Yunfu sulphuric acid plant and pyrite mine wastes
Guangdong, Yunfu City, China
Mine tailings and waste rock
- Type
- Mine tailings and waste rock
Plant roasting only Yunfu pyrite since 1985 to make sulphuric acid (80,000 t of acid and 55,000 t of waste per year): fluidised-bed furnace slag, boiler slag, cyclone and electrostatic precipitator ashes, and mine tailings. Roasting wastes with 206Pb/207Pb from 1.1569 to 1.1575, slightly more radiogenic than the pyrite (1.1539), possibly from mixing ores of different bodies or phases; all below 1.16, the signature of mining lead. Fluidised-bed furnace Pb of 856 mg/kg (Liu et al., 2016). Indicative coordinates (Yunfu mine).
206Pb/207Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 981
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1572 ± 0.0003 | 1.1569 / 1.1575 | 4 | pyrite roasting wastes (slags and ashes) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 4 analyses, fluidised-bed furnace slag, boiler slag, cyclone and electrostatic precipitator ashes. | Liu et al. (2016), Thallium dispersal and contamination in surface sediments from South C… |
| 1.1641 | 1 | pyrite mine tailings Single analysis; mine tailing. | Liu et al. (2016), Thallium dispersal and contamination in surface sediments from South C… |
208Pb/206Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 981
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1218 ± 0.0003 | 2.1215 / 2.1222 | 4 | pyrite roasting wastes (slags and ashes) Mean and standard deviation recalculated from 4 analyses, fluidised-bed furnace slag, boiler slag, cyclone and electrostatic precipitator ashes. | Liu et al. (2016), Thallium dispersal and contamination in surface sediments from South C… |
| 2.1163 | 1 | pyrite mine tailings Single analysis; mine tailing. | Liu et al. (2016), Thallium dispersal and contamination in surface sediments from South C… |
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Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Yunfu sulphuric acid plant and pyrite mine wastes, isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/sites/usine-d-acide-sulfurique-et-residus-de-la-mine-de-pyrite-de-yunfu/ (accessed 2026-10-15).
@misc{isofind2026yunfusulphuricacidplantandpyr,
title = {Yunfu sulphuric acid plant and pyrite mine wastes, isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/sites/usine-d-acide-sulfurique-et-residus-de-la-mine-de-pyrite-de-yunfu/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15}
}Updated : 2026-10-15