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TAILS OF ENRICHMENT FACTORIES AS THE TECHNOGENIC MINERAL RESOURCES

Adilkhan Baibatsha

Abstract

At present, more 900 million tons and 630 million tons of crushed tailings of copper ores are accumulated in tailings storages of Jeskasgan and Balkhash ore-processing plants, respectively. Micromineralogical studies of tails in cemented polished sections are showed the following copper minerals: chalcopyrite is the most common among them and the amount of its grains in cemented sections varies from 30 to 50 %; covellite - from 5 to 20 %; chalcocite - from rare grains to 20 %; bornite - from 4 to 25 %. Other minerals are represented by galena, sphalerite, rare pyrite, hematite, magnetite, iron hydroxides, arsenopyrite, rutile and native gold. Ore minerals are mainly found inside the grains of the host rocks of the siliceous composition. They belong to refractory ores and require technological solutions for the ore-grains release. According to the results of semi-quantitative spectral analysis, the following metals were determined in the tailings composition: 1) copper, lead and zinc; 2) gold and silver; 3) rare and scattered elements of Zr, Se, Y and Yb. The presence in the tails of Ni, Co, Mo, Bi, Sb, Be is of interest. According to the results of the granulometric analysis, the predominant dimensions of the crushed particles, which range from 0.5 to less than 0.074 mm, are determined. At the same time fractions 0.5-0.25 prevail; 0.25-0.15; 0.15-0,074 and less than 0.074 mm, which should be taken into account in technological studies. The tails of enrichment factories should be considered as technogenic raw materials, which significantly supplement the mineral and raw materials base. Received results can serve as reliable initial data for further technological studies of tails for the extraction of metals from them.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2018/1.1/s01.066

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