Identification of Mining Waste Sources for the Production of Nanoparticles With Energy Applications

The mineral wealth of Colombia is a significant contributor to economic growth; however, it also generates a considerable amount of waste, which presents an opportunity for the implementation of circular economy initiatives. This study assesses the viability of utilizing mining waste from El Bagre, Antioquia, to produce magnetic nanoparticles for energy applications. A sample of black sand concentrate from alluvial gold mining, provided by Mineros Aluvial S.A., was subjected to X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analyses to ascertain its elemental and mineralogical composition before and after a magnetic separation process, demonstrating a significant increase in the concentration of magnetite from 14 to 73%. Furthermore, an enhancement in the saturation magnetization of the material was observed, suggesting its potential utility in the formulation of ferrofluids, which are employed in a diverse array of applications.