Sources of seismic noise in an open-pit mining environment.

We present the characterization of the sources of vibration in the open-pit Riotinto mine (southern Spain), based on the data recorded by a dense seismic network of 30 stations located along a 1-km long segment of a tailings dam. We describe the most common transient signals detected, including local and distant earthquakes, blasting and vehicles. The time variations in the amplitude of the 10-40 Hz frequency band are then used to define three phases of activity during the recording period.

Selective recovery of antimony from Sb-bearing copper concentrates by integration of alkaline sulphide leaching solutions and microwave-assisted heating: A new sustainable processing route.

The technical feasibility of leaching antimony from an antimony-bearing copper sulphide concentrate, using alkaline sulphide solutions and microwave-assisted and non-assisted heating technology, is investigated at a laboratory scale. The leaching test examines the influence of selective leaching reagent (NaS and NaOH) concentrations, solid/liquid ratio, and temperature. The results indicate that antimony dissolution is highly selective (e.