Minerals arsenopyrites

Metafile arsenic can be obtained by the direct smelting of the minerals arsenopyrite or loeUingite. The arsenic vapor is sublimed when these minerals are heated to about 650—700°C in the absence of air. The metal can also be prepared commercially by the reduction of arsenic trioxide with charcoal. The oxide and charcoal are mixed and placed into a horizontal steel retort jacketed with fire-brick which is then gas-fired. The reduced arsenic vapor is collected in a water-cooled condenser (5). In a process used by Bofiden Aktiebolag (6), the steel retort, heated to 700—800°C in an electric furnace, is equipped with a demountable air-cooled condenser. The off-gases are cleaned in a sembber system. The yield of metallic arsenic from the reduction of arsenic trioxide with carbon and carbon monoxide has been studied (7) and a process has been patented describing the gaseous reduction of arsenic trioxide to metal (8). 

Arsenic is widely dispersed in nature found in the minerals arsenopyrite, FeAsS orpiment, AS2S3 realgar, AS2S2 loUengite, FeAs2 enargite, CuS ... 

The metallic arsenic is obtained primarily from its mineral, arsenopyrite. The mineral is smelted at 650 to 700°C in the absence of air. However, the most common method of production of the metal involves reduction of arsenic trioxide, AsOs with charcoal. Arsenic trioxide is produced by oxidation of arsenic present in the lead and copper concentrates during smelting of such concentrates. The trioxide so formed, readily volatilizes and is collected in a dust flue system where further treatment and roasting can upgrade the trioxide content. The trioxide vapors are then condensed and further purified by pressure leaching and recrystallization techniques. It is then reduced with charcoal to give metallic arsenic. 

Arsenic trioxide is obtained by roasting the mineral arsenopyrite, FeAsS, in air at 650 to 700°C. It is also obtained as a by-product during the smelting of... 

Huggins (1922) was the first investigator to assign structures to sphalerite, wurtzite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, marcasite, arsenopyrite, and other sulfide minerals in which each sulfur atom forms four tetrahedrally directed covalent bonds with surrounding atoms. These structures would be described as involving quadricovalent argononic S2+. 

Main opaque minerals are chalcopyrite, cassiterite, stannite, arsenopyrite, bismuth-inite, pyrrhotite and sphalerite. The FeS content of sphalerite is high (about 18 mol% FeS). 

Opaque minerals include stibnite, jamesonite, cinnabar, gold, pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, marcasite, sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite. 

The ore minerals display a zonal distribution gold and cinnabar are enriched in the upper part of the veins, and sphalerite, galena and chalcopyrite are more abundant in the deeper parts. Pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite are distributed throughout the veins. 

From the mode of occurrence of opaque minerals it is considered that pyrrhotite and sphalerite were precipitated at an early-stage, gold, pyrite, marcasite, stibnite and cinnabar were precipitated at a late-stage, and arsenopyrite was precipitated throughout the mineralization period. 

Main opaque minerals include native gold, electrum, pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopy-rite, cubanite, sphalerite, arsenopyrite and tellurobismutite. The amounts of these sulfide minerals are poor, compared with those in epithermal Au-Ag vein-type deposits. It is noteworthy that silver minerals are abundant in epithermal Au-Ag vein-type deposits, whereas they are poor in gold-quartz veins. 

The veins are composed mostly of quartz and a small amount of sulfide minerals (pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena), carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite) and gold, and include breccias of the host rocks with carbonaceous matters. Layering by carbonaceous matters has been occasionally observed in the veins. Banding structure, wall rock alteration and an evidence of boiling of fluids that are commonly observed in epithermal veins have not been usually found. 

The adsorption of collectors on sulfide mineral occurs by two separate mechanisms chemical and electrochemical. The former results in the presence of chemisorbed metal xanthate (or other thiol collector ion) onto the mineral surface. The latter yields an oxidation product (dixanthogen if collector added is xanthate) that is the hydrophobic species adsorbed onto the mineral surface. The chemisorption mechanism is reported to occur with galena, chalcocite and sphalerite minerals, whereas electrochemical oxidation is reportedly the primary mechanism for pyrite, arsenopyrite, and pyrrhotite minerals. The mineral, chalcopyrite, is an example where both the mechanisms are known to be operative. Besides these mechanisms, the adsorption of collectors can be explained from the point of interfacial energies involved between air, mineral, and solution. 

Free gold, which is locked in sulfide minerals, usually pyrite and arsenopyrite this is the most common reason for refractoriness. 

Like other fluorite deposits, the Albigeois ores are notable for their high grade. In veins of the Le Bure deposit, for example, fluorite comprises 90% of the ore volume (Deloule, 1982). Accessory minerals include quartz (SiCh), siderite (FeCCL), chalcopyrite (CuFeSg), and small amounts of arsenopyrite (AsFeS). The deposits occur in a tectonically complex terrain dominated by metamorphic, plutonic, and volcanic rocks and sediments. 

Arsenic is a major constituent of at least 245 mineral species, of which arsenopyrite is the most common (NAS 1977). In general, background concentrations of arsenic are 0.2 to 15 mg/kg in the lithosphere, 0.005 to 0.1 pg/m3 in air, <10 pg/L in water, and <15 mg/kg in soil (NRCC 1978 ATSDR 1992). The commercial use and production of arsenic compounds have raised local concentrations in the environment far above the natural background concentrations (Table 28.1). 

KEYWORDS indicator minerals, till geochemistry, IOCG, NICO, arsenopyrite... 

Six sulphide species were observed in the non-ferromagnetic heavy mineral concentrates (NFM-HMCs) of bedrock samples arsenopyrite pyrite > chalcopyrite > bismuthinite = molybdenite = cobaltite. Chalcopyrite, pyrite and bismuthinite do survive in near-surface till but only in minor amounts (<8 grains/sample). Although the Co-rich composition of arsenopyrite is possibly the strongest vector to Au-rich polymetallic mineralization in the study area, sandsized arsenopyrite is absent in C-horizon tills, suggesting that arsenopyrite more readily oxidizes than chalcopyrite and pyrite in till, and therefore is an impractical indicator mineral to detect mineralization using surficial sediments at NICO. 

Flotation of gold-bearing sulphides from ores containing base metal sulphides present many challenges and should be viewed as flotation of the particular mineral that contains gold (i.e. pyrite, arsenopyrite, copper, etc.), because gold is usually associated with these minerals at micron size. 

The most important tin deposits are hydrothermal deposits (hypothermal and mesothermal). The magmatic deposits do not often contain tin mineralization. Tin may also be present in pegmatitic ore bodies. However, tin found in pegmatitic deposits can be classified into two basic types (a) quartz-cassiterite lenses in granite, when cassiterite is associated with topaz, beryl and, to a lesser degree, sulphides (b) sulphide deposits, where tin is mainly cassiterite associated with arsenopyrite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite. Such deposits are common in South America (Peru, Bolivia). 

Depending on the composition of disseminated and medium-coarse-grained ore, they can be divided into two basic groups sulphides and chloritic tourmaline ores. In the sulphide ore, the minerals are represented by pyrite, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, galena and stannin. Less common are sphalerite and bismuth. 

In general, the run-of-mine ore is composed of quartz and silicates, 40-50%, and sulphides (pyrite, marcasite, pyrrhotite and arsenopyrite). The principal tin mineral is cassiterite, with minor amounts of stannite. Based on liberation studies, a large portion of the tin is liberated at 300-400 pm size. A portion of the tin is liberated at-12 pm size. The generalized gravity concentration flowsheet is shown in Figure 21.9. 

Occurrence. Arsenic is associated with sulphide minerals (As4S4 realgar, As2S3 orpiment, FeAsS arsenopyrite, Cu3AsS4, enargite, etc.). Occasionally arsenic is found as free element, usually in ore containing cobalt, antimony, nickel. 

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