Physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization of Jaspilite from CarajÁs, Brazil

The jaspilite is a characteristic rock of the Carajás formation, usually composed of jasper bands and iron minerals, and is currently classified as barren in the mines of the Carajás complex. The objective of this work was to contribute to the development of possible processing routes in order to allow the economic use of Carajás jaspilite. In order to reach this objective, the physical, chemical and mineralogical characterization of the jaspilite was carried out: Bond Work Index for the determination of energy consumption in the milling, X-ray diffraction for determination and quantification of the mineral species present, optical microscopy for minerals observation under reflected light and chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence. The analyzed jaspilite presented a Work Index superior to 15 kWh / t, 34,19% iron content and the identified mineral phases were quartz (47.3%), magnetite (41.5%), goethite (9.0%) and hematite (2.2%). From the results obtained, it is concluded that it is possible to trace processing routes for the economic use of Carajás jaspilito. (author)