Metallogenic Processes:Evidencesfrom Zoning Patterns of Mineralization and alteration and fluid inclusion geochemistryin the Lehong Zn-Pb Deposit in Northeastern Yunnan, China

1 Introduction The large clusters of Zn-Pb deposits in northeastern Yunnan,located in the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block,are an important part of the Sichuan-YunnanGuizhou Pb-Zn Poly-metallic Metallogenic Triangle Area

Magmatic Evolution and Mineralization Process of the Super-Large Shihuiyao Rb–Nb–Ta Deposit,Southern Great Xing'an Range,China

Rare metal ore reserves are an important strategic resource, and their metallogenic mechanism and mineralization studies have also been received widespread international attention.

Mineralogical Characteristics of Exsolved Spinel in the Panzhihua V-Ti Magnetite Deposit, Sichuan: Implications for the Mineralization Process

Spinel exsolution is widespread in titanomagnetite from the Fe-Ti oxide gabbro of the Panzhihua intrusion, Emeishan Large Igneous Province, SW China. However, little research has been conducted into the implications of patterns in the mineralogical characteristics of the spinel for spatial variation in the controls on the exsolution mechanism and, hence, the formation process of the ore deposit. This study selected the Lanjiahuoshan Ore Block in the Panzhihua V-Ti magnetite deposit to explore this issue, systematically studying exsolution textures in the titanomagnetite through petrographic observation and the integrated use of in-situ microanalysis. The results show that the exsolved spinel gradually becomes finer-grained and less abundant from the center to edge and the bottom to top of the ore bodies. Compositionally, there is an inverse correlation between the size of exsolved spinel grains and their Mg# value. In addition, there is compositional zonation in the spinel interiors, with a gradual increase in the Mg content and decrease in Fe content from the core to the rim. The analysis suggests that fractional crystallization of ferrotitanium magma with a high oxygen fugacity in a shallow magma chamber caused compositional differences in the primary magnetite solid solution in different parts of the Panzhihua intrusion. Additionally, the thermal evolution of the magnetite solid solution differed in different parts of orebody, bringing about variations in spinel development. Together, these effects resulted in spatial variation in the abundance, grain size, and morphology of spinel in different parts of the orebody and intrusion that follows an identifiable distribution law. Furthermore, the compositional zonation of exsolved spinels reflects the rapid growth of exsolution features in a high-temperature environment. Thus, the size, morphology, abundance, and composition of spinel exsolution features in titanomagnetite provide a valuable petrogenetic tool for estimating the maturity and formational environment of the deposit.

Cadmium-containing Wastewater Induced by SRB:Effect of Multiple Ions and Mineralization Process

The effects of various general and heavy metal ions in acidic cadmium-containing wastewater on SBR desulfurization and cadmium removal under different concentrations were studied.CrO_(4)^(2-) and S^(2-) inhibited SRB mineralization,and Mg^(2+),Ca^(2+),Fe^(2+),and Fe^(3+) promoted SRB mineralization at low concentration(<50 mg/L).The inhibitory concentrations of Cu^(2+),Mn^(2+),Co^(2+),Zn^(2+),Pb^(2+),Hg^(2+),Cr^(3+),and Ni^(2+) were 10,30,2,20,25,5,30 mg/L,respectively.The inhibition order was Co^(2+)>Hg^(2+)>Cu^(2+)>Ni^(2+)>Zn^(2+)>Pb^(2+)>Mn^(2+)>Cr^(3+).Furthermore,the inverted microscopy and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)were used to observe the sediment crystallization process from macroscopic and microscopic viewpoints in the optimized ion environment.The experimental results show that under the mineralization of SRB,cadmium sediment crystallization is mainly divided into the rapid growth of bacteria,crystal nucleus production,block formation,and crystallization occuration.At the same time,X-ray diffraction(XRD)and energy-dispersive spectra(EDS)have also confirmed the sediment and crystallization.

A preliminary study on microtextures，structures and mineralizing processes of hydrothermal chimneys in Mariana Trough

Microtextures and struetures of 9 hydrothermal chimneys sampled on the small spreading ridge Of the Mari ana Trough during SONNE Cruise 57 (SO57) and 69 (SO69) in 1988 and 1990 were studied by means of scanning electron microscope. The results reveal that the two types of chimneys from the Mariana Trough. the 'silicic chimneys' containing Fe sulfide and the pure 'silica chimneys' without sulfide, vary distinctly not only in mineral and chemical compositions, but also in microtextures and structures. The silicic chimneys generally show three major types of microtextures.The inside of the chimneys is dominated by holocrystalline or semicrystalline idiomorphic and hypidiomorphic granular textures and the outwall by amorphous colloidal texture. In some of the silicic chimneys relict texture is observed. However,the pure silica chimneys show chiefly amorphous colloidal texture from the inside to the outwall. Microstructurally. theinside of the silicic chimneys is dominated by a 'silica-covering' structure and a 'voidfilling' structure, and the outwall by a chain-like or three-dimentional chain-network structure built up by individual opal globules, whereas the pure silica chimneys are mainly three-dimentional chain-network and the dense silica bands in structure. These variations suggest that not only mineralizing conditions but also processes differ distinctly during the formation of the two types of chimneys, and that hydrothermal mineralization in the Mariana Trough shows a multistage or multieplsodical nature.

Study of the Mineralization Process of granular apatites in Weng'an Baidou Phosphate Deposit Using Microbeam Analyses

1 Introduction Studies of marine sedimentary phosphate rock have lasted decades,scholars proposed some standpoints about mineralization,however,the genesis of mineral deposits remains to be a controversial question(She et al.,2013).There are many viewpoints of mineralization about the Doushantuo phosphorites,Central Guizhou,including biological mineralization(Mi et al.,2010;Shi et al.,2005),

Mineral Processing of Silica Sand in Hanout Area/South of Jordan

White sandstone samples from Hanout area of Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician sandstone in south of Jordan were studied and assessed as a source of glass sand. Upgrading the sand included removing or reducing the content of the contaminant oxides and the heavy minerals. The aim of this research was to achieve this upgrading by examining the best-suited and cost-effective processing method(s) with sufficient product recovery. Following the initial sample characterisation at “bench scale”, a pilot study was performed. A high-grade Glass Sand product of 500 - 125 μm size fraction was produced by wet screening, attrition scrubbing and the separation of heavy minerals using spirals. The high quality Glass Sand product compared well with Grade-A of the British Standard for glass sand. Due to the relatively low level of impurities in the raw material, a substantial silica sand recovery was produced with a high silica grade. The silica sand product was capable to be used in the high quality glass industry and in many other applications where pure silica is required. The mass flowrate of the feeds and the products in the spiral was calculated for the bulk sample as well as the amount of water required operating the process.

Strategies for Improving the Effectiveness of Professional Practice for Full-Time Professional Master Degree Postgraduate in Mineral Processing Engineering

In order to gain practical experience and hands-on skills,full-time professional master degree postgraduate in mineral processing engineering should engage in professional practices.Nonetheless,a series of problems,including insufficient time for practice,low management level,inadequate implementation of the double-supervisor system,and poor results of professional practice,has reduced the effectiveness of professional practice.In view of the aforementioned problems and the characteristics of the discipline,this paper proposes several strategies for improving the effectiveness of professional practice for postgraduates in mineral processing engineering.

Selection of Multifractal Scaling Breaks andSeparation of Geochemical andGeophysical Anomaly

Spatially superimposed multiple processes such as multiplicative cascade processes often generate multifractal measures possessing so-called self-similarity or self-affinity that can be described by power- law type of functions within certain scale ranges The multifractalities can be estimated by applying multifractal modeling to the measures reflecting the characteristics of the physical processes such as the element concentration values analyzed in rock and soil samples and caused by the underlying mineralization processes and the other geological processes. The local and regional geological processes may result in geochemical patterns with distinct multifractalities as wall as variable scaling ranges. Separation of these multifractal measures on the basis of both the distinct multifractalities and the scaling ranges will be significant for both theoretical studies of multifractal modeling and its applications. Multifractal scaling breaks have been observed from various multifractal patterns. This paper introduces a technique for separating multifractal measures on the basis of scaling breaks. It has been demonstrated that the method is effective for decomposing geochemical and geophysical anomalies required for mineral exploration. A dataset containing the element concentration values of potassium and phosphorus in soil samples was employed for demonstrating the application of the method for studying the fertilizer and yield optimization in agriculture

Application of ionic liquids in hydrometallurgy of nonferrous metals

Ionic liquids as green solvents have shown important application in the extraction and separation of nonferrous metals.The new application perspective,the important fundamental and the applied studies of the extraction and separation of nonferrous metals in ionic liquids,including the dissolution and corrosion of metal and metal oxide,hydrometallurgy of chalcopyrite and metallic oxidized ore,and extraction and separation of metal ions,are introduced.

Mineral processing plant location using the analytic hierarchy process——a case study:the Sangan iron ore mine(phase 1)

Locating the mineral processing plant near a mine is the most important parameter that affects the whole process.Many factors,and their preferences,should be considered in this stage.The factors include economical,geological,technical,environmental and tectonic parameters.A multi-criteria decision making method is necessary to rank the alternatives.In this paper we describe how plant location is selected by using the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP).This method,with eight criteria,was used to select a location for the mineral processing plant at the Sangan iron ore mine(phase 1).Three alternatives for the processing plant were evaluated.The main criteria were distance from the mine,access to heavy machinery transport,the amount of excavation required for grading,bed mixture capacity,belt conveyor length,distance from the tailing dam,distance from the waste dumps and surface water diversion requirements.Finally,the alternatives were ranked and the best location was proposed.

HEATING RATE OF MINERALS AND COMPOUNDS IN MICROWAVE FIELD

More than 40 kinds of selected minerals and compounds were individually irradiated by microwaves under an inert atmosphere,and the temperatures of samples were measured with a metal-sheathed thermocouple inserted into the samples directiy.The results indicated that most sulphide and some oxide minerals and compounds could be heated to high temperatures in a short timet whereas the common gangue minerals,some oxide and oxy-salt minerals or compounds could not.The sulphide minerals had faster heating rate than the oxide minerals containing the same cations.The impurities of minerals had significant effect on the heating rate.The selective heating characteristics of microwaves on different minerals and compounds could be attributed to the differences between their conductivities or dielectric loss factors and bonding properties.

Modeling the effects of ore properties on water recovery in the thickening process

A better understanding of solid-liquid separation would assist in improving the thickening performance and perhaps water recovery as well. The present work aimed to develop an empirical model to study the effects of ore properties on the thickening process based on pilot tests using a column. A hydro-cyclone was used to prepare the required samples for the experiments. The model significantly predicted the experimental underflow solid content using a regression equation at a given solid flux and bed level for different samples, indicating that ore properties are the effective parameters in the thickening process. This work confirned that the water recovery would be increased about 5% by separating the feed into two parts, overflow and underflow, and introducing two different thickeners into them separately. This is duo to the fact that thickeners are limited by permeability and compressibility in operating conditions.

Dynamic analysis of elastic screen surface with multiple attached substructures and experimental validation

A feasible method to improve the reliability and processing efficiency of large vibrating screen via the application of an elastic screen surface with multiple attached substructures （ESSMAS） was proposed. In the ESSMAS, every screen rod, with ends embedded into elastomer, is coupled to the main screen structure in a relatively flexible manner. The theoretical analysis was conducted, which consists of establishing dynamic model promoted from the fuzzy structure theory as well as calculating for the equivalent stiffness of each attached structure. According to the numerical simulation using the NEWMARK-fl integration method, this assembling pattern significantly leads to the screen surface/rod having larger vibration intensity than that of the corresponding position on screen structure, which specifically, with an averaged acceleration amplitude increasing ratio of 11.37% in theoretical analysis and 20.27% in experimental test. The experimental results, within a tolerant error, also confirm the established model and demonstrate the feasibility of ESSMAS.

An Overview of Mineral Processing in China

The latest progress in mineral processing in China is described. It is also pointed out that the existing technology can not meet the needs of economic development. The combined challenges of poor resources, economical benefits and environmental pollution issues require further research to upgrade the separation efficiency economically. The methods of mineral processing should play a more important part in waste treatment such as wastewater treatment, the remediation of contaminated soil and the recycling of wastes. Biomineral technology will be utilised in the near future.

Magnetic separation studies on ferruginous chromite fine to enhance Cr:Fe ratio

The Cr：Fe ratio （chromium-to-iron mass ratio） of chromite affects the production of chrome-based ferroalloys. Although the lit- erature contains numerous reports related to the magnetic separation of different minerals, limited work concerning the application of mag- netic separation to fine chromite from the Sukinda region of India to enhance its Cr：Fe ratio has been reported. In the present investigation, magnetic separation and mineralogical characterization studies of chromite fines were conducted to enhance the Cr：Fe ratio. Characterization studies included particle size and chemical analyses, X-ray diffraction analysis, automated mineral analysis, sink-and-float studies, and mag- netic susceptibility measurements, whereas magnetic separation was investigated using a rare earth drum magnetic separator, a rare earth roll magnetic separator, an induced roll magnetic separator, and a wet high-intensity magnetic separator. The fine chromite was observed to be upgraded to a Cr：Fe ratio of 2.2 with a yield of 55.7% through the use of an induced roll magnetic separator and a feed material with a Cr：Fe ratio of 1.6.

Alunite processing method selection using the AHP and TOPSIS approaches under fuzzy environment

Alunite is the most important non bauxite resource for alumina. Various methods have been proposed and patented for processing alunite, but none has been performed at industrial scale and no technical,operational and economic data is available to evaluate methods. In addition, selecting the right approach for alunite beneficiation, requires introducing a wide range of criteria and careful analysis of alternatives.In this research, after studying the existing processes, 13 methods were considered and evaluated by 14 technical, economic and environmental analyzing criteria. Due to multiplicity of processing methods and attributes, in this paper, Multi Attribute Decision Making methods were employed to examine the appropriateness of choices. The Delphi Analytical Hierarchy Process(DAHP) was used for weighting selection criteria and Fuzzy TOPSIS approach was used to determine the most profitable candidates. Among 13 studied methods, Spanish, Svoronos and Hazan methods were respectively recognized to be the best choices.

A honeycomb-tube packing medium and its application to column flotation

We address problems in the development of large-scale flotation columns that use short cylinders. As a starting point, we investigated the packing medium to identify a highly efficient internal packing for the flotation column. The chosen packing was a honeycomb structure with an aperture diameter of 80 mm, a web thickness of 0.80 mm, a film height of 1000 mm, packed into a 400 mm diameter space, which completely filled the vessel at optimal cost. The column consisted of a modular ring of single-hole hexagonal honeycomb tube packing made from atactic polyproplene (PP-R). The packing was tested in a cyclonic, static micro-bubble flotation column. Computational fluid dynamic modeling was used to analyze the flotation fluid in a honeycomb tube packed flotation column. Our results show that the fluid axial movement was maximized and that the transverse fluid velocities were zero in the vicinity of axial flow. Using the honeycomb tube packing for copper sulfide flotation we observed that the average concentration in the product was increased to 25.41%, from an average feed concentration of 0.729%, with an average recovery of 92.92%. The demands of on-site industrial production were met.

Study on mixing and segregation behaviors in particulate fluidized bed system for mineral processing

In order to identify the mixing and segregation behaviors in a mineral processing operation, present study aimed on the hydrodynamics of solid–liquid fluidization. The study was carried out in a fluidization column with tapings at different height of the bed to collect the sample. The binary particles considered in this study are hematite(4800 kg/m3) and quartz(2600 kg/m3) at different size fractions in the range of average size 87×10^(-6)m to 400×10^(-6)m. It is observed that for various binary mixtures, both quartz and hematite particles share the equal composition by mass(50%) at a particular height of fluidized bed, referred as ‘‘locus point'' of mixing. Study indicates that the mixing zone volume will increase for a continuous fluidized bed plant operation. It is observed that the number of locus points varies from 1 to 3 signifying their dependency on the size ratios of binary mixture. Whenever, the difference in terminal velocity between quartz and hematite particles approaches to zero, mixing is enhanced.Further, the present study is extended to find the segregation index for the different size ratios of quartz and hematite particles. It is evident that depending on the size ratios, various regions such as complete segregation, partial mixing and complete mixing can be observed.