MINERALOGICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PHOSPHATES FROM THE DJEBEL ONK DEPOSITS

Tourkia  Tahri; Souad  Narsis; Zahia  Chafi Souici; Nacer  Bezzi; Omar  Sekiou; Tabet  Trirat; Theziri  Amrane; Aissa  Benselhoub; Stefano  Bellucci

doi:10.46763/GEOL23372099t

Tourkia Tahri Laboratory of Materials Technology and Process Engineering (LTMGP), University of Bejaia, 06000, Bejaia, Algeria
Souad Narsis Environmental Research Center (C.R.E), Annaba, Algeria
Zahia Chafi Souici Laboratory of Physico-Chemistry of Materials and Catalysis, Faculty of Exact Sciences, University of Bejaia, 06000 Bejaia, Algeria
Nacer Bezzi Laboratory of Materials Technology and Process Engineering (LTMGP), University of Bejaia, 06000, Bejaia, Algeria
Omar Sekiou Environmental Research Center (C.R.E), Annaba, Algeria
Tabet Trirat Badji Mokhtar University, Annaba, Algeria
Theziri Amrane Laboratory of Geodynamics of Natural Resources, University of Annaba, Algeria
Aissa Benselhoub Environmental Research Center (C.R.E), Annaba, Algeria
Stefano Bellucci INFN-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati Via E. Fermi 54, 00044 Frascati, Italy

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46763/GEOL23372099t

Keywords: phosphates; particle size; chemistry; petrography; Tebessa; Algeria

Abstract

Algeria has important phosphate reserves (2 billion tons) located in the east of the country at Djebel Onk. This mining district, located in the northwestern part of the Algerian Sahara near the Algerian-Tunisian border, is composed of five sectors: Kef Essennoun, Djemi Djema, Bled El Hadba, Djebel Onk North and Oued Betita. Kef Essennoun and Bled El Hadba were selected for this study. The knowledge of the petro-mineralogical and chemical characteristics as well as the dimensions of the main existing minerals in the two types of phosphate ores is necessary to guide the choices of upgrading treatments and understand the reaction processes. The physico-chemical studies applied to the light and dark phosphates, respectively from the deposits of Bled El Hadba and Kef Essennoun revealed significant differences on the chemical and mineralogical level, with however a great similarity in terms of size and shape phosphate grains. The Kef Essennoun phosphate ore rich in P2O5 with a content of 28.23 % and the grain release mesh characterized by the slice of 800 to 125 microns. On the other hand, the Bled El Hadba ore less rich in P2O5 with a content of 23.90 % and the grain release mesh characterized by the slice of 500 to 100 microns. This study constitutes a criterion for assessing the quality and behavior of the two types of ore on the processing chain.

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