Cobalto, explotación y desarrollo en minería
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2018
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es
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Universidad Andrés Bello
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Licencia CC
Licencia CC
Resumen
El trabajo de título expone diversas recomendaciones en cuanto a la explotación de cobalto en Chile, de los cuales se hace una comparativa con aquellos países que contribuyen a la producción mundial del mismo. Si bien, existen una gran cantidad de usos para el cobalto, el factor que ha impulsado el aumento del precio en los últimos años, va basado en las baterías de litio con contenido de cobalto, de los cuales, la electromovilidad y telefonía móvil, son aquellas razones que han hecho al cobalto un commoditie importante.
Grandes productores de cobalto a nivel mundial incluyendo a Rusia, Australia, Canadá y República Democrática del Congo, han podido satisfacer gran parte de la demanda de los últimos años, pero al acrecentarse la necesidad de creación de baterías en función de políticas empresariales de acuerdo a la seguridad y cuidado del medio ambiente, estos se han vistos sobrepasados, esto incluyendo además el seguimiento de la producción de dichos minerales de las empresas, lo cual posiciona a la RDC como uno de los países con más baja condiciones de trabajo en cuanto a minas en el mundo, además de problemas políticos dentro del país y acompañado además de guerras civiles desatadas. Siendo estos hechos perjudiciales para dicho país, debido a la posible no compra de parte de empresas demandante de cobalto.
De acuerdo al análisis hecho y lo expuesto anteriormente, Chile presenta un potencial de cobalto considerable en el norte del país, dando así una oportunidad para poder desarrollar minería alternativa (que no sea cobre) dentro del país. Además de tener en cuenta que el cobalto se asocia a minerales de cobre y níquel generalmente.
Estas zonas que presentan cobalto se encuentran específicamente en las regiones de Coquimbo, Atacama y Metropolitana, presentando mineralizaciones como eritrina, skutterudita, cobaltita y pirita cobaltífera, distribuidas en los distritos de San Juan y Tambillos, además de estar presente en menor proporción en el sector de Cajón del Maipo, las cuales presentan concentraciones entre 0.01% a 0.8%. Debido a las bajas concentraciones presentes, distribuidas en estos distritos, se llega a la conclusión y recomendación de extracción de cobalto como un subproducto de cobre o níquel, lo que hace que dependa netamente del producto primario, condicionando su método de extracción. Sin embargo, en función de las distintas características de los yacimientos estudiados en los distintos distritos, de los cuales, la mayor profundidad en que se presenta cobalto es del orden de 100 a 200mts de profundidad, lo que se llegó a una conclusión en el contexto de extraer solo cobalto como mineral primario, de explotarlo con un método a cielo abierto. Para el distrito San Juan, se evaluó preliminarmente con costos extraídos de Katanga Mining, una de las principales mineras en la República Democrática del Congo, lo cual, en base a sus costos operacionales, combinados con las leyes y reservas nacionales, se obtiene un beneficio aproximado de 3.2MUS$ de extracción solo en 2 zonas evaluadas.
Además, se recomienda la utilización de métodos de procesamiento de planta en función de extracción de cobre como producto primario (ya que Chile es mayormente productor de cobre), clasificando los procesos para óxidos y sulfuros, así como para arseniuros de cobalto, los cuales estos últimos, presentan mayor dificultad en cuanto a las emisiones de agentes nocivos tanto para el personal como para el medioambiente.
Por otro lado, uno de los potenciales que posiblemente se podría presentar en Chile, en conjunto con la extracción de cobalto como subproducto, es la recuperación de relaves, de las cuales según reportes de SERNAGEOMIN, todos los relaves, tanto activos, abandonados o inactivos, presentan concentración de cobalto dentro del rango de < 5ppm a 871ppm. Las mayores concentraciones de cobalto en relaves, fueron aquellas provenientes de la minería del cobre, de los cuales, pueden presentar un gran potencial en cuanto a la recuperación tanto de cobre como de cobalto. Las recomendaciones realizadas, fueron en función del procesamiento de estos dos minerales anteriormente mencionados, descritos en 7 etapas distintas.
This title work exposes several recommendations regarding the exploitation of cobalt in Chile, where a comparison is made with those countries that contribute to the world production of it. While there are a lot of uses for cobalt, the factor that has driven the price increase in recent years, is based on lithium batteries with cobalt content, as it is in electromobility and mobile telephony, are those reasons that have made cobalt an important commodity. Large producers of cobalt worldwide, including Russia, Australia, Canada and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have been able to satisfy a large part of the demand of recent years, but as the need for battery creation increases according to business policies according to the safety and care of the environment, these have been surpassed, this also includes the monitoring of the production of these minerals from the companies, which positions the DRC as one of the countries with the lowest working conditions in terms of mines in the world, in addition to political problems within the country and accompanied by civil wars unleashed. These facts being detrimental to that country, due to the possible non-purchase of cobalt-demanding companies. According to the analysis made and the above, Chile presents a considerable cobalt potential in the north of the country, thus giving an opportunity to develop alternative mining (other than copper) within the country. In addition to taking into account that cobalt is usually associated with copper and nickel minerals. These zones occur in the regions of Coquimbo, Atacama and Metropolitana, presenting mineralizations such as erythrin, skutterudite, cobaltite and cobaltiferous pyrite, distributed in the districts of San Juan and Tambillos, as well as being here. of Cajón del Maipo, those that appear between 0.01% and 0.8%. As a result of the distribution of these data, the conclusion and result of the production of cobalt as a byproduct of copper or nickel is reached, which depends on its primary product, conditioning its extraction method. However, in the function of the different characteristics of the deposits studied in the different districts, of which, the greater depth in which the order of 100 to 200 meters of depth is presented, that a conclusion has been reached in the context To extract only cobalt as the primary mineral, to exploit it with an open-pit method. For the district of San Juan, it was preliminarily evaluated with costs extracted from Katanga Mining, one of the main mining companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based on its operational cost, combined with national laws and reserves, provides a approximate benefit of 3.2MUS $ of extraction only in 2 zones evaluated. In addition, it is recommended to use the plant operation methods of the copper extraction function as the primary product (since Chile is mainly copper producer), classifying the processes of the oxides and sulfides, as well as the arsenides. cobalt, which the latter have greater difficulty in terms of the emissions of harmful agents for both personnel and the environment. However, one of the results that can be presented in Chile, together with the extraction of cobalt as a by-product, is the recovery of tailings, SERNAGEOMIN reports. All tailings, both active, abandoned or inactive have a cobalt concentration in the range of <5 ppm to 871 ppm. Most of the sources of cobalt in the tailings, the results of copper mining, of which, may present a great potential in the recovery of both copper and cobalt. The recommendations made in the processing function of these two previously known minerals are described in 7 different stages.
This title work exposes several recommendations regarding the exploitation of cobalt in Chile, where a comparison is made with those countries that contribute to the world production of it. While there are a lot of uses for cobalt, the factor that has driven the price increase in recent years, is based on lithium batteries with cobalt content, as it is in electromobility and mobile telephony, are those reasons that have made cobalt an important commodity. Large producers of cobalt worldwide, including Russia, Australia, Canada and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, have been able to satisfy a large part of the demand of recent years, but as the need for battery creation increases according to business policies according to the safety and care of the environment, these have been surpassed, this also includes the monitoring of the production of these minerals from the companies, which positions the DRC as one of the countries with the lowest working conditions in terms of mines in the world, in addition to political problems within the country and accompanied by civil wars unleashed. These facts being detrimental to that country, due to the possible non-purchase of cobalt-demanding companies. According to the analysis made and the above, Chile presents a considerable cobalt potential in the north of the country, thus giving an opportunity to develop alternative mining (other than copper) within the country. In addition to taking into account that cobalt is usually associated with copper and nickel minerals. These zones occur in the regions of Coquimbo, Atacama and Metropolitana, presenting mineralizations such as erythrin, skutterudite, cobaltite and cobaltiferous pyrite, distributed in the districts of San Juan and Tambillos, as well as being here. of Cajón del Maipo, those that appear between 0.01% and 0.8%. As a result of the distribution of these data, the conclusion and result of the production of cobalt as a byproduct of copper or nickel is reached, which depends on its primary product, conditioning its extraction method. However, in the function of the different characteristics of the deposits studied in the different districts, of which, the greater depth in which the order of 100 to 200 meters of depth is presented, that a conclusion has been reached in the context To extract only cobalt as the primary mineral, to exploit it with an open-pit method. For the district of San Juan, it was preliminarily evaluated with costs extracted from Katanga Mining, one of the main mining companies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, based on its operational cost, combined with national laws and reserves, provides a approximate benefit of 3.2MUS $ of extraction only in 2 zones evaluated. In addition, it is recommended to use the plant operation methods of the copper extraction function as the primary product (since Chile is mainly copper producer), classifying the processes of the oxides and sulfides, as well as the arsenides. cobalt, which the latter have greater difficulty in terms of the emissions of harmful agents for both personnel and the environment. However, one of the results that can be presented in Chile, together with the extraction of cobalt as a by-product, is the recovery of tailings, SERNAGEOMIN reports. All tailings, both active, abandoned or inactive have a cobalt concentration in the range of <5 ppm to 871 ppm. Most of the sources of cobalt in the tailings, the results of copper mining, of which, may present a great potential in the recovery of both copper and cobalt. The recommendations made in the processing function of these two previously known minerals are described in 7 different stages.
Notas
Tesis (Ingeniero Civil en Minas)
Palabras clave
Cobalto, Minería, Chile