Simulation to recover niobium and tantalum from the tin slags of the old penouta mine: A case study

Demand for niobium and tantalum is increasing exponentially as these are essential ingre-dients for the manufacture of, among others, capacitors in technological devices and ferroniobium. Mine tailings rich in such elements could constitute an important source of Nb and Ta in the future and alleviate potential supply risks. This paper evaluates the possibility of recovering niobium and tantalum from the slags generated during the tin beneficiation process of mine tailings from the old Penouta mine, located in Spain. To do so, a simulation of the processes required to bene-ficiate and refine both elements is carried out. After carbothermic tin reduction, the slags are sent to a hydrometallurgical process where niobium oxide and tantalum oxide are obtained at the end. Reagents, water, and energy consumption, in addition to emissions, effluents, and product yields, are assessed. Certain factors were identified as critical, and recirculation was encouraged in the model to maximise production and minimise reagents’ use and wastes. With this simulation, considering 3000 production hours per year, the metal output from the tailings of the old mine could cover around 1% and 7.4% of the world annual Nb and Ta demand, respectively. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

The use of seismic arrays to study the seismo-volcanic source. The example of Mt Etna and Stromboli Volcano.

The properties of volcanic tremor wavefields at Mt Etna Volcano, Italy, are investigated using data from two dense, small aperture arrays of short-period seismometers deployed on the North and South flank of the volcano. Spectral analysis shows that most of the seismic energy is associated with several, narrow spectral peaks spanning the 1–5 Hz frequency band. Analysis of simultaneous recordings indicates that most of these peaks are common to different sites, thus suggesting a source effect as the origin of this energy. Frequency-slowness analyses show a complex wavefield, where body- and surface-waves alternatively dominate depending on the frequency band and the component of motion taken into account. Using a probabilistic approach, we invert slowness data measured at two dense arrays for retrieving source location and extent. The joint inversion of slowness data from the two arrays points to different source locations. This observation is interpreted in terms of ray bending associated with lateral heterogeneity and/or strong topographic effects on wave propagation. Once the propagation effects are taken into account, the most probable source location is a shallow region encompassing the summit craters and the eruptive fissures active at the time of the experiment. Data from two dense arrays of short-period seismometers are used to retrieve source locations of the explosion quakes at Stromboli volcano. Slowness vectors estimated at both arrays with the zero-lag cross-correlation technique constitute the experimental data set. A probabilistic approach based on a grid search spanning the volcano interior is used to calculate the probability of the source location. Results show a shallow source, located beneath the crater area, at depths not greater than 500 m below the surface

La equidad tributaria en las cooperativas financieras y las empresas de capitales en México

 El objetivo del trabajo se enfoca en realizar una comparación entre la estructura tributaria de las empresas de capitales y de las cooperativas financieras en México; considerando que las primeras se centran en la maximización de la riqueza, mientras que las cooperativas cumplen con objetivos sociales y económicos en beneficio de una colectividad. Lo que se pretende es esclarecer cuál es el rol del principio de equidad en los impuestos directos e indirectos que aplican a ambas figuras jurídicas e identificar las razones por las que se les otorgan incentivos tributarios. Para tal efecto fue seleccionado el método de investigación exegético y el estudio de la doctrina jurídica para el análisis de las normas que aplican al objeto de estudio. Hecho lo anterior, pudo establecerse que las cooperativas financieras y las empresas de capitales, están supeditadas a tratamientos diferenciados en materia tributaria, toda vez que existen argumentos justificados, para que a las primeras les sean asignados incentivos que atenúen o eliminen la carga fiscal, mediante reducciones o exenciones en el pago de determinados tributos, lo que de ninguna manera debe considerarse un privilegio, sino el reconocimiento por parte del Estado, de la contribución que las cooperativas hacen en favor del desarrollo nacional; no obstante, al mismo tiempo se presentan desventajas regulatorias frente a las empresas de capitales, lo que impide que las cooperativas se posiciones competitivamente en el mercado.--------------------------------------------------------------------------The aim of this paper is to compare the tax structure of capital companies and financial cooperatives in Mexico; considering that the former focus on the maximization of wealth, while cooperatives fulfill social and economic objectives for the benefit of a community. The goal is to clarify the role of the principle of equity in the direct and indirect taxes that apply to both legal entities and to identify the reasons by which are granted tax incentives. For this purpose, the method of exegetical research and the study of legal doctrine for the analysis of the norms that applied to the object of study were selected. As a result, it was possible to establish that financial cooperatives and capital companies are liable to differentiated treatment in tax matters, since there are justified arguments, so that the former are given incentives to mitigate or eliminate the tax burden, through Reductions or exemptions in the payment of certain taxes, which in no way should be considered a privilege, but the recognition by the State of the contribution that cooperatives make in favor of national development; However, at the same time there are regulatory disadvantages vis-à-vis capital companies, which prevents cooperatives from competing in the market.Artículo revisado por pare

Geodynamic evolution of the lithosphere and upper mantle beneath the Alboran region of the western Mediterranean: Constraints from travel time tomography

An edited version of this paper was published by the American Geophysical Union. Copyright 2000, AGU. See also: http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2000/2000JB900024.shtml; http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/morocco/publications/calvert2000.htmA number of different geodynamic models have been proposed to explain the extension that occurred during the Miocene in the Alboran Sea region of the western Mediterranean despite the continued convergence and shortening of northern Africa and southern Iberia. In an effort to provide additional geophysical constraints on these models, we performed a local, regional, and teleseismic tomographic travel time inversion for the lithospheric and upper mantle velocity structure and earthquake locations beneath the Alboran region in an area of 800 x 800 km^2. We picked P and S arrival times from digital and analog seismograms recorded by 96 seismic stations in Morocco and Spain between 1989 and 1996 and combined them with arrivals carefully selected from local and global catalogs (1964-1998) to generate a starting data set containing over 100,000 arrival times. Our results indicate that a N-S line of intermediate depth earthquakes extending from crustal depths significantly inland from the southern Iberian coat to depths of over 100 km beneath the center of the Alboran Sea coincided with a W to E transition from high to low velocities imaged in the uppermost mantle. A high-velocity body, striking approximately NE-SW, is imaged to dip southeastwards from lithospheric depths beneath the low-velocity region to depths of ~350 km. Between 350 and 500 km the imaged velocity anomalies become more diffuse. However, pronounced high-velocity anomalies are again imaged at 600 km near an isolated cluster of deep earthquakes. In addition to standard tomographic methods of error assessment, the effects of systematic and random errors were assessed using block shifting and bootstrap resampling techniques, respectively. We interpret the upper mantle high-velocity anomalies as regions of colder mantle that originate from lithospheric depths. These observations, when combined with results from other studies, suggest that delamination of a continental lithosphere played an important role in the Neogene and Quaternary evolution of the region

Propagation of regional seismic phases (Lg and Sn) and Pn velocity structure along the Africa-Iberia plate boundary zone

An edited version of this paper was published by Blackwell Publishing. Copyright 2000, Blackwell Publishing. See also: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-246x.2000.00160.x; http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/morocco/publications/calvert2000GJI.htmWe used over 1000 regional waveforms recorded by 60 seismic stations located in northwest Africa and Iberia to map the efficiency of L g and Sn wave propagation beneath the Gulf of Cadiz, Alboran Sea and bounding Betic, Rif and Atlas mountain belts. Crustal attenuation is inferred from the tomographic inversion of L g/Pg amplitude ratios. Upper mantle attenuation is inferred from maps of Sn propagation efficiency derived by inversion of well-defined qualitative efficiency assignments based on waveform characteristics. Regions of L g attenuation correlate well with areas of thinned continental or oceanic crust, significant sedimentary basins, and lateral crustal variations. Comparison of the Sn efficiency results with velocities obtained from an anisotropic Pn traveltime inversion shows a fairly good correlation between regions of poor Sn efficiency and low Pn velocity. A low Pn velocity (7.6?7.8 km s-1) and significant Sn attenuation in the uppermost mantle is imaged beneath the Betics in southern Spain, in sharp contrast to the relatively normal Pn velocity (8.0?8.1 km s-1) and efficient Sn imaged beneath the Alboran Sea. Slow Pn velocity anomalies are also imaged beneath the Rif and Middle Atlas in Morocco. We do not identify any conclusive evidence of lithospheric-scale upper mantle attenuation beneath the Rif, although the crust in the Gibraltar region appears highly attenuating, making observations at stations in this region ambiguous. Paths crossing the Gulf of Cadiz, eastern Atlantic and the Moroccan and Iberian mesetas show very efficient Sn propagation and are imaged with high Pn velocities (8.1?8.2 km s-1). The spatial distribution of attenuation and velocity anomalies lead us to conclude that some recovery of the mantle lid beneath the Alboran Sea must have occurred since the early Miocene episode of extension and volcanism. We interpret the low velocity and attenuating regions beneath the Betics and possibly the Rif as indicating the presence of partial melt in the uppermost mantle which may be underlain by faster less attenuating mantle. In the light of observations from other geophysical and geological studies, the presence of melt at the base of the Betic crust may be an indication that delamination of continental lithosphere has played a role in the Neogene evolution of the Alboran Sea region

Superhydrophobic Cerium-Based Coatings on Al-Mg Alloys and Aluminized Steel

Aluminum-magnesium (Al-Mg) alloy and aluminum-coated steel (aluminized steel) are typically used for the manufacturing of baking trays and molds. For these applications, these materials must be modified to develop release and hydrophobic properties. With this aim, the bare substrates are typically coated with low-surface energy materials such as fluoropolymers, elastomers, or sol-gel layers. In this work, some alternative strategies to prepare these functional surfaces are presented. We used three-step processes involving (i) micro-texturing, (ii) nano layer deposition through immersion and electrodeposition, and (iii) hydrophobization. The raw substrates were sanded or sandblasted at the micro scale, accordingly. Texturization at the nano scale was achieved with a cerium layer formed by electrodeposition or solution immersion. The cerium layers were hydrophobized with fatty acids. The wetting properties of the samples were studied with tilting-plate and bouncing drop methods. We measured the surface roughness of the samples by contact profiling and analyzed their surface morphology using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The elemental chemical composition of the samples was analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The wettability results indicated that the best performance for the Al-Mg substrates was reached by sandblasting and later immersion in a cerium nitrate solution. For aluminized steel substrates, the best results were obtained with both electrodeposition and immersion methods using a cerium chloride solution

Twin digital short period seismic Array Experiment at Stromboli Volcano

Two small arrays composed by short period (1 Hz) digital seismic stations, with an aperture of approximately 400 meters, were set up at Stromboli volcano (one at semaforo Labronzo, the other at Ginostra- Timpone del Fuoco) with the purpose of the spatial location of the high frequency source of the explosion quakes. About 75 explosion-quakes were recorded at both arrays, and constitute the available data base. We have planned to apply the zero-lag cross-correlation technique to the whole data set in order to obtain back-azimuth and apparent slowness of the coherent seismic phases. A preliminary analysis for both arrays show that the predominant back-azimuth for the first phase is oriented in the direction of , but not strictly coincident to, the crater area. Moreover some back-scattered arrivals are quite evident in the seismogram.INGV - Osservatorio VesuvianoUnpublishedope

A seismic array on Mt. Vesuvius

In November 1997 a seismic antenna (array) of short period seismometers was installed on the south-western flank of Mt. Vesuvius; aim of the experiment was to test the use of non-conventional devices for the seismic monitoring of this volcano. In 7 months local seismicity, regional earthquakes and samples of seismic noise were recorded by the array and organised in a data base. Local earthquakes and seismic noise have been analysed with array techniques to investigate the spectral, kinematic and polarization properties of the wavefield. Preliminary results show that the backazimuth of local earthquakes is oriented in the direction of the crater area. For some events, the source location has been constrained using a simplified back propagation in a 2-D velocity structure. The noise wavefield is characterized by the predominance of a sustained low frequency component (< 1Hz) whose source is located S-SE of the array. This low frequency signal has been interpreted as associated to the sea-loading in the gulf of Naples.Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Osservatorio VesuvianoPublished1.4. TTC - Sorveglianza sismologica delle aree vulcaniche attiveope