RT Journal Article
T1 Evidence of rare earth elements origin in acid mine drainage from the Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain)
A1 León Cortegano, Rafael
A1 Macías Suárez, Francisco
A1 Ruiz Cánovas, Carlos
A1 Millán Becerro, Ricardo
A1 Pérez López, Rafael
A1 Ayora, Carlos
A1 Nieto Liñán, José Miguel
AB Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a worldwide pollution problem of watersheds. In addition to toxic metal(oid)s andacidity, many elements of economic interest are released into the environment, which make AMD a potentialstrategic secondary source of these elements such as rare earth elements (REE). Despite the importance of thesemetals, their origin in AMD is still uncertain. Recent hypotheses suggest preferential leaching of REE-enrichedminerals as a possible source. Leaching tests with H2SO4 have been developed to simulate the interactionunder AMD formation conditions with sulfide bodies and host rocks from two representative mining areas in theIberian Pyrite Belt: the Perrrunal and Poderosa mines (SW of Spain). The REE patterns and Ce and Eu anomaliesof the rock leachates have confirmed the geochemical relationship between the AMD and certain country rocks(felsic and mafic volcanics, and shales). A detailed chemical and mineralogical study has confirmed the existenceof a diversity of minerals with high concentrations of REE. Thus, the minerals with the highest REE contents arealso those with the fast dissolution kinetics under acid conditions: REE phosphates (monazite and xenotime type)and carbonates (parisite type). Finally, petrographic evidence of the selective leaching of these minerals clearlysupports these minerals as the main source of REE in the AMD.
PB Elsevier
SN 0169-1368
SN 1872-7360 (electrónico)
YR 2023
FD 2023-02
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/22219
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/22219
LA eng
NO León, R., Macías, F., R. Cánovas, C., Millán-Becerro, R., Pérez-López, R., Ayora, C., & Nieto, J. M. (2023). Evidence of rare earth elements origin in acid mine drainage from the Iberian Pyrite Belt (SW Spain). In Ore Geology Reviews (Vol. 154, p. 105336). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2023.105336
NO This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the research project TRAMPA (MINECO; PID2020-119196RB-C21). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBUA.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026