| Abstract |
The Federal Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with phosphate companies in the Florida land pebble area, made a comprehensive study of the phosphate slimes, or waste clays, produced in the mining of phosphate rock in Florida. The slimes, or waste clays, represent a significant ecological problem and a major deterrent to effective land recovery in the phosphate mining areas. Physical, chemical and mineralogical studies were made of samples of slimes submitted by each of the 15 plants operating in Florida in an effort to identify any factors that prevent successful consolidation of the slimes and subsequent recovery of the mined lands. Results of these studies indicated that the clay mineral attapulgite, a hydrated magnesium silicate, was primarily responsible for the very poor settling characteristics of the slimes and that the quantity of attapulgite present in the slimes effectively controlled the settling rate, the pulp density of terminal solids, viscosity, percent solids of filter cake, and the flocculant requirements. |
