Discovery,Genesis and Significance of Metallic Minerals in Evaporate Series in the Kuqa Basin

A large-scale evaporate series is developed in Paleogene-Neogene strata in the Kuqa basin. The series is composed mainly of evaporate with thin beds of clastic rock （mainly mudstone and siltstone）. In grayish white medium- and coarse-grained sandstone in Miocene strata, the formation of copper minerals is in close connection with brine. In joint planes, which are developed in vertical strata, are filled with gypsum. Gypsum and copper-mineralized sandstone contains enormous copper minerals, mainly atacamite. According to the SEM analysis for salt rock, gypsum rock, limestone, grayish green siltstone, grayish white medium-coarse-grained sandstone, some minerals are composed of metallic elements including Au, Ag, Cu, Zn, Pb, Co, Ni and U etc., in which Au occurs in a native form, Cu occurs in a native form or as atacamite in salt rock, gypsum rock and limestone, Ag occurs as silver sulfide in gypsum, and Zn, Pb, Co, Ni, U occur as compounds along with the above metallic ions in evaporate or clastic rock. From SEM images, we can see that metallic elements or their compounds （oxides or sulfides） ＂take root＂ as grains in salt or gypsum crystals, which belong to primary chemical sedimentation along with evaporate, while some grains ＂float＂ on surface of salt or gypsum. In the former case, mineral grains were formed together with salt （gypsum） crystals; while in the latter case, minerals were enriched from internal metallic ions （Paleogene evaporate samples） or external metallic ions （Neogene gypsum samples） in the late stage of evaporate formation. The metallic ions in Paleogene evaporate samples might originate from weathered or denudated materials in the south Tianshan Mountains. The metallic ions in the Neogene evaporate samples might be from metal- bearing brine, which migrated upward to surface along fractures and leached into evaporate （gypsum）. Occurrence of metallic minerals and their compounds （elementary substance） in Paleogene evaporate proves that diversified metallic minerals exist in evaporate. The source of metallic ions in the Neogene evaporate series shows that evaporate could provide materials for late-stage metallic mineralization.

Discussion on the Teaching of“Metallic Mineral Processing”for Mineral Processing Engineering

Social economic growth and the increasing demand for mineral resources have promoted the development of metallic mineral processing technology.Therefore,in order to satisfy the demands for development in mining,cultivating comprehensive mineral processing engineering professionals with strong innovative practical skills has become the top priority in current education.We have established a new course,“Metallic Mineral Processing,”for students majoring in mineral processing engineering in universities,with coal and other sources of energy as the main focus.This paper analyzes the purpose and significance of setting up this course and the exploration of the reform of the teaching mode,with the aim of improving the teaching quality and ensuring the cultivation of mineral processing engineering undergraduates.

Ecological risk assessment and early warning of heavy metal cumulation in the soils near the Luanchuan molybdenum polymetallic mine concentration area,Henan Province,central China

The Luanchuan molybdenum polymetallic mine concentration area is rich in mineral resources and has a long history of mining.The environmental impact of long-term mining activities cannot be ignored.It is of great significance to study the ecological risk and the accumulation trends of heavy metals in the soil of mining areas for scientific prevention and control of heavy metal pollution.Taking the Taowanbeigou River Basin in the mine concentration area as the research object,the ecological pollution risk and cumulative effect of heavy metals in the soil of the basin were studied by using the comprehensive pollution index method,potential ecological risk assessment method and geoaccumulation index method.On this basis,the cumulative exceeding years of specific heavy metals were predicted by using the early warning model.The comprehensive potential ecological risk of heavy metals in the soil near the Luanchuan mine concentration area is moderate,and the single element Cd is the main ecological risk factor,with a contribution rate of 53.6%.The overall cumulative degrees of Cu and Pb in the soil are“none-moderate”,Zn and Cd are moderate,Mo has reached an extremely strong cumulative level,Hg,As and Cr risks are not obvious,and the overall cumulative risks order is Mo>Cd>Zn>Cu>Pb>Hg.According to the current accumulation rate and taking the risk screening values for soil contamination of agricultural land as the reference standard,the locations over standard rates of Cu,Zn and Cd will exceed 78%in 90years,and the over standard rate of Pb will reach approximately 57%in 200 years.The cumulative exceeding standard periods of As,Cr and Hg are generally long,which basically indicates that these elements do not pose a significant potential threat to the ecological environment.Mining activities will accelerate the accumulation of heavy metals in soil.With the continuous development of mining activities,the potential pollution risk of heavy metals in the soil of mining areas will also increase.

The subduction of the Copiapó aseismic ridge,is the causing of the formation of metallic minerals deposits in north of Chile and Argentina?

The results obtained in this work evince that the metallic mineral deposits located in the northern region of the Chilean-Pampean flat slab(in northern Chile and north-western Argentina),at approximately 27°30’S,would be related to the subduction of the Copiapo aseismic ridge.The analysis of the gravity anomalies and vertical gravity gradient allows inferring a deflection and truncation of the main trend of the Andean structures at the extrapolated zone of the Copiapo ridge beneath South America.Thus,the general NNE-trend of the Andean structures are rotated locally to an ENE-strike within the area of the Ojos del Salado-San Buena Ventura lineament.We explain that this anomalous behavior of the gravity derived anomalies is related to the deformational effects imprinted by the ridge subduction.Regions with a low subduction angle(<30° to horizontal)are related to large mineralization due to fluids released by dehydration of the subducting crust.In addition,a higher degree of mantle melting could be produced by a thicker oceanic crust.Therefore,we interpret that the processes associated to the subduction of the Copiapo aseismic ridge(emplaced on a thickened oceanic crust due to a local compensation of the seamounts)are the cause of formation and emplacement of big metallic mineral deposits in this region of Chile and Argentina.

Major discoveries and progress of Chinese metal and non-metallic mineral prospecting and exploration in 2019

Global mineral products have been declining in 2019,which has led to a very sluggish global geological prospecting and mineral exploration.Statistics show that in 2019,the iron ore imports of China accounted for 64%of the world’s total,copper ore accounted for 56%,and bauxite ore accounted for 76%.Driven by rigid demand,the metal and non-metallic geological prospecting and mineral exploration in China are uniquely outstanding with fruitful results.This journal summarizes the above results and reports to the society to increase the social impact of geological exploration.

Mineral Industry in Egypt-Part I: Metallic Mineral Commodities

This The mineral potential in Egypt is quite high. Almost all sorts of industrial minerals such as metallic and non-metallic commodities exist in commercial amounts. However, Egypt imports many of the mineral commodities needed for the local mineral industries. The main reason for this is that the investors, either the governmental or the private sectors, refrain from investing into the mineral industry for prospecting, evaluation, and developing the mining and mineral processing technologies. This is because the return on investment in the mining industry is generally low and the pay back period is relatively long compared with easy-to-get money projects. Another reason is the disarray of the mining laws and regulations and lack of administrative capability to deal with domestic and international investors and solve the related problems. Also, lack of skilled personnel in the field of mining and mineral processing is an additional factor for the set back of the mining industry in Egypt. This is why the mining technology in Egypt is not very far from being primitive and extremely simple, with the exception of the underground mining of coal, North of Sinai, and Abu-Tartur phosphate mining, where fully automated long wall operations are designed. Also, the recent gold and tin-tantalum-niobium projects are being designed on modern surface mining and mineral processing technologies. The present review presents an overview of the most important metallic mineral commodities in Egypt, their geological background, reserves and production rates. A brief mention of the existing technologies for their exploitation is also highlighted.

A Review of Nigerian Metallic Minerals for Technological Development

The metallic mineral resources of Nigeria have not been fully appraised due to lack of sufficient studies and technology. Previous works identified a number of minerals deposits which have remained largely unevaluated. Some known deposits were confirmed while new ones were identified and documented. The metallic minerals found in Nigeria include iron ore (with over 3 billion metric tonnes), ferro-alloy minerals (Manganese, vanadium, nickel, chromite, columbite, molybdenum, zircon, wolfram/tungsten tourmaline and tantalite), tin ore (cassiterite), lead/zinc, niobium, uranium ore and precious metal (Gold). Looking at the diversity of the mineral types and industrial importance of most of them and the need to exploit and process the minerals for technological development, there is need to build up capability to produce efficient unit operations of the required sizes by indigenous manufacturers.

Yarlongite:A New Metallic Carbide Mineral

Yarlongite occurs in ophiolitic chromitite at the Luobusha mine （29°5′N 92°5′E, about 200 km ESE of Lhasa）, Qusum County, Shannan Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, People＇s Republic of China. Associated minerals are： diamond, moissanite, wiistite, iridium （＂osmiridium＂）, osmium （＂iridosmine＂）, periclase, chromite, native iron, native nickel, native chromium, forsterite, Cr-rich diopside, intermetallic compounds Ni-Fe-Cr, Ni-Cr, Cr-C, etc. Yarlongite and its associated minerals were handpicked from a large heavy mineral sample of chromitite. The metallic carbides associated with yarlongite are cohenite, tongbaite, khamrabaevite and qusongite （IMA2007-034）. Yarlongite occurs as irregular grains, with a size between 0.02 and 0.06 mm, steel-grey colour, H Mohs： 5^1/2-6. Tenacity： brittle. Cleavage： （0 0 1） perfect. Fracture： conchoidal. Chemical formula： （Cr4Fe4Ni）29C4, or （Cr,Fe,Ni）29C4, Crystal system： Hexagonal, Space Group： P63/mc, a = 18.839（2） A, c = 4.4960 （9） A, V = 745.7（2） A^3, Z = 6, Density （calc.） = 7.19 g/cm3 （with simplified formula）. Yariongite has been approved as a new mineral by the CNMNC （IMA2007-035）. Holotype material is deposited at the Geological Museum of China （No. Ml1650）.

The solubility of a metallic mineral with other coexisting minerals and the ore-forming processes of metallic sulfides

Most metallic minerals in ore deposits are sulfides. When a sulfide mineral coexists with rock-forming minerals, its solubility is distinctly different from itself alone. The change in dissolution character of a mineral with coexisting rock-forming minerals leads to particular geochemical be-havior. The concept of solubility of a metallic mineral with coexisting rock-forming minerals and its theory and model of calculation are put forward. Taking Tianmashan Cu-Au ore deposit of sulfide minerals in Tongling district as an example, solubilities of some metallic minerals with other coex-isting minerals, such as pyrite or chalcopyrite with quartz (representing sandstone) or calcite (rep-resenting limestone), are calculated. The results show the mechanism of ore-forming processes. As the ore-forming fluid flows through sandstone, it dissolves pyrite in the sandstone at first, then transports the iron and sulfur to the interface between sandstone and limestone and eventually precipitates them on the interface.

Occurrence and health risk assessment of trace heavy metals via groundwater in Shizhuyuan Polymetallic Mine in Chenzhou City, China

The Shizhuyuan Polymetallic Mine in Chenzhou City is an important multi-metal deposit in China. After a dam accident in 1985, there are still a number of mining plants, smelters and tailing ponds in this area. These had the potential to pollute the surrounding groundwater. In this study, groundwater samples were collected from 20 residents＇ wells in this area during both dry and wet seasons. In particular, this study focused on the exposure and the health risk assessment of trace heavy metal in groundwater. Multiple statistical analysis and fuzzy comprehensive method were employed to reveal the distribution characteristics of heavy metal and to assess the groundwater quality. Results indicated that Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Ba, Hg and Pb were widespread with low exposure levels. There were 19 wells with low level exposure and one well with a moderate level exposure in the dry season. All of the wells were in low level exposure during the wet season. As and Mn exhibited potential noncarcinogenic concern, because their maximum hazard quotient （HQ） was higher than 1.0. This may cause adverse health effect on adults in dry season or on children in both seasons. Only As, showed that the maximum carcinogenic risk was more than 10^-4, suggesting a high cancer risk for children in both dry and wet seasons. Therefore, analysis and reduction the concentrations of As and Mn in groundwater are needed in order to protect the health of residents and especially children in the area.

Ni-DJERFISHERITE—A NEW VARIETY OF METALLIC MINERAL

In 1980, we found a metallic mineral in a Cu-Ni deposit in Xinjiang. After X-ray powder study and microprobe analysis, it proved to be a Ni-bearing new variety of djerfisherite. Until now no report of it has been made in China. The Ni-djerfisherite has metallic lustre, size O.01—0.1mm in diameter, associated with pyrite, pentlandite,chalcopyrite and pyrrhotine, etc. The Ni-djerfisherite is concentrated in pyrrhotine, and is probably a product of pyrrhotine solid-solution decomposition.

Corrosion and in vitro cytocompatibility investigation on the designed Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses for biomedical application

In the present work,seven Mg-Zn-Ag alloys with the nominal composition of Mg_(96-x)Zn_(x)Ag_(4)(x=17,20,23,26,29,32,35 in at.%)were prepared by induction melting and single-roller melt-spinning.The X-ray diffraction(XRD)analyses indicate the metallic glasses with three composition of Mg_(73)Zn_(23)Ag_(4),Mg_(70)Zn_(26)Ag_(4),and Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)were obtained successfully.The differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)measurement was used to obtain the characteristic temperature of Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses for the glass-forming ability analysis.The maximum glass transition temperature(Trg)was found to be 0.525 with a composition close to Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4),which results in the best glass-forming ability.Moreover,the immersion test in simulated body fluid(SBF)demonstrate the relative homogeneous corrosion behavior of the Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses.The corrosion rate of Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses in SBF solution decreases with the increase of Zn content.The sample Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)has the lowest corrosion rate of 0.19mm/yr,which could meet the clinical application requirement well.The in vitro cell experiments show that the Madin-Darby canine kidney(MDCK)cells cultured in sample Mg_(67)Zn_(29)Ag_(4)and its extraction medium have higher activity.However,the Mg-Zn-Ag metallic glasses exhibit obvious inhibitory effect on human rhabdomyosarcoma(RD)tumor cells.The present investigations on the glass-forming ability,corrosion behavior,cytocompatibility and tumor inhibition function of the Mg-Zn-Ag based metallic glass could reveal their biomedical application possibility.

On the thermodynamics of plasticity during quasi-isentropic compression of metallic glass

Entropy production in quasi-isentropic compression (QIC) is critically important for understanding the properties of materials under extremeconditions. However, the origin and accurate quantification of entropy in this situation remain long-standing challenges. In this work, a framework is established for the quantification of entropy production and partition, and their relation to microstructural change in QIC. Cu50Zr50is taken as a model material, and its compression is simulated by molecular dynamics. On the basis of atomistic simulation-informed physicalproperties and free energy, the thermodynamic path is recovered, and the entropy production and its relation to microstructural change aresuccessfully quantified by the proposed framework. Contrary to intuition, entropy production during QIC of metallic glasses is relativelyinsensitive to the strain rate ˙γ when ˙γ ranges from 7.5 × 10^(8) to 2 × 10^(9)/s, which are values reachable in QIC experiments, with a magnitudeof the order of 10^(−2)kB/atom per GPa. However, when ˙γ is extremely high (>2 × 10^(9)/s), a notable increase in entropy production rate with˙γ is observed. The Taylor–Quinney factor is found to vary with strain but not with strain rate in the simulated regime. It is demonstrated thatentropy production is dominated by the configurational part, compared with the vibrational part. In the rate-insensitive regime, the increase inconfigurational entropy exhibits a linear relation to the Shannon-entropic quantification of microstructural change, and a stretched exponential relation to the Taylor–Quinney factor. The quantification of entropy is expected to provide thermodynamic insights into the fundamentalrelation between microstructure evolution and plastic dissipation.

Novel Ring Compression Test Method to Determine the Stress-Strain Relations and Mechanical Properties of Metallic Materials

Although there are methods for testing the stress-strain relation and strength,which are the most fundamental and important properties of metallic materials,their application to small-volume materials and tube components is lim-ited.In this study,based on energy density equivalence,a new dimensionless elastoplastic load-displacement model for compressed metal rings with isotropy and constitutive power law is proposed to describe the relations among the geometric dimensions,Hollomon law parameters,load,and displacement.Furthermore,a novel test method was developed to determine the elastic modulus,stress-strain relation,yield and tensile strength via ring compression test.The universality and accuracy of the method were verified within a wide range of imaginary materials using finite element analysis(FEA),and the results show that the stress-strain curves obtained by this method are consistent with those inputted in the FEA program.Additionally,a series of ring compression tests were performed for seven metallic materials.It was found that the stress-strain curves and mechanical properties predicted by the method agreed with the uniaxial tensile results.With its low material consumption,the ring compression test has the potential to be as an alternative to traditional tensile test when direct tension method is limited.

INTERACTION MECHANISM OF AMPHOTERIC COLLECTOR-I WITH METALLIC IONS AND MINERALS

The electronic structure and bonding nature of adsorbing bonding complexes which consist of Amphoteric Collector-I and Mg^(2+), Ca^(2+), MgPO_4^-, CaPO_^-4, CaCO_3, as well aa MgCO_3, are studied using quantum chemistry CNDO/2, It is predicted that magnesium salts are more liable to form adsorbing chelates with Amphoteric Collector-I than calcium salts, and all results coincide with that obtained in flotation.

Three-dimensional 3d-4d Heterometallic Coordination Polymer——Synthesis,Structure,Magnetic and Luminescent Properties

A new three-dimensional 3d-4d heterometallic coordination polymer,[Cd2Mn（H2O）4（BTC）2]·2H2O（BTC=1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate） was prepared under hydrothermal conditions and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction.This compound crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c,with cell parameters a=1.9452（4） nm,b=0.7094（2） nm,c=1.8064（4） nm,β=118.02（3）°,V=2.2004（8） nm3 and Z=4.Its structure contains trinuclear mixed metal clusters,which are further connected by BTC to form a three-dimensional framework.The compound exhibits intense photoluminescence at room temperature.Magnetic studies of the compound show a dominant antiferromagnetic exchange between the Mn（Ⅱ） ions.

Scanning cathodoluminescence microscopy： applications in semiconductor and metallic nanostructures

Cathodoluminescence （CL） as a radiative light produced by an electron beam exciting a luminescent material, has beenwidely used in imaging and spectroscopic detection of semiconductor, mineral and biological samples with an ultrahigh spatial resolution. Conventional CL spectroscopy shows an excellent performance in characterization of traditional mate-rial luminescence, such as spatial composition variations and fluorescent displays. With the development of nanotech-nology, advances of modern microscopy enable CL technique to obtain deep valuable insight of the testing sample, and further extend its applications in the material science, especially for opto-electronic investigations at nanoscale. In this article, we review the study of CL microscopy applied in semiconductor nanostructures for the dislocation, carrier diffu-sion, band structure, doping level and exciton recombination. Then advantages of CL in revealing and manipulating sur-face plasmon resonances of metallic nanoantennas are discussed. Finally, the challenge of CL technology is summa-rized, and potential CL applications for the future opto-electronic study are proposed.

Theranostic aspects of palladium‐based bimetallic nanoparticles in biomedical field:A state‐of‐the‐art

The exploration of newer antibacterial strategies is driven by antibiotic‐resistant microbes that cause serious public health issues.In recent years,nanoscale materials have developed as an alternative method to fight infections.Despite the fact that many nanomaterials have been discovered to be harmful,numerous researchers have shown a keen interest in nanoparticles(NPs)made of noble metals like silver,gold and platinum.To make environmentally safe NPs from plants,green chemistry and nanotechnology have been combined to address the issue of toxicity.The study of bimetallic nanoparticles(BNPs)has increased tremendously in the past 10 years.The production of BNPs mediated by natural extracts is straightforward,low cost and environmentally friendly.Due to their low toxicity,safety and biological stability,noble BNPs with silver,gold,platinum and palladium have the potential to be used in biomedical applications.They have a significant impact on human health and are used in medicine and pharmacy due to their biological characteristics,which include catalytic,antioxidant,antibacterial,antidiabetic,anticancer,hepatoprotective and regenerative activity.

Effect of overheating-induced minor addition on Zr-based metallic glasses

Melt treatment is well known to have an important influence on the properties of metallic glasses(MGs).However,for the MGs quenched from different melt temperatures with a quartz tube,the underlying physical origin responsible for the variation of properties remains poorly understood.In the present work,we systematically studied the influence of melt treatment on the thermal properties of a Zr50Cu36Al14 glass-forming alloy and unveiled the microscopic origins.Specifically,we quenched the melt at different temperatures ranging from 1.1Tl to 1.5Tl(Tl is the liquidus temperature)to obtain melt-spun MG ribbons and investigated the variation of thermal properties of the MGs upon heating.We found that glass transition temperature,Tg,increases by as much as 36 K,and the supercooled liquid region disappears in the curve of differential scanning calorimetry when the melt is quenched at a high temperature up to 1.5Tl.The careful chemical analyses indicate that the change in glass transition behavior originates from the incorporation of oxygen and silicon in the molten alloys.The incorporated oxygen and silicon can both enhance the interactions between atoms,which renders the cooperative rearrangements of atoms difficult,and thus enhances the kinetic stability of the MGs.

Elliptical vibration chiseling:a novel process for texturing ultra-high-aspect-ratio microstructures on the metallic surface

High-aspect-ratio metallic surface microstructures are increasingly demanded in breakthrough applications,such as high-performance heat transfer enhancement and surface plasmon devices.However,the fast and cost-effective fabrication of high-aspect-ratio microstructures on metallic surfaces remains challenging for existing techniques.This study proposes a novel cutting-based process,namely elliptical vibration chiseling(EV-chiseling),for the high-efficiency texturing of surface microstructures with an ultrahigh aspect ratio.Unlike conventional cutting,EV-chiseling superimposes a microscale EV on a backward-moving tool.The tool chisels into the material in each vibration cycle to generate an upright chip with a high aspect ratio through material deformation.Thanks to the tool’s backward movement,the chip is left on the material surface to form a microstructure rather than falling off.Since one microstructure is generated in one vibration cycle,the process can be highly efficient using ultrafast(>1 kHz)tool vibration.A finite element analysis model is established to explore the process mechanics of EV-chiseling.Next,a mechanistic model of the microstructured surface generation is developed to describe the microstructures’aspect ratio dependency on the process parameters.Then,surface texturing tests are performed on copper to verify the efficacy of EV-chiseling.Uniformed micro ribs with a spacing of 1–10μm and an aspect ratio of 2–5 have been successfully textured on copper.Compared with the conventional EV-cutting that uses a forward-moving tool,EV-chiseling can improve the aspect ratio of textured microstructure by up to 40 times.The experimental results also verify the accuracy of the developed surface generation model of microstructures.Finally,the effects of elliptical trajectory,depth of cut,tool shape,and tool edge radius on the surface generation of micro ribs have been discussed.