Technical Resource Document: Copper

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Technical Resource Document: Copper EPA 530-R-94-031 NTIS PB94-200979 TECHNICAL RESOURCE DOCUMENT EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION OF ORES AND MINERALS VOLUME 4 COPPER August 1994 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste Special Waste Branch 401 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20460 Technical Resource Document: Copper DISCLAIMER AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This document was prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The mention of company or product names is not to be considered an endorsement by the U.S. Government or by the EPA. This Technical Resource Document consists of four sections. The first is EPA's Profile of the copper industry; the remaining sections are Reports from several site visits conducted by EPA. The Profile Section was distributed for review to the U.S. Department of the Interior's (DOI's) Bureau of Mines and Bureau of Land Management; the States of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah; the American Mining Congress (AMC), and environmental organizations. Summaries of the comments and EPA's responses are presented as Appendix 1-A to the Profile Section. The Site Visit Reports were reviewed by individual company, State, and Federal representatives who participated in the site visit. Comments and EPA responses are included as appendices to the specific Site Visit Section. EPA is grateful to all individuals who took the time to review sections of this Technical Resource Document. The use of the terms "extraction," "beneficiation," and "mineral processing" in the Profile section of this document is not intended to classify any waste streams for the purposes of regulatory interpretation or application. Rather, these terms are used in the context of common industry terminology. i Technical Resource Document: Copper TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DISCLAIMER AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................. i 1.0 MINING INDUSTRY PROFILE: COPPER ................................................ 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 1-1 1.2 ECONOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INDUSTRY ......................... 1-3 1.3 ORE CHARACTERIZATION .................................................. 1-7 1.3.1 Porphyry Copper and Associated Deposits ................................ 1-7 1.3.2 Sedimentary and Metasedimentary Deposits ............................... 1-8 1.3.3 Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposits .................................. 1-8 1.3.4 Veins and Replacement Deposits ........................................ 1-8 1.3.5 Ultrabasic and Carbonatite Deposits ..................................... 1-8 1.3.6 Mineral Assemblages ................................................. 1-8 1.4 COPPER EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION PRACTICES ..................... 1-10 1.4.1 Extraction Operations ............................................... 1-10 1.4.1.1 Typical Mining Operations ................................... 1-10 1.4.1.2 Surface Mining Methods ..................................... 1-10 1.4.1.3 Underground Mining Methods ................................ 1-11 1.4.2 Beneficiation Operations ............................................. 1-16 1.4.2.1 Conventional Milling/Flotation ................................ 1-16 1.4.2.2 Leach Operations (In Situ, Dump, Heap, and Vat) ................ 1-28 1.5 WASTES AND OTHER MATERIALS ASSOCIATED WITH COPPER EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION ...................................................... 1-49 1.5.1 Extraction and Beneficiation Wastes and Materials ........................ 1-49 1.5.1.1 RCRA Wastes ............................................. 1-51 1.5.1.2 Materials ................................................. 1-52 1.5.2 Waste and Materials Management ...................................... 1-55 1.5.2.1 RCRA Units .............................................. 1-55 1.5.2.2 Non-RCRA Units .......................................... 1-58 1.6 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ............................................... 1-61 1.6.1 Potential Sources of Contamination ..................................... 1-61 1.6.1.1 Mine Dewatering ........................................... 1-61 1.6.1.2 Releases from Active Leach Units ............................. 1-61 1.6.1.3 Releases from Leach Units During and After Closure .............. 1-62 1.6.1.4 Releases from Tailings Impoundments .......................... 1-63 1.6.1.5 Acid Drainage ............................................. 1-63 1.6.1.6 Beneficiation Reagents ...................................... 1-65 1.6.2 Factors Affecting the Potential for Contamination ......................... 1-65 1.6.3 Affected Media ..................................................... 1-66 1.6.3.1 Ground Water/Surface Water ................................. 1-66 1.6.3.2 Soil ...................................................... 1-66 1.6.3.3 Air ...................................................... 1-67 1.6.4 Damage Cases ..................................................... 1-67 1.6.4.1 National Priorities List ...................................... 1-67 1.6.4.2 304(l) Sites ............................................... 1-67 1.7 CURRENT REGULATORY AND STATUTORY FRAMEWORK ................... 1-69 1.7.1 Environmental Protection Agency Regulations ............................ 1-69 1.7.1.1 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ....................... 1-69 1.7.1.2 Clean Water Act ........................................... 1-71 1.7.1.3 Clean Air Act ............................................. 1-73 1.7.2 Department of the Interior ............................................ 1-74 1.7.2.1 Bureau of Land Management ................................. 1-74 1.7.2.2 National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service ............... 1-76 ii Technical Resource Document: Copper 1.7.3 Department of Agriculture ............................................ 1-77 1.7.3.1 Forest Service ............................................. 1-77 1.7.4 Army Corps of Engineers ............................................. 1-78 1.7.5 State Programs ..................................................... 1-78 1.7.5.1 Arizona .................................................. 1-78 1.8 REFERENCES ............................................................. 1-83 2.0 MINE SITE VISIT: ASARCO/TROY MINE ............................................. 2-1 2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 2-1 2.1.1 Background ........................................................ 2-1 2.1.2 General Facility Description ........................................... 2-2 2.1.3 Environmental Setting ................................................ 2-5 2.1.3.1 Surface Water .............................................. 2-5 2.1.3.2 Geology ................................................... 2-6 2.1.3.3 Hydrogeology .............................................. 2-6 2.2 FACILITY OPERATIONS ..................................................... 2-9 2.2.1 Mining Operations ................................................... 2-9 2.2.2 Milling Operations .................................................. 2-11 2.3 WASTE MANAGEMENT .................................................... 2-14 2.3.1 Types of Waste ..................................................... 2-14 2.3.2 Solid Waste Management Units ........................................ 2-14 2.3.2.1 Tailings Thickener .......................................... 2-14 2.3.2.2 Tailings Pipeline ........................................... 2-15 2.3.2.3 Tailings Impoundment ...................................... 2-15 2.3.2.4 Waste Rock ............................................... 2-20 2.3.2.5 Waste Oil Storage Tanks .................................... 2-20 2.3.2.6 Burn Pit .................................................. 2-20 2.3.3 Waste Water Management Units ....................................... 2-20 2.3.3.1 Mine Water ............................................... 2-20 2.3.3.2 Sanitary Sewage ........................................... 2-21 2.3.3.3 Assay Laboratory Wastes .................................... 2-21 2.3.4 Hazardous Waste Management Unit .................................... 2-21 2.3.4.1 Waste Solvent Tanks ........................................ 2-21 2.4 MONITORING ............................................................. 2-22 2.4.1 Surface Water ...................................................... 2-22 2.4.2 Ground Water ...................................................... 2-24 2.4.3 Air ............................................................... 2-24 2.5 REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS AND COMPLIANCE ......................... 2-25 2.5.1 Operating Permit ................................................... 2-25 2.5.2 Solid Waste ....................................................... 2-26 2.5.3 Surface Water ...................................................... 2-26 2.5.4 Ground Water ...................................................... 2-26 2.5.5 Air ............................................................... 2-26 2.5.6 Hazardous Waste ................................................... 2-27 2.6 REFERENCES ............................................................. 2-28 3.0 MINE SITE VISIT: SAN MANUEL FACILITY MAGMA COPPER COMPANY .................... 3-1 3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................ 3-1 3.1.1 Background ........................................................ 3-1 3.1.2 General Description .................................................. 3-2 3.1.3 Environmental Setting ................................................ 3-4 3.1.3.1
Recommended publications
  • In Situ Leach (ISL) Mining of Uranium
    In Situ Leach (ISL) Mining of Uranium (June 2009) l Most uranium mining in the USA and Kazakhstan is now by in situ leach methods, also known as in situ recovery (ISR). l In USA ISL is seen as the most cost effective and environmentally acceptable method of mining, and Australian experience supports this. l Australia's first ISL uranium mine is Beverley, which started operation late in 2000. The proposal for Honeymoon has government approval and it is expected to be operating in 2008. Conventional mining involves removing mineralised rock (ore) from the ground, breaking it up and treating it to remove the minerals being sought. In situ leaching (ISL), also known as solution mining, or in situ recovery (ISR) in North America, involves leaving the ore where it is in the ground, and recovering the minerals from it by dissolving them and pumping the pregnant solution to the surface where the minerals can be recovered. Consequently there is little surface disturbance and no tailings or waste rock generated. However, the orebody needs to be permeable to the liquids used, and located so that they do not contaminate ground water away from the orebody. Uranium ISL uses the native groundwater in the orebody which is fortified with a complexing agent and in most cases an oxidant. It is then pumped through the underground orebody to recover the minerals in it by leaching. Once the pregnant solution is returned to the surface, the uranium is recovered in much the same way as in any other uranium plant (mill). In Australian ISL mines (Beverley and the soon to be opened Honeymoon Mine) the oxidant used is hydrogen peroxide and the complexing agent sulfuric acid.
    [Show full text]
  • Back Ground of Gold Leaching Reagent ---Florrea Goldix
    SHENYANG FLORREA CHEMICALS CO., LTD 1719, BLD B,Hai‐li‐de Mansion,NO.135,ChangJiang Street, Huanggu District, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, P. R . China Tel: 0086 24 31515191 Mobile: 0086 136 0982 1616 Fax: 0086 24 31513277 Skype: yang(florrea) ISO 9001 Certified NO. : 086911Q E‐mail: [email protected] www.florrea.com MSN: [email protected] ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ BACK GROUND OF GOLD LEACHING REAGENT -----FLORREA GOLDIX 567 (Excellent Cyanide Replacement , Environmentally friendly) Florrea Gold Lixiviant GOLDIX 567‐‐‐ Environmentally friendly Gold Leaching without cyanide. The various oxidized gold ore were leached with various lixiviants and Florrea Goldix 567 is the best lixiviant substitute for cyanide as gold lixiviant at present, meanwhile gole leaching speeds with organic chlorine C was 8 times of that with cyanide Gold cyanidation, also called cyanide leaching, is a metallurgical technique for extracting gold from low‐grade ore by converting the gold to a water soluble coordination complex. It is the most commonly used process for gold extraction. Due to the highly poisonous nature of cyanide, the process is controversial and its usage is banned in a number of countries and territories. It uses cyanide to dissolve the gold within the rock, which, itself, is not soluble in cyanide. The gold is then drawn out in a liquid form that can be treated to remove the cyanide. Almost 90% of all gold extracted commercially is done so by cyanidation. The process has been controversial since its inception due to the poisonous nature of cyanide and the threat it poses to the environment and the people working in the extraction facilities.
    [Show full text]
  • Principles of Extractive Metallurgy Lectures Note
    PRINCIPLES OF EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY B.TECH, 3RD SEMESTER LECTURES NOTE BY SAGAR NAYAK DR. KALI CHARAN SABAT DEPARTMENT OF METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS ENGINEERING PARALA MAHARAJA ENGINEERING COLLEGE, BERHAMPUR DISCLAIMER This document does not claim any originality and cannot be used as a substitute for prescribed textbooks. The information presented here is merely a collection by the author for their respective teaching assignments as an additional tool for the teaching-learning process. Various sources as mentioned at the reference of the document as well as freely available material from internet were consulted for preparing this document. The ownership of the information lies with the respective author or institutions. Further, this document is not intended to be used for commercial purpose and the faculty is not accountable for any issues, legal or otherwise, arising out of use of this document. The committee faculty members make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this document and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. BPUT SYLLABUS PRINCIPLES OF EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY (3-1-0) MODULE I (14 HOURS) Unit processes in Pyro metallurgy: Calcination and roasting, sintering, smelting, converting, reduction, smelting-reduction, Metallothermic and hydrogen reduction; distillation and other physical and chemical refining methods: Fire refining, Zone refining, Liquation and Cupellation. Small problems related to pyro metallurgy. MODULE II (14 HOURS) Unit processes in Hydrometallurgy: Leaching practice: In situ leaching, Dump and heap leaching, Percolation leaching, Agitation leaching, Purification of leach liquor, Kinetics of Leaching; Bio- leaching: Recovery of metals from Leach liquor by Solvent Extraction, Ion exchange , Precipitation and Cementation process.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Fluid–Rock Interactions and Lixiviant/Oxidant Behaviour for the In-Situ Recovery of Metals from Deep Ore Bodies
    School of Earth and Planetary Science Department of Applied Geology Understanding Fluid–Rock Interactions and Lixiviant/Oxidant Behaviour for the In-situ Recovery of Metals from Deep Ore Bodies Tania Marcela Hidalgo Rosero This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University February 2020 1 Declaration __________________________________________________________________________ Declaration To the best of my knowledge and belief, I declare that this work of thesis contains no material published by any other person, except where due acknowledgements have been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Tania Marcela Hidalgo Rosero Date: 28/01/2020 2 Abstract __________________________________________________________________________ Abstract In-situ recovery (ISR) processing has been recognised as a possible alternative to open- pit mining, especially for low-grade resources. In ISR, the fluid–rock interaction between the target ore and the lixiviant results in valuable- (and gangue-) metal dissolution. This interaction is achieved by the injection and recovery of fluid by means of strategically positioned wells. Although the application of ISR has become more common (ISR remains the preferential processing technique for uranium and has been applied in pilot programs for treating oxide zones in copper deposits), its application to hard-rock refractory and low-grade copper-sulfide deposits is still under development. This research is focused on the possible application of ISR to primary copper sulfides usually found as deep ores. Lixiviant/oxidant selection is an important aspect to consider during planning and operation in the ISR of copper-sulfide ores.
    [Show full text]
  • Background for Nepa Reviewers: Non-Coal Mining Operations
    EPA/530//R-95/043 NTIS/PB96/109/103 TECHNICAL DOCUMENT BACKGROUND FOR NEPA REVIEWERS: NON-COAL MINING OPERATIONS December 1994 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste Special Waste Branch 401 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20460 Disclaimer and Acknowledgements This document was prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The mention of company or product names is not to be considered an endorsement by the U.S. Government or by the EPA. This Technical Document consists of nine sections. The first is EPA's overview of mining and the statutory and regulatory background. That is followed by a description of mining activities and their potential environmental impacts. The remaining sections cover specific environmental concerns, environmental monitoring, and pollution prevention. Also provided are a list of contacts, glossary, and references. This report was distributed for review to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Mines, Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service; the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service; Western Governors Association; and other industry and public interest groups. The use of the terms "extraction," "beneficiation," and "mineral processing" is not intended to classify any waste stream for the purposes of regulatory interpretation or application. Rather, these terms are used in the context of common industry terminology. Background for NEPA Reviewers TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ..................................................................1-1
    [Show full text]
  • Treatment and Microscopy of Gold
    TREATMENT AND MICROSCOPY OF GOLD AND BASE METAL ORES. (Script with Sketches & Tables) Short Course by R. W. Lehne April 2006 www.isogyre.com Geneva University, Department of Mineralogy CONTENTS (Script) page 1. Gold ores and their metallurgical treatment 2 1.1 Gravity processes 2 1.2 Amalgamation 2 1.3 Flotation and subsequent processes 2 1.4 Leaching processes 3 1.5 Gold extraction processes 4 1.6 Cyanide leaching vs. thio-compound leaching 5 2. Microscopy of gold ores and treatment products 5 2.1 Tasks and problems of microscopical investigations 5 2.2 Microscopy of selected gold ores and products 6 (practical exercises) 3. Base metal ores and their beneficiation 7 3.1 Flotation 7 3.2 Development of the flotation process 7 3.3 Principles and mechanisms of flotation 7 3.4 Column flotation 9 3.5 Hydrometallurgy 10 4. Microscopy of base metal ores and milling products 10 4.1 Specific tasks of microscopical investigations 11 4.2 Microscopy of selected base metal ores and milling products 13 (practical exercises) 5. Selected bibliography 14 (Sketches & Tables) Different ways of gold concentration 15 Gravity concentration of gold (Agricola) 16 Gravity concentration of gold (“Long Tom”) 17 Shaking table 18 Humphreys spiral concentrator 19 Amalgamating mills (Mexican “arrastra”, Chilean “trapiche”) 20 Pressure oxidation flowsheet 21 Chemical reactions of gold leaching and cementation 22 Cyanide solubilities of selected minerals 23 Heap leaching flowsheet 24 Carbon in pulp process 25 Complexing of gold by thio-compounds 26 Relation gold content / amount of particles in polished section 27 www.isogyre.com Economically important copper minerals 28 Common zinc minerals 29 Selection of flotation reagents 30 Design and function of a flotation cell 31 Column cell flotation 32 Flowsheet of a simple flotation process 33 Flowsheet of a selective Pb-Zn flotation 34 Locking textures 35 2 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Addressing the Information Gaps on Prices of Minerals Sold in an Intermediate Form
    The Platform for Cooperation on Tax DISCUSSION DRAFT: Addressing the Information Gaps on Prices of Minerals Sold in an Intermediate Form Feedback Period 24 January 2017 – 21 February 2017 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) World Bank Group (WBG) International Monetary Fund (IMF) United Nations (UN) 1 This discussion draft has been prepared in the framework of the Platform for Collaboration on Tax by the OECD, under the responsibility of the Secretariats and Staff of the four mandated organisations. The draft reflects a broad consensus among these staff, but should not be regarded as the officially endorsed views of those organisations or of their member countries. 1 Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................................................ 6 Domestic Resource Mobilisation from Mining......................................................................................... 6 Report Structure ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Building An Understanding of the Mining Sector – A Methodology ................................................ 10 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 Steps in the Methodology ...........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Xstrata Technology Update Edition 13 – April 2012 Building Plants That Work
    xstrata technology update Edition 13 – April 2012 Building plants that work You have to get a lot of things it takes another operator to get them right to build a plant that works. right. Someone who has lived through the problems, had to do the maintenance, operated during a midnight power Of course the big picture must be right – doing the right project, in the right place, failure, cleaned up the spill. Someone at the right time. who has “closed the loop” on previous designs; lived with previous decisions After that, the devil is in the detail. You and improved them, over and over. need a sound design, good execution, good commissioning, and ongoing This is why Xstrata Technology provides support after commissioning. You need a technology “package”. Just as a car to operate and maintain your plant in is more than an engine, technology is the long run, long after the construction more than a single piece of equipment. company has left. That’s when all the Technology is a system. All the elements “little” details become important – how of the system have to work with each easy is it to operate, how good is the other and with the people in the plant. maintenance access, what happens in We want our cars designed by people a power failure, where are the spillage who love cars and driving. So should points and how do we clean them our plants be designed by people with up? Are the instruments reliable and experience and passion to make each is the process control strategy robust one work better than the last.
    [Show full text]
  • Identification and Description of Mineral Processing Sectors And
    V. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS As shown in Exhibit 5-1, EPA determined that 48 commodity sectors generated a total of 527 waste streams that could be classified as either extraction/beneficiation or mineral processing wastes. After careful review, EPA determined that 41 com modity sectors generated a total of 354 waste streams that could be designated as mineral processing wastes. Exhibit 5-2 presents the 354 mineral processing wastes by commodity sector. Of these 354 waste streams, EPA has sufficient information (based on either analytical test data or engineering judgment) to determine that 148 waste streams are potentially RCRA hazardous wastes because they may exhibit one or more of the RCRA hazardous characteristics: toxicity, ignitability, corro sivity, or reactivity. Exhibit 5-3 presents the 148 RCRA hazardous mineral processing wastes that will be subject to the Land Disposal Restrictions. Exhibit 5-4 identifies the mineral processing commodity sectors that generate RCRA hazardous mineral processing wastes that are likely to be subject to the Land D isposal Restrictions. Exhibit 5-4 also summarizes the total number of hazardous waste streams by sector and the estimated total volume of hazardous wastes generated annually. At this time, however, EPA has insufficient information to determine whether the following nine sectors also generate wastes that could be classified as mineral processing wastes: Bromine, Gemstones, Iodine, Lithium, Lithium Carbonate, Soda Ash, Sodium Sulfate, and Strontium.
    [Show full text]
  • Bioleaching for Copper Extraction of Marginal Ores from the Brazilian Amazon Region
    metals Article Bioleaching for Copper Extraction of Marginal Ores from the Brazilian Amazon Region Dryelle Nazaré Oliveira do Nascimento 1,†, Adriano Reis Lucheta 1,† , Maurício César Palmieri 2, Andre Luiz Vilaça do Carmo 1, Patricia Magalhães Pereira Silva 1, Rafael Vicente de Pádua Ferreira 2, Eduardo Junca 3 , Felipe Fardin Grillo 3 and Joner Oliveira Alves 1,* 1 SENAI Innovation Institute for Mineral Technologies, National Service for Industrial Training (SENAI), Belém, PA 66035-405, Brazil; [email protected] (D.N.O.d.N.); [email protected] (A.R.L.); [email protected] (A.L.V.d.C.); [email protected] (P.M.P.S.) 2 Itatijuca Biotech, São Paulo, SP 05508-000, Brazil; [email protected] (M.C.P.); [email protected] (R.V.d.P.F.) 3 Graduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering, Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense (Unesc), Criciúma, SC 88806-000, Brazil; [email protected] (E.J.); [email protected] (F.F.G.) * Correspondence: [email protected] † These authors contributed equally to this work. Received: 5 December 2018; Accepted: 8 January 2019; Published: 14 January 2019 Abstract: The use of biotechnology to explore low-grade ore deposits and mining tailings is one of the most promising alternatives to reduce environmental impacts and costs of copper extraction. However, such technology still depends on improvements to be fully applied in Brazil under industrial scale. In this way, the bioleaching, by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, in columns and stirred reactors were evaluated regarding to copper extraction of a mineral sulfide and a weathered ore from the Brazilian Amazon region.
    [Show full text]
  • Characterization and Recovery of Copper from Smelting Slag
    CHARACTERIZATION AND RECOVERY OF COPPER FROM SMELTING SLAG A. P. GABRIEL*, L. R. SANTOS*, A.C. KASPER*, H. M. VEIT* * Materials Engineering Department, Engineering School, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Brazi SUMMARY: 1. INTRODUCTION. 2. EXPERIMENTAL. 2.1 Hazardousness test. 2.2 Chemical and mineralogical characterization. 2.3 Leaching 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Hazardousness Test. 3.2 Chemical and mineralogical characterization. 3.3 Leaching. 4. CONCLUSION. REFERENCES. 1. INTRODUCTION The generation of industrial solid waste constitutes an environmental problem that requires efforts for adequate disposal. Currently, in Brazil, solid waste management is standardized, with a classification determining the management according to its hazardous characteristics. ABNT NBR 10004 is a Brazilian Standard to solid waste and classifies its as: Class I (hazardous), Class II - A (non - hazardous and non - inert) and Class II - B (non - hazardous and inert) according to the concentration of elements that have potential risks to the environment and public health (ABNT NBR 10,004, 2004) A process with a large generation of wastes is the production of copper. Several studies in the last decades investigated routes to recovery copper and other metals of interest from the slag (solid waste from the foundry). In the case of primary production, the slag has copper contents between 0.5 and 2% and the volume generated is twice the refined metal (Schlesinger et al., 2011) In addition to primary copper production, there is a significant rate of the copper production from scrap/waste metal. Secondary copper production in Brazil in 2014 reached 23,600 tons, representing around 9% of domestic production.
    [Show full text]
  • Report on the Reserve Estimate & Feasibility Study
    REPORT ON THE RESERVE ESTIMATE & FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE ISABELLA PEARL PROJECT, NEVADA REPORT ON THE ESTIMATE OF RESERVES and the FEASIBILITY STUDY for the ISABELLA PEARL PROJECT MINERAL COUNTY, NEVADA for WALKER LANE MINERALS CORP. Signed by: FRED H. BROWN, PGeo Senior Resource Geologist, GRC Nevada Inc. J. RICARDO GARCIA, PEng Corporate Chief Engineer, Gold Resource Corp. BARRY D. DEVLIN, PGeo Vice President, Exploration, Gold Resource Corp. JOY L. LESTER, SME-RM Chief Geologist, Gold Resource Corp. and Gold Resource Corp. and GRC Nevada Inc. Technical Staff Effective Date: December 31, 2017 REPORT ON THE RESERVE ESTIMATE & FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR THE ISABELLA PEARL PROJECT, NEVADA TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………14 1.1 Introduction and Purpose ...…………………………………………………………………………………14 1.2 Property Description and Ownership .………………………………………………………………………14 1.3 Geology and Mineralization …………………………………………………………………………...........15 1.4 Exploration and Mining History .…………………………………………………………………………………..15 1.5 Metallurgical Testing and Process Design Criteria .…………………………………………..…16 1.6 Economic Mineralized Material .…………………………………………………………………………………..18 1.7 Mineral Reserve Estimate .…………………………………………………………………………………..19 1.8 Mining Methods ………………………………………………………………………………………………..20 1.9 Mineral Processing and Recovery Methods …………………………………………………………..22 1.10 Project Infrastructure ………………………………………………………………………………………………..23 1.11 Environmental Studies and Permitting ……………………………………………………………………….25 1.12 Capital and Operating
    [Show full text]