Characterization Studies on Lead-Zinc Tailings from Rampura-Agucha Mines

Abstract

The process tailings of base metal industries contain considerable amounts of acid generating 'pyrite and sul-fides of other minerals. The recovery of sulfide minerals from the tailings not only will have environmental advan-tage but will also result in conservation of mineral wealth.For any such recovery activity, it is essential to characterize the tailings for physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics. In the present study, typi-cal lead-zinc tailings sample from the operating plant at Rampura-Agucha mines of Hindustan Zinc Limited was collec-ted and characterized for size distribution, size by size chemical composition and mineral phase analysis through X-ray diffraction method. The size-by-size metal contents indicated increasing levels of silver and pyrite with decreasing particle size and the lead and zinc bearing minerals are segregated at relatively coarser size fract-ions. Microscopic studies of the coarser fractions have indicated that the lead and zinc minerals are in unliber-ated form. The XRD study has indicated that quartz is the major mineral phase followed by pyrite, sphalerite, galena and silver. The overall tailings sample was found to cont-ain 19.41% of pyrite, 2.02 % of zinc, 0.69 % lead, and 26.94 ppm of silver contents.