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The flotation tailings of the former Pb-Zn mine of Touiref (NW Tunisia): mineralogy, mine drainage prediction, base-metal speciation assessment and geochemical modeling

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Abstract

The underground extraction of Pb-Zn mineralization in the Touiref area stopped in 1958. A large volume of flotation tailings (more than 500 Mt) containing sulfides were deposited in a tailings impoundment. The goals of this study are to evaluate the neutralization capacity of the unoxidized and oxidized tailings, to assess the speciation of metals between the different components of the tailings material, and to assess the mobility of metals and the secondary minerals’ precipitation in pore waters using geochemical modeling. To accomplish these objectives, representative samples from both fresh and oxidized zones were collected along a vertical profile through the tailings pile. Physical, chemical (ICP-MS), and mineralogical characterization (X-ray diffraction (XRD), reflected light microscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM)) of these samples was performed. Grain size analysis shows that the tailings are dominated by silt- to sand-sized fractions. The microscopic observation highlights the presence of pyrite, marcasite, galena, and sphalerite as primary minerals in a carbonated matrix. The study reveals also the presence of secondary minerals represented by cerussite, smithsonite, anglesite, and Fe oxi-hydroxides as important scavengers for trace elements. The static tests show that the presence of calcite in the tailing samples ensures acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC), which is significantly greater than the acidity potential (PA). The geochemical characterization of the unoxidized samples shows higher Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations than the oxidized samples containing the highest values for Fe and SO4. Sequential extraction tests show that significant percentages of metals are distributed between the acid-soluble fractions (Cd, Pb, and Zn) and the reducible one (Zn). Pore water analysis indicates that Ca is the dominant cation (8,170 and 6,200 mg L−1, respectively), whereas sulfate is the principal anion (6,900 and 5,100 mg L−1, respectively). Saturation index (SI) calculations of minerals in pore water extracted from both the oxidized and unoxidized samples are indicative of gypsum (SI >0) and Fe(III) oxides (SI ≫0) precipitation. The latter controls the Fe concentration in solution.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Tunisian Ministry of High Education and Scientific Research and the URSTM of the University of Quebec, Rouyn-Noranda, Canada. We are indebted to Mathieu Villeneuve, Benoit Plante, Erol Yilmaz, and Alain Perreault for their assistance and willingness to perform the experiments and analyses. We also thank Abbdelbaki Mansouri and Mohamed Jouirou from the Office National des Mines and Mohamed Ali Fedaoui and Fethi Ouerghi from the municipality of Touiref for their technical support. Our gratitude goes to the anonymous reviewers for their comments, which greatly improved the quality of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Ressources Minérale et Environnement, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Université de Tunis El Manar, 2092, Tunis, Tunisia

    Mohamed Ali Othmani

  2. Laboratoire des Matériaux Utiles, Institut National de Recherche et d’Analyse Physico-chimique, Pôle Technologique, Sidi Thabet, 2020, Tunis, Tunisia

    Fouad Souissi

  3. Unity of Research and Service in Mineral Technology, University Quebec, Rouyn-Noranda, Canada

    Hassan Bouzahzah, Bruno Bussière & Mostafa Benzaazoua

  4. Department of Geosciences, GeoBioTec-Geobiosciences, Geotechnologies and Geoengineering Research Center, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal

    Eduardo Ferreira da Silva

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  1. Mohamed Ali Othmani
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Othmani, M.A., Souissi, F., Bouzahzah, H. et al. The flotation tailings of the former Pb-Zn mine of Touiref (NW Tunisia): mineralogy, mine drainage prediction, base-metal speciation assessment and geochemical modeling. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 2877–2890 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3569-1

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