Laboratory of ATNS

The Laboratory provide a comprehensive service of technological – technical works (crushing, milling,  gravitational separation, flotation, magnetic separation), granular and mineralogical analyses (X-ray, DTA) for the needs of geological research, exploration and the technology development of raw materials treatment, as well as the wastes utilization, the soil and the sediment decontaminations.

In addition, the Laboratory offer wide range of research to application of the different kinds of sorbents for the remediation of surface water and groundwater from organic pollutants, inorganic components and toxic elements.

In the field of liquidation of CO2 by carbonatization are used high-pressure reactors to tests of harmful waste material –asbestos-bearing ultramafic rocks, fly ash, slag or older ecologically unsuitable building materials.

The Department ATNS Košice was awarded the Award of the Minister of the Environment for extraordinary results and long-lasting contribution to environmental care and environmental development at 2016.

Contact

Ing. Štyriaková Iveta, PhD.
Head of Department
Department: Oddelenie ATNS
Section: Odbor geológie
Workplace: Regional Centre Košice
Phone: 055/6224315
Email: iveta.styriakova@geology.sk

History

The department of Applied technology of Raw Materials (ATNS) was established in 1073. Until recent it successfully solved more than 100 projects dealing with the effective and economic treatments of following materials: tourmaline-bearing raw material, bentonites, zeolites, diatomites, pumice tuffs, graphite, talc and magnesite, high-percentage limestones, quartz sands, kaolin and other ceramic raw material by the combination of physicochemical and biochemical methods.

Concerning ores and mining wastes, the research was focused on the mineral binding Cu-Fe-Sb-As-Ag, Sb-Au, Hg-Ba, Pb-Zn-Cu, Si-Au and W, trace and precious metals and the liberation of locked useful elements from mineral and rock matter by leaching.

In the field of environmental geology, the physicochemical and biochemical aspects of metal and metalloids behavior is determined in soil, sediments and groundwater environments, i.e. mineral fixation, redistribution, and release. The very positive results were achieved in the decontamination of polluted soil, sediment and water by means of the modified natural sorbents as well as by biophysicochemical processes.

In the field of liquidation of CO2 by artificial carbonatization is used harmful waste material –asbestos-bearing ultramafic rocks, fly ash, slag or older ecologically unsuitable building materials.

Laboratory high-pressure stirrer reactors are applied for the research of CO2 mineral sequestration.

Profile

Department of applied technology of raw minerals is a unit of the Geological Division and recently the staff consists of 7 employees:

  • Iveta Štyriaková, Ing., PhD. – Head of the Department
  • Katarína Čechovská, Ing.
  • doc. Ing. Marián Košuth, PhD.
  • Ľubica Kovaničová, Ing.
  • Ivana Semjanová, Bc.
  • Michal Rečlo, RNDr.
  • Jaroslav Šuba, Ing., PhD.
  • The Department ATNS performs mainly the following main activities and tasks:
  • Basic mineralogical-petrographic and technological research of properties of raw minerals, rocks and conditions of their refinement;
  • Basic and applied research in CO2 mineral sequestration, applying geological, waste and secondary materials;
  • Research of sorption and desorption properties of geological materials and rocks, eventually sorbents prepared from them in static and dynamic conditions;
  • Research, development, verification, testing and application of various geological materials for immobilization of harmful components in the environment;
  • Research of secondary raw minerals utilisation and assessment of possibilities of the harmful components impact elimination in the environment;
  • Laboratory to model verification of conditions and possibilities of raw minerals application by various methods in the sphere of environment (polluted of water, air and wastes) and technological treatability and refinement of rocks (raw minerals);
  • Testing the mineralogical, physical-chemical and technological properties of raw minerals and products prepared on their basis;
  • Separation and preparation of mineral components for further purposes of their research and utilisation;
  • Elaboration of expert opinions on raw minerals and their products quality;
  • Indicative assessment of the economy of potential treatment and utilisation of raw minerals;
  • Provision of technical and technological mineralogy;
  • Quality and quantity analysis of carbonates and carbonate rocks;
  • Operation of X-ray laboratory with ionizing radiation, performance of X-ray diffraction analyses and their interpretation;
  • Custom-made mineralogical, petrographic, granulometric, separation, technological, processing, chemical and environmental works with their interpretation.

Utilisation and treatment of raw minerals for technological and environmental purposes

MORE EFFECTIVELY - TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND TREATMENT OF RAW MINERALS

The know-how comprises basic, laboratory and model research, as well as testing of raw minerals, aiming to identify and verify new or adopted technologies and conditions of treatment of raw minerals with a potential for preparation of new products and their use in various industries.

The works can be divided into five categories, more-or-less overlapping or interconnected in dependence upon a type and character of a raw mineral or rock:

1. Basic research properties of raw minerals and conditions of their refinement:
– research of mineralogical, physical, chemical, physical-chemical and technological properties
– research of conditions and treatability potential
– assessment of utilisation potential and practical application:
a. in various industries
b. in protection and creation of the environment

2. Laboratory to model verification of raw minerals potential by the following processes:

– treatment
– refinement of properties
– increasing of efficiency
– preparation and testing of products
– assessing the efficiency of the use processes
– technical – technological – economic assessment

3. Testing of raw minerals and related products properties:
– mineralogical
– physical-chemical
– technological
– elaboration of expert opinions on raw minerals and related products quality

4. Separation, isolation and preparation of refined and highly pure mineral components and products for further purposes of their research and subsequent utilisation

5. Research of a potential for utilisation of secondary, waste, non-traditional and special raw minerals, and assessment of possibilities of utility components acquiring with elimination of muck or harmful components upon the environment (tailings, waste-water, heaps, landfills, etc.)

MORE ECOLOGICALLY - RESEARCH IN THE PROTECTION AND CREATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

The know-how comprises the research in sorption, mechanic, physical, chemical and other properties of various natural geological materials or related products obtained by technological research with possibilities of elimination or removal of harmful components from the environment and proposals for their further utilisation.

Research of raw minerals properties suitable for:

1. Ecosorbents

– toxic and heavy elements from waters
– organic pollutants from waters
– eliminating waters acidity
– withdrawing NH4+ ions, amines from waters, phosphates
– spilled dangerous inorganic and organic liquids

2. Fills in static and flow filters

3. Production of ecological purification substances

4. Production of building light “ecomaterials”

5. Fillers for production of artificial substances and paper, and for ecological painting colours and plasters (pigments)

6. Foundation landfills (sealing layers)

7. Adjustment of soils pH and enhancement of arable, forest and garden soil

METHODS OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND MINERALOGICAL RESEARCH

In the laboratories of research into properties, treatment and application of raw minerals (ATNS Košice) each sample is processed according to unified methodology of technological and mineralogical research:

  • 1 – archive data study on a raw mineral type, processing of basic knowledge,
  • 2 – assessment of a raw mineral and proposal of further proceeding,
  • 3 – sampling of basic samples, their mineralogical and laboratory processing and interpretation of results,
  • 4 – sampling of a raw mineral for technological research,
  • 5 – own technological research – in own technological research of raw minerals samples various methods and ways of refinement and treatment are used depending upon a purpose:
    • a – fining of lumpy materials by crushing of samples of various hardness,
    • b – homogenization and quartering of samples and materials,
    • c – grinding of raw minerals, either dry or wet way,
    • d – sorting of various materials and raw minerals, either dry or wet way,
    • e – floating of raw minerals and rocks, both by static and dynamic ways,
    • f – dry and wet granulometric analyses with interpretation,
    • g – samples processing in pre-treatment cycle: crushing – sorting, grinding – sorting and crushing – grinding – sorting
  • 6 – laboratory gravitational methods of sorting into dense and light products:
    • a – sorting in concentration chutes,
    • b – sorting in hydrocyclons,
    • c – sorting in spiral chute,
    • d – sorting in dense liquids
  • 7 – laboratory electromagnetic sorting into magnetic and non-magnetic products:
    • a – polygradient slurry separation,
    • b – dry electromagnetic separation,
  • 8 – laboratory flotation sorting into concentrates, intermediate products and wastes:
    • a – fraction flotation,
    • b – reverse flotation,
    • c – flotation in cyclic and continuous regime,
  • 9 – laboratory sorption tests in static and dynamic conditions,
  • 10 – thermic treatment of samples of raw minerals and their products,
  • 11 – chemical treatment of materials samples and their products,
  • 12 – dewatering or filtration, coagulation, sedimentation, dehydration, eventually firing of samples, products, intermediate products, concentrates for further determinations and analyses or processing,
  • 13 – interpretation of technological-mineralogical research results,
  • 14 – text, table, graphic processing and evaluation of achieved technological indicators, results, data.

EXAMPLE OF LABORATORIES

Nesquehonite and hydromagnesite,
synthetically produces minerals by the reactor of CO2 with serpentinite from the Rudník locality

Laboratory high-pressure reactor PARR 4577

COMPRESSOR
(Laboratory high-pressure reactor PARR 4577)

X-ray powder diffractometer Bruker D2

Thermic analyser STA 449 F3 Jupiter

Automatic laser analyser MS 3000

Laboratory muffle furnace KSL-1700X-A2

Laboratory mill for the fine wear-free grinding Lab Wizz 320

Laboratory planetary ball mill LMPM 2000

Laboratory jaw crusher 100-D

Polarizing microscope Axiolab A1 Pol

Polarizing microscope UDM LV 100D-U

References

    Up to now the ATNS Department has solved or participated in more than 100 research projects covered from the state budget and realized various custom-made external works (technological, laboratory, mineralogical, environmental and special works) for nearly 60 state and private organizations, e.g.:

UK Bratislava,
STU Bratislava,
TU Košice,
UPJŠ Košice,
UVL Košice,
Česká geologická služba Praha,
SAV- Ústav geotechniky Košice,
U.S.Steel s.r.o., Košice,
Magnimex a.s., Bratislava,
Uranpres s.r.o., Spišská Nová Ves,
Kerko – Perlit a.s., Košice,
ÚVR a.s., Košice,
VSK Mineral s.r.o., Košice,
GEO Slovakia s.r.o., Košice,
ENERGOGAZ a.s., Košice,
PIDECO CGF s.r.o., Košice,
Silicon s.r.o., Dobšiná,
Envigeo s.r.o., Banská Bystrica,
Východoslovenská ťažobná spoločnosť s.r.o., Banská Bystrica,
AllDECO s.r.o., Jaslovské Bohunice,
POWEL Anti s.r.o., Prešov,
GEL s.r.o., Turčianske Teplice,
KOVOHUTY a.s., Krompachy
ALAS Slovakia s.r.o., Bratislava,
Kerko a.s., závod Michalovce,
Nerast s.r.o., Žilina,
Progeo s.r.o., Žilina
ŽELBA a.s., Spišská Nová Ves
SABAR, s.r.o., Markušovce
QUARK, s.r.o., Lučenec
Kremnická banská spoločnosť s.r.o., Kremnica,
QUALIFORM Slovakia s.r.o., Bratislava,
VILLARD, združenie pre r. a o. p., Bratislava,
HS – INGREAL a.s., Košice,
Bel NOVAMAN s.r.o.,- skúšobné laboratóriá T. Teplice,
LB Minerals a.s., Košice a ďalšie.