The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare Earths
Rare earths have appeared in the market with new energy and Information Technology and Communications (ITC) applications. While their demand grows exponentially, their production is experiencing a bottleneck given that their deposits are concentrated in very few locations, mainly in China. This scar...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/14/2913 |
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| author | Henar Moran-Palacios Francisco Ortega-Fernandez Raquel Lopez-Castaño Jose V. Alvarez-Cabal |
| author_facet | Henar Moran-Palacios Francisco Ortega-Fernandez Raquel Lopez-Castaño Jose V. Alvarez-Cabal |
| author_sort | Henar Moran-Palacios |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rare earths have appeared in the market with new energy and Information Technology and Communications (ITC) applications. While their demand grows exponentially, their production is experiencing a bottleneck given that their deposits are concentrated in very few locations, mainly in China. This scarcity and dependence have turned them into strategic minerals, and the location of new sources has become vital. On the other hand, the inevitable trend towards sustainability favors the reuse of waste to avoid the degradation of new areas and the need for waste storage. One of the biggest generators of waste is iron mining. The tailings are stored in huge ponds with consequent environmental problems and risks. As tailings come from a concentration process, they incorporate different amounts of rare earths depending on their separation behavior. To evaluate the viability of these resources as potential repositories of rare earths, samples of different types of deposits and treatments were selected. The presence of different rare earths in them was determined through spectroscopy techniques to evaluate their use as a deposit. The results show an increase in the concentration of rare earths, especially high-density ones, which, although currently not economically feasible given the very wide geographical distribution of iron mining, represent a fundamental strategic reserve. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:45:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7fef09e4c9546b09cada98e5fc35b37 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:45:21Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7fef09e4c9546b09cada98e5fc35b372022-12-21T19:41:53ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172019-07-01914291310.3390/app9142913app9142913The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare EarthsHenar Moran-Palacios0Francisco Ortega-Fernandez1Raquel Lopez-Castaño2Jose V. Alvarez-Cabal3Project Engineering Department, University of Oviedo, 33004 Oviedo, SpainProject Engineering Department, University of Oviedo, 33004 Oviedo, SpainProject Engineering Department, University of Oviedo, 33004 Oviedo, SpainProject Engineering Department, University of Oviedo, 33004 Oviedo, SpainRare earths have appeared in the market with new energy and Information Technology and Communications (ITC) applications. While their demand grows exponentially, their production is experiencing a bottleneck given that their deposits are concentrated in very few locations, mainly in China. This scarcity and dependence have turned them into strategic minerals, and the location of new sources has become vital. On the other hand, the inevitable trend towards sustainability favors the reuse of waste to avoid the degradation of new areas and the need for waste storage. One of the biggest generators of waste is iron mining. The tailings are stored in huge ponds with consequent environmental problems and risks. As tailings come from a concentration process, they incorporate different amounts of rare earths depending on their separation behavior. To evaluate the viability of these resources as potential repositories of rare earths, samples of different types of deposits and treatments were selected. The presence of different rare earths in them was determined through spectroscopy techniques to evaluate their use as a deposit. The results show an increase in the concentration of rare earths, especially high-density ones, which, although currently not economically feasible given the very wide geographical distribution of iron mining, represent a fundamental strategic reserve.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/14/2913iron ore tailings 1rare earthsustainable mining |
| spellingShingle | Henar Moran-Palacios Francisco Ortega-Fernandez Raquel Lopez-Castaño Jose V. Alvarez-Cabal The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare Earths Applied Sciences iron ore tailings 1 rare earth sustainable mining |
| title | The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare Earths |
| title_full | The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare Earths |
| title_fullStr | The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare Earths |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare Earths |
| title_short | The Potential of Iron Ore Tailings as Secondary Deposits of Rare Earths |
| title_sort | potential of iron ore tailings as secondary deposits of rare earths |
| topic | iron ore tailings 1 rare earth sustainable mining |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/9/14/2913 |
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