Reuse method for deposits of polymetallic tailings in a state of abandonment through the application of mineral flotation

Abstract

In the mining industry, due to the extraction and processing of ore, a significant amount of tailings are produced which are discharged into deposits. In some cases, these are in contact with effluents and generate acid waters that pollute the environment and affect the health of the inhabitants. Additionally, these tailings within their composition contain valuable metals that can be reused through a process of mineral flotation. As a part of this research, a study based exclusively on laboratory tests was performed on the tailings deposit located in the Recuay–Peru district, where the presence of concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Ag at 48.36% was obtained, 23% and 250 g/TM. Thus, this study aims to take advantage of polymetallic tailings deposits that are in an abandonment state by extracting valuable ore through the flotation process based on their chemical composition and mineralogical characterization.