Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

There is a general lack of reliable quantitative data on the mineralogy and spatial distribution of indium and other by-product metals in ore deposits. This contribution showcases a new approach to integrate by-product metals into geometallurgical assessments. As an example, it uses the distribution and deportment of indium at Neves-Corvo, a major European base-metal mine (Cu + Zn). This study is the first to develop a quantitative model of indium deportment in volcanic hosted massive sulfide ores, demonstrating how regularities in indium partitioning between different minerals can be used to predict its mineralogical deportment in individual drill-core samples. Bulk-ore assays of As, Cu, Fe, Pb, S, Sb, Sn, Zn, and In are found to be sufficient for reasonably accurate predictions. The movement of indium through the ore processing plants is well explained by its mineralogical deportment, allowing for specific mine and process planning. The novel methodologies implemented in this contribution should be of general applicability to the geometallurgical assessment of many other byproduct metals in polymetallic sulfide ores, including Ga, Ge, Mo, Re, Se, Te, as well as the noble metals.