Unlocking Strategic and Critical Raw Materials: Assessment of Zinc and REEs Enrichment in Tailings and Zn-Carbonate in a Historical Mining Area (Montevecchio, SW Sardinia)

Abstract

Mining wastes are often both a potential source of Strategic and Critical Raw Materials (SRMs and CRMs) and a threat to the environment. This study investigated the potential of mining wastes from the Montevecchio district of Sardinia, Italy, as a source of SRMs and CRMs. The tailings from Sanna mine processing plant were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, and Plasma Mass Spectometry, showing contents of 1.2 wt% of lead, 2.6 wt% of zinc, and about 600 mg/kg of Rare Earth Elements (REEs). White patinas formed in the riverbed, composed by Zn-bearing minerals (hydrozincite and zincite), also contain about 2900 mg/kg of REEs. Characterization of white patinas along the Rio Roia Cani evidenced that their precipitation from water also involves an uptake of Rare Earth Elements, enhancing their contents by an order of magnitude compared with tailings. The process of REEs concentration in Zn-bearing minerals of white patinas is a candidate as a tool for the economic recovery of these elements. These findings suggest that mining wastes from the Montevecchio district could be considered a potential resource for extracting SRMs and CRMs.