Caracterização de estéreis da mineração de diamantes na Mina de Romaria, Minas Gerais, visando sua utilização na indústria cerâmica

Abstract

The extraction and processing of diamonds in the city of Romaria, Alto Paranaíba region, carried out by the company GAR Diamond Mining, generates a large amount of sterile and tailings, causing the degradation of the quality of the environment. Faced with this environmental issue, the interest arose in investigating the possibility of allocating part of the mine's sterile volume to the manufacture of red ceramic as an aggregate or not of another material that is already used in production. The methodology of the work consisted of the description and characterization of waste material from this mining activity through the description of the materials in the mining fronts, granulometric distribution tests, plasticity, differential thermal analysis, dilatometric analysis, chemical analysis, dry strength and natural shrinkage , and the technological behavior of a traditional “blend” of ceramics from the region mixed with these materials, through tests of firing retraction, water absorption and mechanical resistance. Based on the results, it was possible to verify that the steriles have physical and mineralogical characteristics inferior to those of conventional ceramic raw materials, but their mixture generated components with properties within the specifications of the brazilian standardization for structural ceramics, specifically the production of tiles. In addition, the incorporation of these materials in the dough compositions can lead to a decrease in the search for new areas with quality raw materials. It is concluded that research for the reuse of materials that generate environmental liabilities should be better used and incorporated into recovery plans for areas degraded by mining.