scholarly journals Thermodynamic Constraints on REE Mineral Paragenesis in the Bayan Obo REE-Nb-Fe Deposit, China

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 495
Author(s):  
Shang Liu ◽  
Lin Ding ◽  
Hong-Rui Fan

Hydrothermal processes have played a significant role in rare earth element (REE) precipitation in the Bayan Obo REE-Nb-Fe deposit. The poor preservation of primary fluid inclusions and superposition or modification by multiphase hydrothermal activities have made identification of physico-chemical conditions of ore-forming fluids extremely difficult. Fortunately, with more and more reliable thermodynamic properties of aqueous REE species and REE minerals reported in recent years, a series of thermodynamic calculations are conducted in this study to provide constraints on REE precipitation in hydrothermal solutions, and provide an explanation of typical paragenesis of REE and gangue minerals at Bayan Obo. During the competition between fluocerite and monazite for LREE in the modelled solution (0.1 M HCl, 0.1 M HF and 0.1 M trichloride of light rare earth elements (LREE) from La to Sm), all LREE would eventually be hosted by monazite at a temperature over 300 °C, with continuous introduction of H3PO4. Additionally, monazite of heavier LREE would precipitate earlier, indicating that the Ce- and La-enriched monazite at Bayan Obo was crystallized from Ce and La pre-enriched hydrothermal fluids. The fractionation among LREE occurred before the ore-forming fluids infiltrating ore-hosting dolomite. When CO2 (aq) was introduced to the aqueous system (model 1), bastnaesite would eventually and completely replace monazite-(Ce). Cooling of hot hydrothermal fluids (>400 °C) would significantly promote this replacement, with only about one third the cost of CO2 for the entire replacement when temperature dropped from 430 °C to 400 °C. Sole dolomite addition (model 2) would make bastnaesite replace monazite and then be replaced by parisite. The monazite-(Ce) replaced by associated bastnaesite and apatite is an indicator of very hot hydrothermal fluids (>400 °C) and specific dolomite/fluid ratios (e.g., initial dolomite at 1 kbar: 0.049–0.068 M and 0.083–0.105 M at 400 °C and 430 °C). In hot solution (>430 °C) that continuously interacts with dolomite, apatite precipitates predating the bastnaesite, but it behaves oppositely at <400 °C. The former paragenesis is in accord with petrography observed in this study. Some mineral pairs, such as monazite-(Ce)-fluorite and monazite-(Ce)-parisite would never co-precipitate at any calculated temperature or pressure. Therefore, their association implies multiphase hydrothermal activities. Pressure variation would have rather limited influence on the paragenesis of REE minerals. However, temperature and fluid composition variation (e.g., CO2 (aq), dolomite, H3PO4) would cause significantly different associations between REE and gangue minerals.

Geofluids ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily P. Perry ◽  
Alexander P. Gysi

Studying the speciation and mineral-fluid partitioning of the rare earth elements (REE) allows us to delineate the key processes responsible for the formation of economic REE mineral deposits in natural systems. Hydrothermal REE-bearing calcite is typically hosted in carbonatites and alkaline rocks, such as the giant Bayan Obo REE deposit in China and potential REE deposits such as Bear Lodge, WY. The compositions of these hydrothermal veins yield valuable information regarding pressure (P), temperature (T), salinity, and other physicochemical conditions under which the REE can be fractionated and concentrated in crustal fluids. This study presents numerical simulation results of the speciation of REE in aqueous NaCl-H2O-CO2-bearing hydrothermal fluids and a new partitioning model between calcite and fluids at different P-T-x conditions. Results show that, in a high CO2 and low salinity system, bicarbonate/carbonate are the main transporting ligands for the REE, but predominance shifts to chloride complexes in systems with high CO2 and high salinity. Hydroxyl REE complexes may be important for the solubility and transport of the REE in alkaline fluids. These numerical predictions allow us to make quantitative interpretations of hydrothermal processes in REE mineral deposits, particularly in carbonatites, and show where future experimental work will be essential in improving our modeling capabilities for these ore-forming processes.


2000 ◽  
Vol 663 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Gieré ◽  
J. Malmström ◽  
E. Reusser ◽  
G.R. Lumpkin ◽  
M. Düggelin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTSynthetic zirconolite (CaZrTi2O7) doped with rare earth elements (REEs) and Hf has been subjected to corrosion tests in a closed system at elevated temperature and pressure in fluids with various compositions. Together with previous studies, the results indicate only a very weak corrosion below 250°C at a pressure of 50 MPa. Above that temperature and up to 500°C zirconolite suffers from relatively rapid corrosion and, depending on the fluid composition, it may be covered by various secondary phases. Above 500°C in Na-rich fluids, zirconolite is replaced by perovskiteand calzirtite (nominally CaTiO3 and Ca2r5Ti2O16, respectively), but theREEs and Hf (acting as actinide analogues and/or neutron absorbers) are almost quantitatively incorporated into the secondary phases. The breakdown of zirconolite and its replacement by other phases in the laboratory tests are comparable to reactions observed in natural systems. Additional experiments with U-doped zirconolite revealed differences in the behavior of the used actinide analogues (Nd, Ce, Gd)and U during corrosion. The results of this study, together with observations on natural samples, strongly support the use of zirconolite-based ceramic waste forms for actinide-rich wastes.


Author(s):  
Mizuki Ishida ◽  
Rurik Romero ◽  
Mathieu Leisen ◽  
Kazutaka Yasukawa ◽  
Kentaro Nakamura ◽  
...  

AbstractPyrite geochemistry has proven useful for tracking changes in the composition and physico-chemical conditions of hydrothermal fluids in ore-forming environments. Here, we investigated the microtextural features and chemical composition of pyrite, a main Au-bearing phase in the Akeshi and Kasuga deposits (Southern Kyushu, Japan), to better constrain the ore-forming processes in these high-sulfidation epithermal Au deposits. Despite the widespread distribution of Au-bearing pyrite in both deposits, no visible Au minerals coexist with pyrite. However, in situ laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry results show that Au concentrations in pyrite vary from below the detection limit to 41 ppm and are positively correlated with Cu (r = 0.4; up to 7400 ppm) and Bi concentrations (r = 0.44; up to 640 ppm). In both deposits, high Cu and Au concentrations occur in small (< 25 μm) anhedral grains of pyrite, which are interpreted to have rapidly crystallized from the ore-forming hydrothermal fluid. In addition, dissolution–reprecipitation textures and thin, concentric, Cu-rich overgrowths were identified in a number of larger (> 25 μm) pyrite grains and aggregates. These abrupt changes in the trace element compositions of pyrite grains likely record episodic metal-rich fluid inputs. We also propose that gold adsorption onto growing pyrite surfaces played a key role in the mineralization of these deposits.


1963 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.M. Savitskii ◽  
V.F. Terekhova ◽  
O.P. Naumkin

2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (10-11) ◽  
pp. 371-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Araki ◽  
J. M. González ◽  
E. de Luis ◽  
E. Bécares

The viability of Parascaris equorum eggs was studied in two experimental pilot-scale high-rate algal ponds (HRAPs) working in parallel with 4 and 10 days hydraulic retention time respectively. Semi-permeable bags of cellulose (15000 daltons pore size) were used to study the effect of physico-chemical conditions on the survival of these helminth eggs. Three thousand eggs were used in each bag. Replicates of these bags were submerged for 4 and 10 days in the HRAPs and egg viability was compared with that in control bags submerged in sterile water. After 4 days exposure, 60% reduction in viability was achieved, reaching 90% after 10 days, much higher than the 16% and 25% found in the control bags for 4 and 10 days respectively. Ionic conditions of the HRAP may have been responsible for up to 50–60% of the egg mortality, suggesting that mortality due to the ionic environment could be more important than physical retention and other potential removal factors.


Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 725
Author(s):  
Ludmila B. Damdinova ◽  
Bulat B. Damdinov

This article discusses the peculiarities of mineral composition and a fluid inclusions (FIs further in the text) study of the Kholtoson W and Inkur W deposits located within the Dzhida W-Mo ore field (Southwestern Transbaikalia, Russia). The Mo mineralization spatially coincides with the apical part of the Pervomaisky stock (Pervomaisky deposit), and the W mineralization forms numerous quartz veins in the western part of the ore field (Kholtoson vein deposit) and the stockwork in the central part (Inkur stockwork deposit). The ore mineral composition is similar at both deposits. Quartz is the main gangue mineral; there are also present muscovite, K-feldspar, and carbonates. The main ore mineral of both deposits is hubnerite. In addition to hubnerite, at both deposits, more than 20 mineral species were identified; they include sulfides (pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, bornite, etc.), sulfosalts (tetrahedrite, aikinite, stannite, etc.), oxides (scheelite, cassiterite), and tellurides (hessite). The results of mineralogical and fluid inclusions studies allowed us to conclude that the Inkur W and the Kholtoson W deposits were formed by the same hydrothermal fluids, related to the same ore-forming system. For both deposits, the fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures varied within the range ~195–344 °C. The presence of cogenetic liquid- and vapor-dominated inclusions in the quartz from the ores of the Kholtoson deposit allowed us to estimate the true temperature range of mineral formation as 413–350 °C. Ore deposition occurred under similar physical-chemical conditions, differing only in pressures of mineral formation. The main factors of hubnerite deposition from hydrothermal fluids were decreases in temperature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Callegari ◽  
Elena Crotti ◽  
Marco Fusi ◽  
Ramona Marasco ◽  
Elena Gonella ◽  
...  

AbstractThe core gut microbiome of adult honeybee comprises a set of recurring bacterial phylotypes, accompanied by lineage-specific, variable, and less abundant environmental bacterial phylotypes. Several mutual interactions and functional services to the host, including the support provided for growth, hormonal signaling, and behavior, are attributed to the core and lineage-specific taxa. By contrast, the diversity and distribution of the minor environmental phylotypes and fungal members in the gut remain overlooked. In the present study, we hypothesized that the microbial components of forager honeybees (i.e., core bacteria, minor environmental phylotypes, and fungal members) are compartmentalized along the gut portions. The diversity and distribution of such three microbial components were investigated in the context of the physico-chemical conditions of different gut compartments. We observed that changes in the distribution and abundance of microbial components in the gut are consistently compartment-specific for all the three microbial components, indicating that the ecological and physiological interactions among the host and microbiome vary with changing physico-chemical and metabolic conditions of the gut.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 734-743
Author(s):  
Ran Zhao ◽  
ZiChen Tian ◽  
Zengwu Zhao

AbstractBayan Obo tailings are rich in rare earth elements (REEs), iron, and other catalytic active substances. In this study, mine tailings were calcined at different temperatures and tested for the catalytic combustion of low-concentration methane. Upon calcination at 600°C, high catalytic activity was revealed, with 50% CH4 conversion at 587°C (space velocity of 12,000 mL/g h). The physicochemical properties of catalysts were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Compared to the raw ore sample, the diffraction peak intensity of Fe2O3 increased post calcination, whereas that of CeCO3F decreased. A porous structure appeared after the catalyst was calcined at 600°C. Additionally, Fe, Ce, Ti, and other metal elements were more highly dispersed on the catalyst surface. H2-TPR results revealed a broadening of the reduction temperature range for the catalyst calcined at 600°C and an increase in the reduction peak. XPS analysis indicated the presence of Ce in the form of Ce3+ and Ce4+ oxidation states and the coexistence of Fe in the form of Fe2+ and Fe3+. Moreover, XPS revealed a higher surface Oads/Olatt ratio. This study provides evidence for the green reuse of Bayan Obo mine tailings in secondary resources.


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