SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS APPLIED IN BY-PRODUCTS GENERATED BY MINING INDUSTRIES

The mining industry is responsible for generating large quantities of by-products, usually stored in open environments, and may contain toxic elements and high concentrations of radionuclides. In this work, the x-ray fluorescence technique was used to provide data on the tailings of a phosphoric acid production plant of VALE Fertilizantes S.A located in Catalão (GO). The function of this plant is to increase the concentration of P2O5 and consequently the concentration of Ca increases [1].

Applying the x-ray fluorescence technique, among some identified elements, three of them were quantified to establish the material balance: Ca, Ti, Zn. Gamma spectroscopy was used as a support technique to enable the determination of the presence of natural radionuclides, as well as their respective concentrations. By this mean, complementing the data required for mass balance, also enabling the estimation of the effective dose of radiation emitted by the radionuclides present in the tailings of the beneficiation process. The analysis of the results demonstrated high concentrations of natural radionuclides: 40K, 238U and 232Th. The data obtained by fluorescence were shown to be consistent with the provenance of the samples in the process, as high concentrations of Ca in the phosphate concentrate stream were observed. In addition, the currents from the magnetic separation presented a high concentration of Ti when compared to the others, reinforcing the validity of the data analyzed [1]. Moreover, the x-ray fluorescence technique, combined with the gamma spectroscopy, were also used in the analysis of mud from the Gualaxo do Norte river (MG) that was hit by the break of the Fundão’s dam belonging to the company Samarco Mineração S.A.[2].