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Characterization Study of some Bauxite Deposits in Northern Brazil

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Clays and Clay Minerals

Abstract

Alumina is produced from bauxite, which contains a mixture of various oxides, such as aluminum (Al), iron (Fe), silicon (Si), and titanium (Ti). Bauxite can also be considered a source of several other valuable metals, such as scandium (Sc), vanadium (V), and gallium (Ga). The composition and mineralogy of alumina determine their economic value, but their characteristics vary by locality. The physicochemical characteristics of bauxites can also be influenced largely by weathering processes, even within the same locality. For this reason, the present study was undertaken with the objective of comparing the characterization data of three bauxite samples collected, which will be referred to as D, E, and F, from the Cruz Alta do Pará plateau in northern Brazil. The samples were solubilized by multi-acid digestion and fusion with lithium metaborate to quantify their metal compositions by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The mineralogical characterization was conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the phase changes of minerals in bauxite were detected by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG). The total organic carbon (TOC) technique was used to quantify the C in the samples, and the moisture content was also measured. Alumina was 30 wt.% on average for all samples, good for producing high-purity alumina by hydrometallurgical processes. The results, however, showed high (~20 at.%) silica concentrations in two samples and ~3 wt.% Fe in one sample, which can pose a challenge in the Bayer process. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that gibbsite (Gbs), kaolinite (Kln), anatase (Ant), and hematite (Hem) were the major mineral phases in these samples. The study showed that the samples from the same mine vary in their metal content, especially with regard to Si, and they, thus, need to be processed selectively to maximize their economic value.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the financial support of Mineradora Rio do Norte (MRN) and the Brazilian Company of Research and Industrial Innovation (EMBRAPII-TECNOGREEN 41829). Grant 2019/11866-5 São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

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  1. LAREX Laboratory of Recycling, Waste Treatment, and Extraction - Chemical Engineering, Department of Polytechnic School of University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, Brazil

    Barbara da Rocha Pereira, Morgana Rosset, Denise Crocce Romano Espinosa & Jorge Alberto Soares Tenório

  2. MRN Mineração Rio Do Norte, District of Porto de Trombetas, Pará, Brazil

    José Diogo de Oliveria Lima & Keila Palheta Gomes

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  1. Barbara da Rocha Pereira
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  2. Morgana Rosset
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da Rocha Pereira, B., Rosset, M., de Oliveria Lima, J.D. et al. Characterization Study of some Bauxite Deposits in Northern Brazil. Clays Clay Miner. 71, 707–721 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42860-023-00264-2

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