Distribution and fractionation of Rare Earths (LaLu, Sc, Y) and other critical metals in bauxite residues: addressing the profitability of the red muds stored at the Porto Vesme disposal site, Sardinia Island, Italy

IF 3.4 2区地球科学 Q1 GEOCHEMISTRY & GEOPHYSICS

Journal of Geochemical Exploration Pub Date : 2025-04-27 DOI:10.1016/j.gexplo.2025.107792

Paola Mameli , Emanuela Schingaro , Ernesto Mesto , Maria Lacalamita , Abdelhamid Ouladmansour , Guido Cerri , Alfredo Idini , Carmine Cisullo , Giovanni Mongelli

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In southern Sardinia, Italy, at the Porto Vesme disposal site, about 30 million tonnes of bauxite residues deriving from Al extraction through the Bayer process are stored.The mineralogical composition includes hematite, goethite, ilmenite, gibbsite, boehmite, bayerite, anatase, rutile, quartz, sodalite, cancrinite, andradite, calcite, dolomite, halite. Lanthanides-rich phosphate minerals as well as LREE ferrotitanates were sporadically observed.

The samples chemistry provides Fe₂O₃, Al₂O3, SiO₂, Na₂O, TiO₂ and CaO in order of abundance. The REEs are enriched relative to the parent material with LREEs > HREEs+Y and Sc. Ce is the most abundant LREE and the chondrite normalized patterns show significant positive Ce anomalies.

The inter-elemental relationships among major, minor and trace elements were evaluated by R-mode factor analysis. The first factor accounts for most of the variance (52.1 %) of the dataset and explains the competition between the desilication and relict + neoformed phases with the latter hosting the LREEs and other critical metals. The second factor (variance = 15.2 %) represents the control exerted by the mineral zircon on the distribution of HREEs+Y.

The HREEs+Y are enriched relative to the average Upper Continental Crust along with other critical metals such as Hf, TiO₂ and W. In addition, a set of profitability indices, including the ratio (Nd + Dy+Ce + Pr + La)/Σ(REEs+Y), specifically addressed to the electromobility market, suggest an overall significant economic potential for the bauxite residues stored at the Porto Vesme site.

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稀土（LaLu, Sc， Y）和铝土矿残留物中其他关键金属的分布和分馏：解决储存在意大利撒丁岛Porto Vesme处置场的红泥的盈利能力问题

在意大利撒丁岛南部的Porto Vesme处置场，通过拜耳法提取铝产生的约3000万吨铝土矿残留物被储存起来。矿物组成包括赤铁矿、针铁矿、钛铁矿、三水铝石、薄水铝石、巴别石、锐钛矿、金红石、石英、钠云石、红灰岩、方解石、白云石、岩盐。偶见富镧系磷矿物和轻稀土钛铁酸盐。样品化学含量依次为Fe2O3、Al2O3、SiO2、Na2O、TiO2和CaO。稀土元素相对于母质富集，lree >；轻稀土元素以ree +Y和Sc. Ce最为丰富，球粒陨石归一化模式显示明显的正Ce异常。采用r型因子分析评价了主、次、微量元素之间的元素间关系。第一个因素解释了数据集的大部分差异（52.1%），并解释了脱硅相和残余+新形成相之间的竞争，后者承载了lree和其他关键金属。第二个因子（方差= 15.2%）代表矿物锆石对稀土+Y分布的控制作用。hree +Y和其他关键金属如Hf、TiO2和w相对于平均上大陆地壳富集。此外，一组盈利指数，包括(Nd + Dy+Ce + Pr + La)/Σ（REEs+Y），专门针对电动汽车市场，表明存储在Porto Vesme站点的铝土矿残留物具有显著的整体经济潜力。

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来源期刊

Journal of Geochemical Exploration 地学-地球化学与地球物理

CiteScore

7.40

自引率

7.70%

发文量

148

审稿时长

8.1 months

期刊介绍： Journal of Geochemical Exploration is mostly dedicated to publication of original studies in exploration and environmental geochemistry and related topics. Contributions considered of prevalent interest for the journal include researches based on the application of innovative methods to: define the genesis and the evolution of mineral deposits including transfer of elements in large-scale mineralized areas. analyze complex systems at the boundaries between bio-geochemistry, metal transport and mineral accumulation. evaluate effects of historical mining activities on the surface environment. trace pollutant sources and define their fate and transport models in the near-surface and surface environments involving solid, fluid and aerial matrices. assess and quantify natural and technogenic radioactivity in the environment. determine geochemical anomalies and set baseline reference values using compositional data analysis, multivariate statistics and geo-spatial analysis. assess the impacts of anthropogenic contamination on ecosystems and human health at local and regional scale to prioritize and classify risks through deterministic and stochastic approaches. Papers dedicated to the presentation of newly developed methods in analytical geochemistry to be applied in the field or in laboratory are also within the topics of interest for the journal.