Journal of Mineral and Material Science
[ ISSN : 2833-3616 ]
SEM and EDS Mineral Analysis of the Cerro Papagayo Iron Manganese Deposit from Uruguay
Departamento de Geociencias, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Ruta 8 km 282, Treinta y Tres, Uruguay
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Abstract
T he mineralogy of the Cerro Papagayo Fe-Mn deposit after beneficiation, involving crushing and magnetic separation is studied by SEM-EDS analysis. The ore and the mineral concentrate show a great mineral complexity with the presence of quartz, Mn-bearing silicate phases and Fe-Mn oxides of the magnetite-jacobsite series and high Mn oxides such as braunite, byxbite and hausmanite. The spessartine garnet and Mn-clinopyroxene are the most abundant silicates. Mn-Fe Al hydroxides shows botroidal porous texture with high phosphorous content up to 1.5 wt% and identified as a probable contaminant for the Fe concentrate. The abundant presence of Mn-Fe oxides mineral grains up to 1 mm of the gangue mineral suggest their evaluation as a potential resource of Mn.