The characterization studies of tailings from mining are crucial for the development of its reuse processes and the reduction of impacts caused by its conditioning on the earth’s surface. This study characterizes the magnetic tailings from phosphate-rock processing using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and quantitative electron microscopy techniques. Samples were obtained from the magnetic tailings deposit of a mining company in the Alto Paranaíba region, Minas Gerais. The tailings are mainly composed of hematite/magnetite (74.92%), ilmenite (8.91%), fluorapatite (8.8%), anatase (3.07%), calcite (1.67%), goethite (1.62%), and quartz (1.02%). The particle size of the tailings is smaller than that specified for the production of sinter feed. The hematite/magnetite phase is strongly associated with ilmenite and fluorapatite. New stages of comminution and separation are needed due to the low degree of liberation of these minerals for a possible reuse of the components.

The mineralogical characterization studies search for the best processing route, with the lowest environmental impact, aiming to improve the use of mineral resources. The electronic quantitative mineralogy (EQM) provides quickly and accurately great information about the characteristics of these materials. This work aims to characterize iron ore tailings by EQM as the main tool. It has selected seven samples of itabirite ores flotation tailings from the main mining regions of the Quadrilatero Ferrifero, Brazil. All samples were mostly composed by quartz and iron minerals, with a low presence of mixture particles of these minerals - less than 20% of the sample mass. Due to the difference between the size of particles of quartz and iron minerals, it has observed an opportunity to reprocess the fractions -37µm + 5µm of the studied tailings, with a potential recovery of 12% of the total sample mass generated for AM4, AM6 and AM7 and more than 5% for samples AM1, AM2, AM3 and AM5.

O efeito da temperatura de austenitização sobre a cinética de transformação da austenita em um aço microligado com Nb foi estudado em resfriamento contínuo através da análise térmica diferencial. Verifica-se uma forte dependência da temperatura de início de formação da ferrita alotriomórfica com a temperatura de austenitização devido ao seu efeito sobre o tamanho de grão austenítico. O aumento da temperatura de austenitização implica um aumento no tamanho de grão austenítico e uma diminuição na temperatura de início de transformação da austenita em ferrita. A presença de Nb em solução durante a transformação aumenta o tempo de transformação da austenita em ferrita alotriomórfica, reduz a taxa efetiva de transformação, levando à formação de bainita granular para temperatura de austenitização de 1100ºC e resfriamento no ar.

The effect of austenitization temperature on austenite transformation for a low-carbon steel and microalloyed with Nb was investigated under continuous cooling conditions by means of differential thermal analysis. The starting temperature for ferrite formation depends strongly on austenitization temperature due to its effect on the austenite grain size. Increase in austenitization temperature implies increase in austenite grain size and decrease in temperature starts ferrite formation. The presence of Nb in solution during the transformation increases the transformation time of austenite to ferrite and reduces its effective transformation rate, leading to the formation of granular bainite, at the austenitization temperature of 1100ºC and air cooling.