is

Greece is considered amongst the world’s top marble producers in the global carbonate ornamental stone market. Selected Greek carbonate ornamental stones considered in our study suite are characterized by their distinctive and in some cases unique appearance, having a significant impact on their commercial value. Their wide range of colour varieties and their physico-mechanical properties are closely

Coke-based carbon sorbent (CBCS) was produced using special coke fines with the following characteristics: ash, 4.5%; iodine adsorption capacity, 52%; specific surface area, 600 m2 g−1; and total pore volume, 0.4 cm3 g−1. Gold adsorption from real production cyanide solutions in batch and column laboratory experiments was studied. The optimum adsorbent/solution ratio was 0.2 g/20 cm3. Sorption equilibrium

The strategic importance of tantalum and its scarcity in Europe makes its recovery from low grade deposits and tailings interesting. In Penouta, the contents of Ta and Sn in old tailings from an Sn mine are of economic interest. Due to the relatively low grade of Ta of around 100 ppm, a detailed study of the mineralogy and liberation conditions is necessary. In this study, the mineralogy and the liberation

Removal of highly toxic H2S for pollution control and operational safety is a pressing need. For this purpose, a montmorillonite intercalated with Cu(II)-phenanthroline complex [Cu[(Phen)(H2O)2]2+ (Mt-CuPhen) was prepared to capture gaseous H2S under mild conditions. This hybrid material was simple to obtain and demonstrated an outstanding ability to entrap H2S at room temperature, retaining high efficiency

The Neoproterozoic era is a time of major environmental change in Earth history. The Ediacaran period (635–541 Ma), the uppermost division of Precambrian time, is characterized by the remarkable Shuram excursion (largest C isotope negative excursion), a deep ocean water oxidation event, and Ediacaran biota. The Nafun Group of Oman provides a well-preserved and mostly continuous section of an Ediacaran

Pb-isotopes have been proposed as pathfinders for sandstone-hosted unconformity-related U deposits, with isotope ratios providing information on mineralization timing and element remobilization and migration. Pb-isotopes proximal to mineralization display radiogenic signatures, often with ‘excess Pb’ suggestive of derivation from greater U concentrations than are currently present. The U deposits in

Layers rich in chromian spinel (Cr-spinel) occur in numerous differentiated and layered intrusions. These layers are often characterized by elevated and even economic concentrations of platinum-group-elements (PGEs), but only scarce sulfide mineralization. One particular type of such lithology occurs in the roof parts of the Norilsk-type differentiated intrusions (Russia) and is referred to as the

Three batches of Mg2SiO4-ringwoodites (Mg-Rw) with different water contents (C-H2O = ~1019(238), 5500(229) and 16,307(1219) ppm) were synthesized by using conventional high-P experimental techniques. Thirteen thin sections with different thicknesses (~14–113 μm) were prepared from them and examined for water-related IR peaks using unpolarized infrared spectra at ambient P-T conditions, leading to the

One of the potential sources of rare-earth elements (REE) is the industrial waste known as red mud (bauxite residue), in which the majority of REE from the initial bauxite are concentrated via the Bayer process. Therefore, the studies of the subject, both in Russia and outside, focus almost exclusively on red mud processing. This article looks into the possibility of REE concentration into red mud

Nature is often characterized by systems that are far from thermodynamic equilibrium, and rivers are not an exception for the Earth’s critical zone. When the chemical composition of stream waters is investigated, it emerges that riverine systems behave as complex systems. This means that the compositions have properties that depend on the integrity of the whole (i.e., the composition with all the chemical

The study investigates the impact of pore structure parameters of three chemically non-active filtration materials on the auto-activation time and the height of the filtration zone for manganese removal from groundwater. At a technical scale, the activation is a long process which may require a period of up to three months. The process can be shortened by the use of porous filtration materials. In

Five lead-arsenate apatites (mimetites)-Pb5(AsO4)3X—where X denotes fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and hydroxide (OH)—were synthesized via precipitation from aqueous solutions. The crystal structures were determined through Rietveld refinement of powder synchrotron X-ray data. All the compounds crystallized in the hexagonal class symmetry (space group P63/m). The Rietveld refinement

Hydrothermal processes have played a significant role in rare earth element (REE) precipitation in the Bayan Obo REE-Nb-Fe deposit. The poor preservation of primary fluid inclusions and superposition or modification by multiphase hydrothermal activities have made identification of physico-chemical conditions of ore-forming fluids extremely difficult. Fortunately, with more and more reliable thermodynamic

Coal and oil shale are both organic matter-rich sedimentary rocks. However, their sources of organic matter and their depositional environments are different. The present study focuses on the Palaeogene Lijiaya Formation sequence in the Huangxian Basin, Shandong Province, East China, which has oil shales showing marine geochemical indicators overlain by coals indicating marine regression. We investigated

Barite is ubiquitous and known to incorporate 226Ra through the formation of a solid-solution. In U mining mill tailings, barite is one of the dominant sulfate-binding minerals. In such environments, sequential extractions are generally used to identify the U- and 226Ra-binding phases and their associated reactivity. To better decipher the main processes governing the behavior of 226Ra during such

This Special Issue “Innovative and Applied Research on Platinum-group and Rare Earth Elements” is dedicated to the work and memory of Demetrios Eliopoulos, IGME (Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration), Greece who passed away on 19 April 2019 [...]

The hemispherical temperature (HT) is the most important indicator representing ash fusion temperatures (AFTs) in the Polish industry to assess the suitability of coal for combustion as well as gasification purposes. It is important, for safe operation and energy saving, to know or to be able to predict value of this parameter. In this study a non-linear model predicting the HT value, based on ash

Deep-water contourite muds are an important component of many continental margin systems and are currently the focus of much interest amongst deep-water researchers. One outstanding gap in our knowledge of these systems is to understand and quantify a contourite budget, both at the small (facies) scale and at the larger drift scale. A second problem concerns the establishing of robust criteria for

Mining, especially surface mining, has a significant impact on the upper part of the soil cover, including fauna and flora. The article deals with the use of geodetic methods to observe the mining process and its possible impact on the environment. The created model can be used to design the recovery and reclamation of open-pit mines after their closure and mining termination. For the modeling of an

Basalt fiber is an eco-friendly reinforcement fiber in fabricating polymer composites with high specific mechanical physicochemical, biodegradable, and wear resistant properties. This article firstly introduces the composition, morphology, functional group, and thermostability of basalt fibers. Subsequently, friction composites based on a newly designed formulation were fabricated with different content

The red variety of corundum owes its color and strong fluorescence to the presence of Cr, as well as traces of Fe. The latter can reduce the fluorescence and thus impact the appearance of the final gem. Gem quality rubies are rarely available for scientific study and even less common in their rough form. Opaque inclusions in rubies are often removed during faceting and remain unidentified. This study

Recovery of rare earth elements (REEs) from coal samples collected from the Fire Clay coal seam using diluted mineral acid solutions was investigated. The initial processing step was coal recovery using conventional froth flotation which concentrated the REEs in tailing material resulting in an upgrade to values around 700 ppm on a dry whole mass basis. Leaching experiments were performed on the flotation

The aim of this study was to determine the reactivity of the chalcopyrite (112) surface under industrially relevant leaching conditions. Leaching of the chalcopyrite (112) surface was carried out at approximately pH 1 and in the presence of 0.01 M ferric or ferrous. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman microspectroscopy analyses suggested that the chalcopyrite (112) surface was relatively inert

The carbonation of recycled aggregate was accelerated by sparging with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) to reduce the amount of time needed for carbonation, which is necessary for the pH neutralization of recycled aggregate. To accelerate the carbonation process, pressurized scCO2 was sparged into two different types of recycled aggregates immersed in water for 1 h, followed by standstill for 2

Textured kaolinite and halloysite-based materials were shaped by tape casting in order to promote the alignment of clay particles along the tape casting direction and to investigate the structure evolution of these phyllosilicates during the dehydroxylation process. The crystallinity indexes HI and R2 of the starting kaolins (KRG and KCS) were determined and appeared close to values found for the well-ordered

We have systematically investigated the elastic properties (ρ, VP, VS, K, and σ) of eight SiO2–TiO2 glasses, varying in composition from 1.3 to 14.7 wt% TiO2, as a function of pressure up to 0.5 GPa by the pulse superposition (PSP) ultrasonic technique, and two compositions (1.3 and 9.4 wt% TiO2) up to ~5.7 GPa by Brillouin scattering in a diamond anvil cell. The parameters were also measured after

In this study, two new collectors for fluorite flotation DP-OMC-1033 (DP-I) and DP-OMC-1234 (DP-II) were tested and compared with oleic acid (OA), sodium oleate (SO) and potassium oleate (PO). According to fluorite grade and fluorite metallurgical recovery, the effect of each collector was determined, both in mechanical and pneumatic cell flotation. The effect of temperature on the collectors from

Natural zeolites are crystalline hydrated alkali metal and alkaline earth metal aluminosilicates with unique ion-exchange and sorption properties. The exceptional structure of pores gives natural zeolites several application possibilities, especially for water treatment and construction. For a wider use of natural zeolites, such as catalysis, properties—especially chemical, textural, and mechanical—need

Sewage slush ashes are materials composed of polyphase particles. Ashes are fine-grained with many amorphous components, and analytical techniques such as X-ray diffractometry cannot recover all the properties. For sewage sludge ash, treatment often focuses on phosphate recovery. Automated mineralogy techniques were applied in order to study phosphate associations and their behavior towards chemical

The Snezhnoe ruby deposit is located in the Muzkol–Rangkul anticlinorium within the Cimmerian zone of the Central Pamir. On the local scale, the deposit occurs on discrete relict bedding planes of calcitic marbles belonging to the Sarydzhilgin suite. Four ruby-bearing mineral assemblages are present within the main parts of the deposit: 1) scapolite + phlogopite + muscovite + margarite; 2) plagioclase

Geotextiles are commercially made from synthetic fibres and have been used to enhance bearing capacity and to reduce the settlement of weak soil foundations. Several efforts have been made to investigate the possibility of using bio-based geotextiles for addressing environmental issues. This paper attempts to review previous studies on the bearing capacity improvement of soils reinforced with bio-based

The Highland Valley Copper (HVC) district in British Columbia, Canada, is host to at least four major porphyry Cu systems: Bethlehem (~209 Ma), and Valley, Lornex, and Highmont (~208 to 207 Ma). High spatial resolution (0.2–1.0 mm/pixel) hyperspectral imagery in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) were acquired on 755 rock samples and 400 m of continuous drill core. Spectral metrics are used to measure the

As part of a study investigating the influence of mineralogical variability in a sediment hosted copper–cobalt deposit in the Democratic Republic of Congo on flotation performance, the flotation of nine sulphide ore samples was investigated through laboratory batch kinetics tests and quantitative mineral analyses. Using a range of ore samples from the same deposit the influence of mineralogy on flotation

In this contribution, we highlight a correlative approach in which three-dimensional structural/positional data are combined with two dimensional chemical and mineralogical data to understand a complex orogenic gold mineralization system; we use the Kirk Range (southern Malawi) as a case study. Three dimensional structures and semi-quantitative mineral distributions were evaluated using X-ray Computed

Passive systems that utilize a natural power such as a pond, plant, or microorganisms, is expected to be a cost-effective method for acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment. The Ningyo-toge mine, a non-operational uranium mine located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan, generates AMD containing arsenic and iron. To quantitatively study arsenic and iron ion removal in an artificial wetland and pond, chemical reactions

A less harmful approach for the environment regarding chalcopyrite concentrate leaching, using seawater/brine and caliche’s salts as a source of chloride and nitrate ions, was investigated. Different variables were evaluated: sulfuric acid concentration, sodium nitrate concentration, chloride concentration, source of water (distilled water, seawater, and brine), temperature, concentrate sample type

Gem corundum deposits are typically divided into blue sapphire and ruby deposits. However, this classification often overlooks the fact that the precious stones produced are the same mineral with only an overall slight difference in their trace element profiles. It can take only a couple thousand ppm chromium to create the rich, red color expected of a ruby. This contribution deals specifically with

Gravity migration is a fast imaging technique based on the migration concept to obtain subsurface density distribution. For higher resolution of migration imaging results, we propose a 3D regularized focusing migration method that implements migration imaging of an entire gravity survey with a focusing stabilizer based on regularization theory. When determining the model parameters, the iterative direction

Orange greenockite (CdS) aggregates were found in a small fumarole at a burned coal dump near Bytom, Upper Silesia, Poland and were studied using a variety of techniques in order to determine their chemistry, morphology, and most importantly, the mechanism of crystal growth. Greenockite rods, wires, and whiskers with bismuth drops on crystal tops are predominant in these aggregates. Greenockite rods

The present work concerns the study of the phase transition of plattnerite [β-PbO2 lead (IV) oxide]-based samples when they are analysed by Raman spectroscopy. The laser-induced degradation process was carried out either on historical painting samples, where plattnerite was present as a degradation product of lead-based pigments, or commercial plattnerite samples as powder and pellets. The Raman spectra

Zircon with polycrystalline or polygranular appearance is either produced in the magmatic environment through crystallization, or due to deformation in metamorphic settings (including regional metamorphism and ductile shear zones), or as a result of shock-induced recrystallization. All three types can be easily confused and potentially lead to incorrect interpretations, especially if the crystallographic

The reclamation of surface (opencast) coal mines is not always successful; there remains a legacy of degraded land that burdens local communities. This article evaluates a community-oriented, low-cost means of geoecological regeneration, the “Cradle for Nature” strategy, which uses mosaic tree planting to foster positive natural ecological processes. Results show that, while the autocompaction of minestones

The contamination by chlorinated organic solvents is a worldwide problem as they can deeply penetrate aquifers, accumulating in the sub-surface as lenses of highly hazardous pollutants. In recent years, so called in situ oxidation processes have been developed to remediate chlorinated organic solvents from groundwater and soil by injecting solutions of oxidising agents such as permanganate or peroxydisulphate

Kunzite, the pink variety of spodumene is famous and desirable among gemstone lovers. Due to its tenebrescent properties, kunzite always remains a hot research candidate among physicists and mineralogists. The present work is continuing the effort towards value addition to kunzite by enhancing its color using different treatments. Before color enhancement, it is essential to identify the chromophores

Muscovite mica with an amino silane-modified surface is commonly used as a substrate in atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies of biological macromolecules. Herein, the efficiency of two different protein immobilization strategies employing either (N-hydroxysuccinimide ester)-based crosslinker (DSP) or benzophenone-based photoactivatable crosslinker (SuccBB) has been compared using AFM and mass spectrometry

A multi-step procedure, based on the employment of K10-Montmorillonite, is proposed for the selective removal of metal ions and dyes from a multicomponent solution. The objective is twofold: decontaminate the effluents and separate and recover the valuable byproducts present in wastewaters. Three common contaminants, i.e., crystal violet dye (CV), Ce(III) and Pb(II) were chosen as “model” pollutants

Mid-ocean ridge basalts (MORB) in the South China Sea (SCS) record deep crust-mantle processes during seafloor spreading. We conducted a petrological and geochemical study on the MORBs obtained from the southwest sub-basin of the SCS at site U1433 and U1434 of the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349. Results show that MORBs at IODP site U1433 and U1434 are unaffected by seawater

The new mineral richardsite occurs as overgrowths of small (50–400 μm) dark gray, disphenoidal crystals with no evident twinning, but epitaxically oriented on wurtzite–sphalerite crystals from the gem mines near Merelani, Lelatema Mountains, Simanjiro District, Manyara Region, Tanzania. Associated minerals also include graphite, diopside, and Ge,Ga-rich wurtzite. It is brittle, dark gray in color,

Seafloor massive sulfide (SMS) deposits have attracted growing interest and become the focus of current seafloor mineral exploration. One key challenge is to delineate potential SMS accumulations and estimate their quantity and quality for prospective resource mining. Recently, geophysical electromagnetic methods which are routinely used for land-based mineral exploration are being adapted to detect

The effects of roof cutting techniques on the movement law of the overlying strata and deformation features of the surrounding rock in gob-side entry retaining mines were studied using 200 working faces of the Dianping coal mine in Shanxi Province. Using a mechanical analysis, a cantilever beam model formed by roof cutting was used to derive a deformation equation. The physical model test based on

It is widely accepted that metamorphism induces a remobilization of iron sulfides, sweeping away original ones while creating new ones. This paper analyzes size distributions of iron sulfides in several samples from the Caples and Torlesse terranes from the Otago Schist (New Zealand) using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, which allows all iron sulfides larger than the resolution at which

Sulfuric acid-based leaching is a promising cleaner method to produce chromium salts, but its feasibility for treating low Fe(II)-chromite still remains to be proven. A Box–Behnken design (BBD)-based set of experiments for sulfuric acid leaching of low Fe(II)-chromite was utilized in this work for generating an experimental dataset for revealing the functional relationships between the processing parameters

The problem of low-rank coal flotation continues to be a challenge due to the poor hydrophobicity and abundant oxygenated functional groups on particle surfaces. In this study, carrier flotation was used to improve the flotation performance of low-rank coal with polystyrene as a carrier material. Kerosene was used as a collector and played a role in the adhesion of fine low-rank coal to polystyrene

In the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) area, rural populations often use water that exceeds the World Health Organization thresholds for fluoride (F–) and arsenic (As), two elements that are hazardous for human health. In this study, twenty-nine water samples were collected from lakes and hot and cold springs in southern MER to investigate source(s) and health-risk of the F– and As contamination. According