Abstract

MASSUELA-CALENGA, David et al. Chemical and mineralogical characterization of the environmental liabilities generated by marble mining in Namibe, Angola. Min. Geol. [online]. 2022, vol.38, n.3, pp. 277-287.  Epub Sep 30, 2022. ISSN 1993-8012.

The extraction of marble from the Rokáfrica mine has generated a mining environmental liability, which is the subject of a chemical and mineralogical characterization in order to determine possible uses of these wastes. For the analysis, five experimental samples were made from a 5,000 kg composite sample. Chemical tests were performed by atomic absorption spectrometry; mineralogical tests were performed by X-ray diffractometry, using the powder method. Significant contents of CaO, SiO2, MgO, Al2O3, Fe2O3, K2O and Na2O were found in these residues, with average CaO and NPK contents of 38.99 % and 4 %, respectively. Quartz, feldspar, micas and carbonates were detected as main mineralogical phases. These results suggest that this mining environmental liability has prospects for use as construction material and for agriculture.

Keywords : mining environmental liabilities; marble mining; Rokafrica mine; waste management; Namibe.

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