Abstract
During diamond mining at Panna Mines, a huge amount of tailing is being generated, and the generated tailing is called Kimberlite tailings. The occurrence of diamonds in Kimberlite rock is about 10–12 carats per 100 tonnes of kimberlite rock. The total kimberlite tailings accumulated near mine site over several decades of diamond processing is more than 6 million tonnes. Additionally, about 0.9 million tonnes of tailings are being freshly generated every year. This creates serious issue of sustainability of diamond mining.
The chemical analysis of the recently collected Kimberlite sample revealed that MgO and SiO2 are major minerals with some quantity of CaO. The mineralogical studies indicate that highly altered in nature with Pyroxenes and phlogopite as major minerals and also very few anatase grains as the secondary remnant mineral were present in Kimberlite tailing. These Kimberlite waste needs to be utilized effectively to resolve the environmental issue due to storage of Kimberlite near mine site. Various value-added products like detergent grade Zeolite, Sodium Silicate, Amorphous Silica, etc., were also developed and patented. These patented technology can consume a very little amount of Kimberlite. For bulk utilization, NMDC Ltd has also explored the possibility of using Kimberlite in agriculture. The improvement in yield of crop was recorded after using Kimberlite as soil conditioner. Further attempts were made to utilize Kimberlite in iron ore sintering and pelletization. Initial results were encouraging.
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S K Chaurasiay and R Makandeya declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Chaurasiya, S.K., Markandeya, R. Characterization of Diamond-Bearing Kimberlite Mineral from Panna Mines and its Probable Uses: A Review. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. D 102, 531–538 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-021-00281-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-021-00281-2