Caracterización en Residuos de la Planta de Tratamiento por Drenaje Ácido de Mina en Torata, provincia de El Oro

Abstract

Abstract: The aim of this work was to identify existing minerals in an acid mine drainage sludge with economic potential for which a descriptive-experimental investigation was carried out. In this research, the characterization of waste from the acid mine drainage treatment plant in Torata, province of El Oro, was carried out by chemical methods such as X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (FAAS) and mineralogical methods by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Some results coincide with the list of critical elements by the USGS with economic potential, these commodities include Al, Mn, Fe, Mg, Cr, Zn, Ni. Based on XRD, calcite is the prevalent mineral in solid wastes; XRF shows that the predominant elementals in the solid and liquid samples are oxides Al2O3, SiO2, S, CaO, Fe2O3. On the other hand, FAAS analysis indicates that Magnesium is the most common in solid waste. Finally, after identifying these commodities, their applications and uses are characterized by Torata company to serve an essential function in diverse industries such as transportation, energy, among others.