Valorization Diagnosis of Roasted Pyrite Ashes Wastes from the Iberian Pyrite Belt
The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) contains the world’s largest massive sulfide deposit, and, due to extensive mining developed during the last 200 years, large amounts of mining waste have been abandoned in this area, with roasted pyrite ash being the focus of this study. Polymetallic mining is also cla...
| Autores: | , , |
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| Formato: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universidad de Huelva (UHU) |
| Repositorio: | Arias Montano. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ariasmontano.uhu.es:10272/25705 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://hdl.handle.net/10272/25705 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Mining wastes Iberian Pyrite Belt Roasted pyrite ashes Valorization diagnosis Radionuclides 3308 Ingeniería y Tecnología del Medio Ambiente 3308.07 Eliminación de Residuos 3308.04 Ingeniería de la Contaminación |
| Resumo: | The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) contains the world’s largest massive sulfide deposit, and, due to extensive mining developed during the last 200 years, large amounts of mining waste have been abandoned in this area, with roasted pyrite ash being the focus of this study. Polymetallic mining is also classified as a NORM (naturally occurring radioactive material) activity, thus the main objective of this work was to develop a radiological and physicochemical characterization of this waste (mineral phases, elemental and radionuclide concentrations) in order to perform a valorization diagnosis of this material. The composition of this waste strongly depends on its origin (mine), and is mainly formed by iron oxides (hematite, Fe₂O₃) and heavy metals and metalloids such as As, Pb, Zn, and Cu, in levels 2–4 orders of magnitude higher than those of undisturbed soils, depending on each particular element. However, the average natural radionuclide levels are similar to those of unperturbed soils (around 30 Bqkg−1 of 238U-series, 50 Bqkg−1 of 232Th, and 70 Bqkg−1 for 40K), thus they are below the limits established by European Union regulations to require radiological control during their future valorization. As the main potential applications of roasted pyrite ash, the valorization diagnosis indicates that it can be used as a source of Fe (FeCl₃ or FeSO₄), or an additive in the manufacturing of cements, pigments, etc. |
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