**4. Conclusions**

The composition of the mineral sample from the Avino mine consisted of 19 identified crystals, with three of them containing bismuth in the form of BiO3, Bi2S3, and Bi2CuO4: representing 2% of the total composition of the sample, while also contributing to 1.65% of bismuth weight, exceeding the allowable limit of 0.05% for bismuth by far. The structures of the simulated minerals were effectively corroborated to match the real structures by comparing the diffraction patterns obtaining similarities higher than 9. The solubility parameters indicate an affinity in the miscibility between As2O3 and Bi2O3, possible miscibility with 10 other minerals, and an immiscibility with the rest of the minerals in which gold, silver, and copper stand out. The results indicate that As2O3 can be used for the removal of Bi2O3 at ambient pressure and temperature conditions without having a negative effect on the recovery of other minerals of higher commercial value. The mining industry could benefit from the results obtained from this research since the economic penalties because of the presence of bismuth in concentrates might be reduced by using arsenic trioxide. The molecular simulation could serve as a resourceful tool in metal recovery processing by avoiding time investment and the use of reagents.

## **Acknowledgements**

This work was supported in part by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch grant (1010849) "Food Bioengineering Technology of Agroindustrial Products."

## **Conflict of interest**

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

*Prediction of Solubility and Miscibility Parameters of Bismuth-Arsenic Complex… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106316*
