Extraccion y tratamiento del acero

EPA 530-R-94-030 NTIS PB94-195203

TECHNICAL RESOURCE DOCUMENT
EXTRACTION AND BENEFICIATION OF ORES AND MINERALS

VOLUME 3

IRON

August 1994

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste Special Waste Branch 401 M Street, SW Washington, DC 20460

Technical Resource Document: Iron DISCLAIMER AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This document was prepared by the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA). The mention of company or product names is not to be considered an endorsement by the U.S. Government or the EPA. This Technical Resource Document consists of two sections. The first section is EPA's Profile of the iron industry; the remaining section is a Site Visit Report from a site visit conducted by EPA. The Profile Section was distributed for review to the U.S.Department of the Interior's (DOI's) Bureau of Mines, the Western Governors' Association, the Interstate Mining Compact Commission, the American Mining Congress (AMC), the Mineral Policy Center, the National Audubon Society, and Public Interest Groups. Summaries of the comments and EPA's responses are presented as an appendix to the Profile Section. The Site Visit Section was reviewed by individualcompany, state, and Federal representatives who participated in the site visit. Comments and EPA responses are included as Appendices to the specific Site Visit Section. EPA is grateful to all individuals who took the time to review sections of this Technical Resource Document. The use of the terms "extraction," "beneficiation," and "mineral processing" in this document is not intended to classifyany waste streams for the purposes of regulatory interpretation or application. Rather, these terms are used in the context of common industry terminology.

i

Technical Resource Document: Iron TABLE OF CONTENTS Page DISCLAIMER AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i

1.0 MINING INDUSTRY PROFILE: IRON . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 1.2 ECONOMIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE INDUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 1.3 ORE CHARACTERIZATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1-6 1.3.1 Bedded Sedimentary Deposits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-10 1.3.1.1 Banded Iron-Formations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-10 1.3.1.2 Ironstone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-10 1.3.2 Igneous Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-11 1.3.3 Surface And Near-Surface Weathering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11 1.4 IRON MINING PRACTICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12 1.4.1 Extraction Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-12 1.4.2 Beneficiation Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14 1.4.2.1 Milling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-16 1.4.2.2 Magnetic Separation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-17 1.4.2.3 Flotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21 1.4.2.4 Gravity Concentration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24 1.4.2.5 Thickening/Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-24 1.4.2.6 Agglomeration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-26 1.5 WASTES AND OTHER MATERIALS...