3D Geostatistical Modeling and Metallurgical Investigation of Cu in Tailings Deposit: Characterization and Assessment of Potential Resources

IF 2.2 4区地球科学 Q2 GEOCHEMISTRY & GEOPHYSICS

Minerals Pub Date : 2024-08-30 DOI:10.3390/min14090893

M’hamed Koucham, Yassine Ait-Khouia, Saâd Soulaimani, Mariam El-Adnani, Abdessamad Khalil

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Abstract

The management of mine tailings presents a global challenge. Re-mining these tailings to recover remaining metals could play a crucial role in reducing the volume of stored tailings, as historical mining methods were less efficient than those used today. Consequently, mine wastes have the potential to become unconventional resources for critical minerals. To assess this potential, critical minerals and metals in the mine tailings were investigated through sampling, characterization, and 3D geostatistical modeling. The Bleïda copper mine tailings in Morocco were modeled, and residual copper resources were estimated using ordinary kriging (OK). Tailings were systematically sampled at a depth of 1.8 m using a triangular grid and tubing method. The metallic and mineralogical content of the samples was analyzed, and a numerical 3D model of the tailing’s facility was created using topographic drone surveys, geochemical data, and geostatistical modeling. The results from the 3D block model of the Bleïda tailings facility reveal that the volume of deposited tailings is 3.73 million cubic meters (mm3), equivalent to 4.85 million tonnes (Mt). Furthermore, based on the average copper grade (~0.3% by weight) in the studied part of the tailings pond, the copper resources are estimated at 2760 tonnes. Mineralogical characterization indicates that this metallic content is mainly associated with sulfide and carbonate minerals, which exhibit a low degree of liberation. This study aims to serve as a reference for assessing the reprocessing feasibility of tailings in both abandoned and active mines, thereby contributing to the sustainable management of mine tailings facilities. Geostatistical modeling has proven effective in producing tonnage estimates for tailings storage facilities and should be adopted by the industry to reduce the technical and financial uncertainties associated with re-mining.

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尾矿中铜矿藏的三维地质统计建模和冶金调查：潜在资源的特征描述与评估

矿山尾矿管理是一项全球性挑战。重新开采这些尾矿以回收剩余的金属，可在减少尾矿储存量方面发挥关键作用，因为历史上的采矿方法不如现在的采矿方法有效。因此，矿山废料有可能成为关键矿物的非常规资源。为了评估这一潜力，我们通过采样、特征描述和三维地质统计建模对矿山尾矿中的关键矿物和金属进行了调查。对摩洛哥 Bleïda 铜矿尾矿进行了建模，并使用普通克里格法（OK）估算了残余铜资源量。采用三角网格和管道法在 1.8 米深处对尾矿进行了系统取样。对样本中的金属和矿物含量进行了分析，并利用无人机地形测量、地球化学数据和地质统计模型创建了尾矿设施的三维数值模型。布雷达尾矿设施三维模型的结果显示，沉积尾矿的体积为 373 万立方米（mm3），相当于 485 万吨（Mt）。此外，根据尾矿库研究部分的平均铜品位（约 0.3%（重量）），铜资源量估计为 2760 吨。矿物学特征表明，这些金属含量主要与硫化物和碳酸盐矿物有关，这些矿物的解离程度较低。这项研究旨在为评估废弃矿山和活跃矿山尾矿的再处理可行性提供参考，从而促进矿山尾矿设施的可持续管理。事实证明，地质统计建模可有效估算尾矿储存设施的吨位，应被业界采用，以减少与再采矿相关的技术和财务不确定性。

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来源期刊

Minerals MINERALOGY-MINING & MINERAL PROCESSING

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

20.00%

发文量

1351

审稿时长

19.04 days

期刊介绍： Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X) is an international open access journal that covers the broad field of mineralogy, economic mineral resources, mineral exploration, innovative mining techniques and advances in mineral processing. It publishes reviews, regular research papers and short notes. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced.