Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

A Holistic Approach in Re-Mining Old Tailings Deposits for The Supply of Critical Metals: A Portuguese Case

Janine Figueiredo
* ORCID logo ,
M. Cristina Vila
* ORCID logo ,
António Fiúza
,
Joaquim Góis
,
Aurora Futuro
,
M. Lurdes Dinis
ORCID logo ,
Diogo Martins
ORCID logo
Version 1 : Received: 31 July 2019 / Approved: 1 August 2019 / Online: 1 August 2019 (11:43:59 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Figueiredo, J.; Vila, M.C.; Fiúza, A.; Góis, J.; Futuro, A.; Dinis, M.L.; Martins, D. A Holistic Approach in Re-Mining Old Tailings Deposits for the Supply of Critical-Metals: A Portuguese Case Study. Minerals 2019, 9, 638. Figueiredo, J.; Vila, M.C.; Fiúza, A.; Góis, J.; Futuro, A.; Dinis, M.L.; Martins, D. A Holistic Approach in Re-Mining Old Tailings Deposits for the Supply of Critical-Metals: A Portuguese Case Study. Minerals 2019, 9, 638.

Abstract

The growth of demand for metallic minerals has faced with the need for new techniques and improving technologies for all mine life cycle operations. Nowadays, the exploitation of old tailings and mine wastes facilities could represent a solution to this demand, with economic and environmental advantages. W-Sn Panasqueira Mine has been operating for more than 100 years. Its first processing plant “Rio” was located near Zêrere river being the mineral processing residues deposited on the top hillside on the margin of this river in Cabeço do Pião tailings dam. The lack of maintenance and monitoring of this enormous structure in the last twenty years represents high risks to the environment and population of the surrounding region. The re-mining of the tailings by hydrometallurgical methods was considered, in order to satisfy these two enounced conditions - metals demand and environmental risk, aiming for the sale of the metal to pay the environmental intervention. Field samples campaign allowed collecting data and results from laboratory tests driving to use regression optimization. The re-mining solution was studied, taking into account the technical, economic, social, and environmental aspects.

Keywords

tungsten; zinc; tailings re-processing; multi-criteria optimization; modelling regression; Pareto optimal

Subject

Engineering, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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