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Unveiling High-Tech Metals in Roasted Pyrite Wastes from the Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain

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  • Lola Yesares

    (Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/José Antonio Nováis 12, 28040 Madrid, Spain)

  • José María González-Jiménez

    (Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (CSIC-UGR), Avda. Palmeras 4, 18100 Armilla, Spain)

  • Francisco Abel Jiménez-Cantizano

    (Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua, Junta de Andalucía, C/Johan G. Gutenberg, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
    Departamento de Ciencias Analíticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Senda del Rey 9, 20840 Madrid, Spain)

  • Igor González-Pérez

    (Departamento de Mineralogía y Petrología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18001 Granada, Spain)

  • David Caro-Moreno

    (Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua, Junta de Andalucía, C/Johan G. Gutenberg, 41092 Sevilla, Spain)

  • Isabel María Sánchez

    (Centro de Instrumentación Científica, Universidad de Granada, Paseo Profesor Juan Osorio, s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain)

Abstract

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, is a large metallogenic province exploited since ancient times. As a result of historical and current mining activity, a vast volume of metallic mineral waste, mainly derived from the processing of pyrite, is still in situ and polluting the environment. A specific mine waste residuum locally known in the area as “morrongos”, which was produced during pyrite roasting mainly in the 19th century, is evaluated here in order to unravel untapped resources of high-tech metals commonly used in high-tech devices. Applying a combination of whole-rock geochemical (ICP-AES, ICPMS, FA-AAS) and single-grain mineralogical techniques (EPMA, LA-ICP-MS, FESEM, and FIB-HRTEM) on the “morrongos”, we unhide the still-present remarkable concentrations of Au, Ag, Pb, Zn, and Cu in them. The mineralogical expressions for these economic metals include oxides (hematite, magnetite, and hercynite), arsenates, sulfates of the jarosite group, native metals, and, to a lesser extent, relictic sulfides. This first-ever estimation of these economic metals in this type of residue allows their revalorization, highlighting them as suitable sources for the exploitation and recovery of metals necessary for the clean energy transition.

Suggested Citation

  • Lola Yesares & José María González-Jiménez & Francisco Abel Jiménez-Cantizano & Igor González-Pérez & David Caro-Moreno & Isabel María Sánchez, 2023. "Unveiling High-Tech Metals in Roasted Pyrite Wastes from the Iberian Pyrite Belt, SW Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-23, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:15:p:12081-:d:1212169
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Becattini, Viola & Motmans, Thomas & Zappone, Alba & Madonna, Claudio & Haselbacher, Andreas & Steinfeld, Aldo, 2017. "Experimental investigation of the thermal and mechanical stability of rocks for high-temperature thermal-energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 373-389.
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