Dissolution characteristics of sericite in chalcopyrite bioleaching and its effect on copper extraction

The effects of sericite particle size,rotation speed,and leaching temperature on sericite dissolution and copper extraction in a chalcopyrite bioleaching system were examined. Finer particles,appropriate temperature and rotation speed for Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans resulted in a higher Al^(3+) dissolution concentration. The Al^(3+) dissolution concentration reached its highest concentration of 38.66 mg/L after 48-d leaching when the sericite particle size,temperature,and rotation speed were-43 μm,30°C,and 160 r/min,respectively. Meanwhile,the sericite particle size,rotation speed,and temperature can affect copper extraction. The copper extraction rate is higher when the sericite particle size is finer. An appropriately high temperature is favorable for copper leaching. The dissolution of sericite fitted the shrinking core model,1 –(2/3)a –(1 – a)^(2/3) = k_1 t,which indicates that internal diffusion is the decision step controlling the overall reaction rate in the leaching process. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed small precipitates covered on the surface of sericite after leaching,which increased the diffusion resistance of the leaching solution and dissolved ions.

Mechanism of Surface Modification for Sericite

Surface modification of sericite by wet method was conducted with the addition of 1.0 % （w/w） silane. The resulting wetting contact angle and activity ratio of sericite were 130° and 98% respectively. Good pre-evaluation indexes of oil value （40.8%） and dispersivity （14.0 mL） were obtained. When 30 % of sericite was filled into acrylonitrile butadiene styrene（ABS） plastic, the bending strength and tensile strength of the composite material were reduced by 7% and 14.3% in comparison to those of pure ABS plastic, while the rigidity was increased by 3 times, and the impact strength and breaking elongation were reduced significantly. The mechanism of surface modification was investigated and the configuration of silane coupling agent on the surface of sericite was given. Infrared （IR） spectroscopic analysis indicates that the adsorption of silane on the surface of sericite belongs to chemical adsorption.

Characterization of a Rarely Encountered Sericite with Earthy Luster

A rarely encountered sericite was investigated using X-ray diffraction,differential thermal analysis,and scanning electron microscopy.XRD analysis shows that the pattern of the sericite in the sample is similar to that of illite.DTA (TG) analyses show that only a weak heat absorption reaction takes place at 566℃,which is contributed to the polymorphic transformation of quartz,and no change in mass was detected in the range from ambient temperature to 800℃.These reveal that no water escapes from the crystal structure of the clay mineral during heating and therefore indicated that the clay mineral is obviously sericite in species instead of illite.SEM observations show that the sericite particles are significantly small in size and growth steps and irregular structures develop on the crystal surfaces as well as the colored mineral inclusions,which might suggest some loss of optical properties of the sample and thus lead to the variance,with earthy luster of the aggregate,from typical sericite in optical characters.

New Identification of Sericite Subclass Minerals Using Airborne Hyperspectral Data in the Xitan Region of Gansu Province and its Significance in Gold Ore Prospecting

Objective Hyperspectral remote sensing has attracted much attention in remote sensing research during recent years. It can elaborately identiry spectral characteristics of different objects by acquiring continuous spectral curves of ground objects, and can thus provide more information for geological research （Zhao Yingjun et al., 2015）. With the deepening hyperspectral remote sensing research, scholars have focused from the classification of alteration minerals to the identification of subclass minerals in order to explore their significance fbr ore prospecting. This work utilized hyperspectral remote sensing technology in the Xitan region of Gansu Province to identify limonite and two types of sericite subclass minerals, and conducted field verification and geochemical survey. In addition, we analyzed the geological environment of subclass sericite minerals （Van Ruitenbeek et al., 2006） to provide evidence for gold ore prospecting.

Monazite U-Th-Pb and sericite Rb-Sr dating of the Xiajiadian black shale-hosted gold deposit in the Qinling orogen,central China:Implications for regional gold metallogeny

The Qinling orogen in central China contains several black shale-hosted gold deposits,but the age of their formation and a possible relation between gold mineralization and regional tectonism remain undetermined.Here we present results of in situ monazite U-Th-Pb dating and sericite Rb-Sr dating of the Xiajiadian black shale-hosted gold deposit to provide tight constraints on the time of gold deposition and information on the tectonic setting under which the deposit formed.The Xiajiadian gold deposit is mainly hosted in black shales of the Lower Cambrian Shuigoukou formation,with minor ores contained in sandy conglomerate of the Lower Devonian Xichahe formation.Gold ores in the black shales have been intensively oxidized and consist mainly of hematite,goethite,gypsum,quartz,calcite,native gold,and unrecognized iron oxides.However,gold ores in the sandy conglomerate are free of oxidation and thus provide an opportunity to date the formation of the Xiajiadian gold deposit.The ores consist of pyrite,marcasite,sericite,and quartz,which are associated with a variety of accessory minerals,including monazite,apatite,and titanite.Gold is mainly present as structure-bound ions or nanoparticles in pyrite and marcasite,but minor native gold grains also occur as inclusions in pyrite.Monazite is well developed in the ores,and has close textural association with Au-bearing pyrite and marcasite.Most monazite grains have zoned textures consisting of a core area(Mnz1)and an overgrowth zone(Mnz2).Mnz1 contains 4.8–13 wt.%ThO_(2)and shows large variations in HREE and prominent negative Eu anomalies in the chondrite-normalized REE patterns.It yields common lead-corrected^(208)Pb/^(232)Th dates ranging from 910±10 to416±4 Ma(2σ).These dates are interpreted in terms of a detrital origin for monazite in the core area.Mnz2 has much lower ThO_(2)contents of 0.8–1.7 wt.%and shows weak negative Eu anomalies in the chondrite-normalized REE patterns.It yields common lead-corrected^(208)Pb/^(232)Th dates of 229–209 Ma(2σ)with a weighted mean of 217.6±3.0 Ma(2σ),which is considered as the time of Mnz2 crystallization.Sericite in gold ores and associated alteration zones has close relations to Au-bearing pyrite and marcasite,and yields a well-defined Rb-Sr isochron age of 222.2±3.3 Ma(2σ).The sericite Rb-Sr age is indistinguishable within analytical errors from the weighted mean Th-Pb age of Mnz2.The age data presented here indicate that the Xiajiadian gold deposit formed at ca.220 Ma in the Late Triassic(Norian).We therefore suggest that gold mineralization at Xiajiadian occurred during the transitional stage from oceanic subduction to continental collision that led to the formation of the Qinling orogen.During this stage,metamorphic devolatization of the underlying Early Paleozoic to Proterozoic carbonaceous sequences likely supplied ore fluids from which the Xiajiadian gold deposit formed.

Metasediments in the Alahina Sector and Associated Mineralization (North-Eastern Guinea)

The Alahina sector is located in the North-East of Guinea, precisely in the Siguiri volcano-sedimentary basin. It consists mainly of meta-sediments traversed by Paleoproterozoic pyroclastite, granite, monzogranite and granodiorite veins as well as Mesozoic dolerite and gabbros veins. This article presents new data, on the one hand, on the geochemical petrographic features and the origin of the metasediments of this zone, and on the other hand, on the genetic model of the gold mineralization that they contain. Field observations, as well as petrographic and geochemical studies reveal that the meta-sediments consist of sericite and chlorite schists. They belong to the groups of shales and grauwackes. Their protholites are moderately altered (60 N/YbN = 6.31 - 13.24) and a flat heavy rare earth patterns (HREE). This spectrum is almost identical to those of the “Post-Archean average Australian Shale” and Early Proterozoic Greywackes. Two types of polyphase gold mineralization occur in the Alahina sector: disseminated and veined. They consist of particular of grains and nanoparticles pyrite associated with gold, magnetite, hematite, ilmenite. The hydrothermal alteration accompanying this mineralization consists of silica, microcline, chlorite-epidote-sericite-carbonates.

Hydrothermally induced diagenesis: Evidence from shallow marinedeltaic sediments, WilhelmØya, Svalbard

Sedimentary basins containing igneous intrusions within sedimentary reservoir units represent an important risk in petroleum exploration. The Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic sediments at Wilhelm?ya(Svalbard) contains reservoir heterogeneity as a result of sill emplacement and represent a unique case study to better understand the effect of magmatic intrusions on the general burial diagenesis of siliciclastic sediments. Sills develop contact metamorphic aureoles by conduction as presented in many earlier studies. However, there is significant impact of localized hydrothermal circulation systems affecting reservoir sediments at considerable distance from the sill intrusions. Dolerite sill intrusions in the studied area are of limited vertical extent(～12 m thick), but created localized hydrothermal convection cells affecting sediments at considerable distance(more than five times the thickness of the sill)from the intrusions. We present evidence that the sedimentary sequence can be divided into two units:(1) the bulk poorly lithified sediment with a maximum burial temperature much lower than 60-70 ℃,and(2) thinner intervals outside the contact zone that have experienced hydrothermal temperatures(around 140 ℃). The main diagenetic alteration associated with normal burial diagenesis is minor mechanical plastic deformation of ductile grains such as mica. Mineral grain contacts show no evidence of pressure dissolution and the vitrinite reflectance suggests a maximum temperature of ～40 ℃. Contrary to this, part of the sediment, preferentially along calcite cemented flow baffles, show evidence of hydrothermal alteration. These hydrothermally altered sediment sections are characterized by recrystallized carbonate cemented intervals. Further, the hydrothermal solutions have resulted in localized sericitization(illitization) of feldspars, albitization of both K-feldspar and plagioclase and the formation of fibrous illite nucleated on kaolinite. These observations suggest hydrothermal alteration at T> 120-140 ℃ at distances considerably further away than expected from sill heat dissipation by conduction only, which commonly affect sediments about twice the thickness of the sill intrusion. We propose that carbonate-cemented sections acted as flow baffles already during the hydrothermal fluid mobility and controlled the migration pathways of the buoyant hot fluids. Significant hydrothermally induced diagenetic alterations affecting the porosity and hence reservoir quality was not noted in the noncarbonate-cemented reservoir intervals.