The role of cassiterite controlling arsenic mobility in an abandoned stanniferous tailings impoundment at Llallagua, Bolivia

Romero, Francisco Martín; Canet, Carles; Alfonso, Pura; Zambrana, Rubén N.; Soto, Nayelli

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.02.002

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Arsenic then stabilizes the precipitate and retards the transformation of HFO to stable products (Ford, 2002) as could be also assumed for SFA. Romero et al (2014) re-ported similar SFA precipitates to those found in our work. Those authors assumed that those precipitates consisted of Fe-rich cassiterite and arsenic was adsorbed on their surface.…”

Section: Initial Weathering: Sfa Precipitatessupporting

confidence: 88%

“…1d, f;Courtin-Nomade et al, 2003;Moncur et al, 2009). Sequestration of Sn in the amorphous precipitates is the consequence of the limited mobility of Sn (Romero et al, 2014), as also evidenced by the formation of SFA precipitates encrusting stannite (Fig. 1a-c; Filippi et al, 2015;Karwowski and Włodyka, 1981;Kocourková-Víšková et al, 2015).…”

Section: Initial Weathering: Sfa Precipitatesmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Sulfides typically decompose in near-surface environments in contact with oxygen and meteoric water. This process was investigated in detail for common sulfides such as arsenopyrite or pyrite (Nickel, 1984;Rimstidt and Vaughan, 2003;Kalin and Harris, 2005;Corkhill and Vaughan, 2009;Drahota and Filippi, 2009;Chandra and Gerson, 2010;Murciego et al, 2011;Romero et al, 2014;Filippi et al, 2015). The decomposition of arsenopyrite and pyrite leads to the release of arsenic, iron, and sulfate and to a pH drop, especially in carbonate-poor environments.…”

Section: Initial Weathering: Native Metalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cassiterite was shown to be stable over a large pH range (Rai et al, 2011). Leachates generated by the natural runoff from tailings contain < 0.01 mg L −1 Sn where cassiterite is the solubility-controlling phase for Sn (Lottermoser and Ashley, 2006;Romero et al, 2014). Weathering of the stannite-kësterite sulfides results in the formation of cassiterite (Coleman, 1953;Karwowski and Włodyka, 1981).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu₂(Fe,Zn)SnS₄] and the environmental mobility of the released elements

Haase

Kiefer²,

Pollok³

et al. 2022

Eur. J. Mineral.

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Abstract. The sulfidic waste dumps of the historical mining sites Giftkies and Kaňk (Czech Republic) have been exposed to a temperate climate over decades. This exposure generated low-pH conditions caused by metal sulfide decomposition. Tin sulfides of the stannite–kësterite series [Cu2(Fe,Zn)SnS4] are common Sn minerals in the ores at the investigated sites. They decompose under acidic and oxidizing conditions and form in situ secondary precipitates. Compositional analyses of primary and secondary minerals were collected by electron microprobe to track the environmental mobility of the released elements during weathering. Transmission electron microscopy revealed a diffusion-driven alteration of stannite to Sn-rich chalcopyrite and the precipitation of native copper and silver from stannite. In assemblages containing arsenopyrite, an in situ and amorphous Sn–Fe–As (SFA)-rich phase precipitated close to the Sn sulfide. The SFA precipitate contains very little sulfur, which was probably released to the aqueous phase as oxidized species, whereas small amounts of Cu and Zn were captured by the SFA. This precipitate is metastable and acts as a temporaneous sink for mobile elements (Cu, Zn) and elements derived from acid-soluble silicates and phosphates (Ca, Si, Al, and P). With advanced weathering, complex redox reactions result in the precipitation of magnetite as an oxidation product of the sulfidic material under oxidative conditions. The stable minerals goethite and cassiterite mark the end of the weathering sequence and crystallized from the amorphous SFA precipitate.

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Section: Initial Weathering: Sfa Precipitatessupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Initial Weathering: Sfa Precipitatesmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Initial Weathering: Native Metalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu₂(Fe,Zn)SnS₄] and the environmental mobility of the released elements

Haase

Kiefer²,

Pollok³

et al. 2022

Eur. J. Mineral.

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“…In addition to causing economic losses, low efficiency processes have an impact on environmental pollution, since a low recovery rate indicates that metals remain in the final tailings and, consequently, end up in the environment. The pollution created by the Llallagua waste is significant and, for example, the Catavi river receives As [12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process Mineralogy of the Tailings from Llallagua: Towards a Sustainable Activity

et al. 2022

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There are significant tin reserves in the dumps and tailings from Llallagua. Currently, this waste is being processed using gravity concentration or a combination of gravity concentration with a final stage of froth flotation. A process mineralogy study of the tailings and their products after processing in Llallagua was carried out to determine the failings of the processing system in order to contribute to designing an improved new processing scheme. The mineralogy of the feed tailings, concentrate, and final tailings was determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and mineral liberation analysis. The tailings were composed of quartz, tourmaline, illite, K-feldspar, plagioclase, cassiterite, rutile, zircon, and monazite. The concentrate essentially contains cassiterite (57.4 wt.%), tourmaline, quartz, hematite, rutile and rare earth minerals, mainly monazite and minor amounts of xenotime and florencite. The concentrate contained 52–60 wt.% of SnO2 and 0.9–1.3 wt.% REE. The final tailings contained 0.23–0.37 wt.% SnO2 and 0.02 wt.% of Rare Earth Elements (REE). Only 57.6 wt.% of cassiterite from the concentrate was liberated. The non-liberated cassiterite was mainly associated with quartz, tourmaline, and rutile. The average grain size of monazite was 45 µm and 57.5 wt.% of this was liberated. In other cases, it occurs in mixed particles associated with tourmaline, quartz, cassiterite, and muscovite. To improve the sustainability of this mining activity, the concentrate grade and the metal recovery must be improved. Reducing the particle size reduction of the processed tailings would increase the beneficiation process rates. In addition, the recovery of the REE present in the concentrate as a by-product should be investigated.

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Arsenic in Latin America: Part I

Litter

Armienta

Villanueva-Estrada

et al. 2019

Arsenic in Drinking Water and Food

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The role of cassiterite controlling arsenic mobility in an abandoned stanniferous tailings impoundment at Llallagua, Bolivia

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu₂(Fe,Zn)SnS₄] and the environmental mobility of the released elements

Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu₂(Fe,Zn)SnS₄] and the environmental mobility of the released elements

Process Mineralogy of the Tailings from Llallagua: Towards a Sustainable Activity

Arsenic in Latin America: Part I

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The role of cassiterite controlling arsenic mobility in an abandoned stanniferous tailings impoundment at Llallagua, Bolivia

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu2(Fe,Zn)SnS4] and the environmental mobility of the released elements

Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu2(Fe,Zn)SnS4] and the environmental mobility of the released elements

Process Mineralogy of the Tailings from Llallagua: Towards a Sustainable Activity

Arsenic in Latin America: Part I

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Product

Resources

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Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu₂(Fe,Zn)SnS₄] and the environmental mobility of the released elements

Weathering of stannite–kësterite [Cu₂(Fe,Zn)SnS₄] and the environmental mobility of the released elements