The Alvarrões-Gonçalo Li project: an example of sustainable lithium mining

Abstract

Across Europe, small scale deposits of critical materials and/or strategic elements, such as W, Li and Sn, are not viable to mine and process using the traditional large scale mining and processing technologies due to their geological characteristics. Project FAME (Flexible And Mobile Economic Processing Technologies, EC Horizon 2020 Grant Agreement No. 641650) was created in order to specifically address the technical and environmental challenges to the sustainable processing of low sulphide ores from pegmatites, greisens and skarns deposits. One of the deposits, Alvarrões-Gonçalo, is a Li pegmatite located at the Gonçalo pegmatite field (Central Portugal) that is being investigated on the scope of the concerned project. Currently, the pegmatites are only being exploited for ceramics, aggregates and ornamental purposes, however, there is exploitation potential for Li2O-rich ores. Froth flotation is being tested to produce a lepidolite concentrate. Results showed the feasibility to obtain a Li2O grade adequate for the metallurgical production of lithium compounds as Li2CO3. The lepidolite flotation rejects, normally stored in tailings dumps, are mainly composed by a mixture of feldspars, quartz and non-recovered lepidolite (though a very low content), which is, by itself, a very interesting raw material for ceramic purposes. Consequently, mining exploitation of lepidolite, as Li2O ore, from pegmatite could comply with the standards of green mining, reaching an almost zero waste exploitation, as it can be accomplished in the case of the mineral processing of the Alvarrões-Gonçalo lithium ore. This basic scenario could be improved by applying froth flotation also for feldspars/quartz separation, aiming at obtaining a high content feldspars concentrate (floated) and a quartz product (non-floated): the feldspars concentrate can be used to produce blends with different ratios feldspars/quartz for sanitary ware and tiles and quartz for other uses, such as glasses and silica flour.