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Vanadium-titanium magnetite from Panzhihua was crushed with open and closed circuit process by high pressure grinding roller (HPGR). The particle size characteristics of the crushed product were analyzed and the micro-cracks generated by HPGR during the crushing process were studied. The results showed that, in crushed products, the reduction ratio increases and the size distribution becomes more uniform with increasing of the pressure on roller?s surfaces. The fine fraction content of crushing products from -3.2 mm classification closed-circuit by HPGR increases obviously compared with that by Jaw Crusher and particle size distribution is more uniform. Large amount of intra-crystalline cracks and cleavage cracks are generated in vanadium-titanium magnetite crushed by HPGR, which makes the specific surface area larger and Bond grinding work index (objective particle size is 0.074 mm) decreased by 14.05% than that by Jaw Crusher. And the liberation degree of monomer of the product crushed by HPGR increased compared with that by Jaw Crusher with the similar fineness of grinding. Keywords: iron ore, high pressure grinding roller, micro-crack

Sep 1, 2012

By P. Braga, A. Chaves, S. França, A. Luz

"In Brazil, there are no official reserves of molybdenum, and the unofficial reserves are modest. Therefore, the molybdenum ore (molybdenite) produced as a co-product or by-product of emerald mining in the region of Campo Formoso, BA, has arisen as the only economic option. The flotation process is commonly used in Brazil for the recovery of molybdenite from emerald mining tailings, but it produces low-content molybdenite concentrates, thereby resulting in a product with low economic value. The molybdenite concentrate produced in Campo Formoso contains 83.5% MoS2 (50% Mo), which is less than the international standard product that contains > 90% MoS2 (54% Mo).This low value is due to the presence of talc, which is a naturally hydrophobic mineral that is also floated with the molybdenite during the flotation process. Separability studies were done in a Partridge-Smith cell using dextrin and quebracho as a molybdenite depressor in solution at different concentrations and pH values to produce a technical-grade concentrate (i.e., 90% MoS2). These basic studies were accompanied by measurements of the zeta potential and contact angle, which was determined by the capillary rise method. The results of these floatability studies were used in bench flotation tests, which were performed in a Denver laboratory flotation cell. A molybdenite concentrate of 93.4% MoS2 was obtained when dextrin was used at a concentration of 100 g/t."

Jan 1, 2014

Much has been published in recent years on the challenges facing the engineer of the 21st century and the consequent challenges facing the education providers and industry. The world is changing rapidly on the social, economic, political, technical and environmental fronts and our metallurgists/mineral processing engineers of the future will arguably need to have a different set of skills than those which were traditionally regarded as adequate during the latter half of the 20th century. This paper attempts to explore some of these issues and their ramifications.

Jan 1, 2014

By Kaustubh Joshi, Pradip, Beena Rai, Venugopal Tammishetti

"Rapid depletion of high grade iron ores coupled with the increasing demand for the blast furnace grade iron ore in recent times has shifted the research focus on the development of appropriate technologies for the utilization of low - grade alumina rich iron ore slimes. These slimes are currently being dumped into tailing ponds owing to their high alumina content. Typical constituent minerals present in the Indian iron ore slimes are hematite, goethite, gibbsite and kaolinite. Considering the fine particle size distribution (<37 microns) in the slimes, selective dispersion-flocculation seems to be one of the most appropriate process which has been explored by us. We present our successful results on a natural iron ore slime sample obtained from one of the mines in India. We have been able to achieve a concentrate assaying >67% Fe, and <3% Al2O3 and 2.8% loss on ignition (LOI) from the slime sample assaying 60.4% Fe, 7.7% Al2O3 and 5.45% LOI with an Fe recovery of 62-69% simply by adjusting the pulp pH. We have scaled up the process to a semi batch scale as a prelude to commercialize it for the beneficiation of low grade iron ore slimes."

Jan 1, 2014

By H. Deng

Oxidized zinc ores are the main source of zinc metal except sulfides. To have a better understanding about the performance of smithsonite and the main gangue, quartz, in flotation, the aggregation behaviors of smithsonite and quartz in water were confirmed by different techniques (sedimentation tests and optical microscopy). The experimental results show that smithsonite and quartz particles aggregate in the pH range 7.5-11. The results of zeta potential suggest that the aggregation does not correlate with the DLVO theory, when the iso-electric point of smithsonite and quartz is 8.0 and 2 respectively. When the solution pH is less than 8.0, smithsonite has an opposite charge to the quartz particles. Electrostatic adsorption makes effort on these two kinds of particles according to DLVO theory. Whereas, solution chemistry calculation shows the pH range 8-11 corresponds to hydroxide formation, suggesting that this is the species responsible for aggregation. And their concentrations are much higher in sodium hydroxide system than that in sodium carbonate system. Aggregation of smithsonite and quartz due to the flocculation action of zinc hydroxide is proposed.

Sep 1, 2012

By Jerzy A. Mielczarski

The separation of albites from quartz by flotation applying the conventional HF-methods is no longer acceptable from an environmental and health point of view. Therefore, the search for a new reagent scheme without using HF depressor for separation of albite from quartz is under consideration. The flotation behaviour of ore mineral components depends on the produced hydrophobic or hydrophilic surface coverage (chemical functionalization). Currently we have excellent possibility of monitoring surface composition and structure at molecular and atomic levels at surfaces of natural minerals contacted with aqueous solutions of collectors, activators, depressants which is vitally important for the understanding of the surface chemistry that govern selective and efficient flotation. Detailed surface characterization of minerals before and after their exposition to different solution conditions was performed by the most modern spectroscopic techniques such as developed by us the infrared external reflection technique combined with spectral simulation and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It is possible to monitor surface reactions which facilitate the separation process and those which bring disadvantage to selective flotation. At first we found that a small amount of ?mineral impurity? presented in natural ore could play important role in selective hydrophobization process. It was found that the pH of solution (parameter possible to control) and natural mineral impurities present in mineral samples (parameter related to ore origin) play a very important role in the separation process. Another important parameter is interaction between minerals, quartz and albite, present in aqueous solution. The limitation of flotation separation resulting from chemistry will be discussed. Moreover, the most promising scheme for separation of albites from quartz will be examined.

Jan 1, 2014

By A. E. Sobolev

The kinetics of hydrochemical oxidation of antimonite in solutions of nitric acid was studied using the rotating disk method and the factor experiment design. The dependences of the antimonite?s oxidation rate on concentration of nitric acid solutions, temperature, disk rotation frequency, and duration of interaction were determined. The adequate kinetic models allowing calculating the specific oxidation rate at any combination of the values of the influencing factors were obtained. The oxidation process is found to proceed in a mixed mode, close to chemically controlled. Gradually, as the sediments of elemental sulphur and Sb2O5 accumulate on the disk surface, the process becomes controlled by internal diffusion. The observed high (more than second) order of the oxidation rate with respect to the concentration of nitric acid was explained by the autocatalytic action of the acid reduction products. The apparent activation energy depends on the stage of interaction. At the initial stage (in a mixed mode of the process proceeding), it depends on nitric acid concentration and varies from 31.5 kJ?mol?1 (in 2 M HNO3) to 36.1 kJ?mol?1 (in 10 M HNO3). This trend indicates the weakening of diffusion limitations with a nitric acid concentration increase. When the process is controlled by internal diffusion, the apparent activation energy was found to be 14.5 kJ?mol?1. The obtained kinetic characteristics enlarge the database on hydrochemical oxidation kinetics of sulphides and can be used for the elaboration of the recommendations for the effective comprehensive exploitation of antimony-bearing ores and concentrates.

Jan 1, 2014

By P. Condori

In spite of the importance of the slurry transport and discharge in autogenous and semiautogen-ous (AG/SAG) mills, it is evident that a more comprehensive and useful model is still required. Semi-empirical models used up to now have many limitations and cannot be used beyond the ranges in which they were developed. The breakage of particles as they are transported along a mill com-plicates the experimental analysis and the modelling of the transport process within the mill. The interaction of the grate discharge and the pulp lifters, with the added issue of backflow from the pulp chamber into the mill, makes the discharge modelling process difficult. In order to overcome these difficulties, a mechanistic approach has been applied. The general transport and discharge model was subdivided into four independent models: Flow through the charge, flow through the grate, flow in the pulp lifter, and flow-back. This paper gives an overall description of the modelling approach and discusses in particular the modelling of transport of fluids through the charge. In order to evaluate and calibrate the model, experimental work was carried out. To evaluate the gradient pressure under different conditions of charge packing and flow rate, a specialised experimental rig with a highly sensitive pressure gauge was used. Preliminary results identify the differences of the charge and grate on the restriction of flow. The existence of a dynamic voidage in our particular system was more evident and as a result, a semi-empirical correlation for the voidage was developed. In general, results show that the me-chanistic model derived from Ergun?s equation for flow through a packed bed can be satisfactorily adapted.

Jan 1, 2014

By S. M. Mustakim

Red mud is the major waste material produced during digestion of bauxite ores with caustic soda in alumina production following the Bayer?s process. Its disposal remains a worldwide issue in terms of environmental concerns. A lot of research and developmental activities are going on throughout the world to find effective utilization of red mud, which involves various product developments. At present, building materials, industries are fast growing industrial sector where the need of various raw materials is enormous. The use of red mud in building material production is one of the options for conservation of natural resources and reduction of environmental pollution. A cost-effective and energy efficient mineral cementation process has been developed at CSIR-IMMT, Bhubaneswar for use of red mud in manufacture of building brick, block and aggregate. The red mud is an alkaline material, which contains both leachable and non-leachable soda along with different mineral constituents of alumina, iron and silica. The effort has been made to use the mineral constituents of red mud to develop cold setting building brick by mineral cementation process using a binder specially prepared from Portland Slag Cement, Lime, Gypsum and Alkali metal sulfates. The red mud has been used from 40 to 70% by weight along with fly ash and binder in development of cold setting building brick conforming to the specification of IS:12894:2002.

Sep 1, 2012

By M. Rudolph, D. H. Hoang, N. Kupka

"Froth flotation has been subjected to modelling since the 1930s and there is a large variety of approaches that intend to portray the entire process. Among these, three fundamental models could be considered exhaustive: the Pyke model [1], the Yoon model [2] and the Schwarz and Koh model [3]. The first model makes use of the generalized Sutherland equation collision model, the Dobby-Finch attachment model and its own stability model, the second model considers an extended DLVO approach for the attachment and stability whereas the third model makes use of computational fluid dynamics. Using a scheelite ore as a test case, a specific batch flotation test was repeated ten times and analyzed for chemical assays, mineralogical studies and froth properties. The detailed data are used to feed the three flotation models aforementioned in order to compare the outcomes of the three approaches, their capacity to reflect reality and to predict it. This article intends to pave the path towards reliable process models incorporating in depth mineralogy information, e.g. surface liberation, particle size and particle shape. KEYWORDS Froth flotation fundamental models, scheelite, automated mineralogy, critical assessment. INTRODUCTION In mineral processing, only three approaches aiming at describing froth flotation fundamentally could be considered exhaustive: Pyke’s collision and sliding approach [1], Yoon’s kinetic approach [2] and Schwarz and Koh’s approach [3]. The models will hereafter be referred to as Pyke model, Yoon model and Schwarz and Koh model. The first model makes use of the generalized Sutherland equation collision model, the Dobby-Finch attachment model and its own stability model, the second model considers an extended DLVO approach for the attachment and stability whereas the third model makes use of computational fluid dynamics. All three approaches rely on the widely accepted idea that flotation is a kinetic reaction dependent on a flotation rate constant kp, as expressed in Eq. [4]:"

Jan 1, 2018

By A. Norori-McCormac

"Air recovery, the fraction of air entering a flotation cell that overflows the cell lip, is linked to flotation performance, and it has been shown through industrial testwork that operating flotation cells at air rates that yield the Peak Air Recovery (PAR) results in high mineral recovery. For operating parameters over which flotation plants have little control, such as particle size, investigating the effect on the position of PAR, and the subsequent effect on flotation performance, proves more challenging. To this end, we have developed a bench scale flotation system that runs continuously and exhibits froth behavior similar to that found industrially, allowing the study of such parameters as particle size in addition to air rate. The bench scale system comprises a 4 l baffled cylindrical flotation cell, stirred by a Rushton impeller. The concentrate is recycled back into the pulp, allowing for continuous operation. Glass beads are used as solid particles, allowing a wide range of particle sizes to be tested, with TTAB as collector and MIBC as frother. The system allows operation at air rates typical of industrial flotation systems (1 -2 cms-1 superficial gas velocity), in addition to yielding a froth that coalesces and bursts and exhibits a peak in air recovery as cell air rate in increased. Solids and water recovery is also measured. The results show that air recovery is sensitive to changes in particle size. The intermediate size distribution showed a peak in air recovery (PAR) that corresponded with the maximum solids flowrate, as found industrially. It is shown that finer particles do result in more stable froths and higher recoveries, particularly at low air rates. The effect of particle size on the position of PAR is not yet unequivocally determined from these results."

Jan 1, 2014

By V. V. Musaev, A. M. Klyushnikov, R. R. Galimov

"A study was made of chemical and material compositions of the oxidized gold-bearing ore of the Kochkovskoe deposit. It was demonstrated that examined ore consisted mainly of quartz, carbonate and feldspar with a gold content of 2.2 g/t and a silver content of 6.1 g/t. By means of agitation leaching tests it was founded that about 79-80 % of gold can be extracted from ore using cyanide leaching solutions. The achieved high-speed dissolution rate of gold was due to its presence in a finely dispersed state (less than 2.73 µm), which was confirmed by the research of Uralmekhanobr. It was proposed that the ore can be processed by heap leaching process using cyanide leach solutions. Technological studies on the modeling of the heap leaching process were initially carried out in percolators with a capacity of 5 kg on agglomerated ore. It was preliminary established that agglomeration should be carried out at a cement consumption of 12-16 kg/t, with the moisture content in pellets reaching up to 10-12 %. The best percolation leaching results can be obtained with ore crushed to the size of -20 mm. The maximum extraction of gold to the solution was 79-80 % while the L:S ratio reached 1.2-1.4:1.In cooperation with the research center of OJSC ""Berezovsky mine"" a semi-industrial heap leaching test was accomplished. The result of a test performed was an extraction of 78.5 % of Au and 21 % of Ag from ore to a pregnant solution. This extraction degree was achieved at a L:S ratio 0.9: 1. On the ground of results obtained, a technical regulation was developed for design of the heap leaching plant with the capacity of 500 thousand tons of ore per year.INTRODUCTION The ore of the Kochkovskoe deposit represents an important reserve of gold in the Zabaikal region. Of the upmost interest are oxidized ores, the processing of which can be carried out by heap leaching (HL) with cyanide solutions. The purpose of this work was to study the composition and to develop a technology for heap leaching of oxidized ore."

Jan 1, 2018

By Sergey Romanenko, Tatyana Aleksandrova, Karen Arustamian

"Current status of question about grinding stage effect to electrochemistry parameters of operation preparation slurry before intermediate selective flotation was assessed in the present scientific work. Needs of more detail study chemical reactions in the slurry preparation and flotation processes were shown. The ores are polymetallic sulphide type and the one are most difficult for mineral processing. The methodology allows increase information base during floatation tests. Ionometric methods and elements of neural network have been used in the study of mineral processing questions.We have also identified the relationship between the received values of the electrochemical parameters and the technological results in selective flotation. The optimal values of the electrochemistry parameters in operation of the preparation slurry before selective flotation has been found. The main effect of using the proposed methodology is to obtain scientifically based solutions to improve the technology parameters of flotation polymetallic sulfide ores. Challenging issue of selectivity of sulphide-polymetallic ores will be considered using case study of sulphidepolymetallic ores. It was shown that several factors are formed in ore grinding: formation of hydroxyl oxides of iron compounds, copper cation leaching, metal-sulphide and metal-sulphite complexes formation. The chemistry was revealed for current processes in slurry preparation operation before selective flotation. Quantitative assessment of interrelations between electrochemical parameters of slurry and process performance was given with using electrochemical control methods. Neuron network-based model was estimated based on data array and was allowed to establish optimum electrochemical conditions of metal-sulphite complex formation to provide maximum efficiency of selective flotation.INTRODUCTIONPhysical and chemical processes that take place in ore grinding have a significant impact on flotation selectivity and can cause low selectivity of the flotation process. Today this issue is given much attention. In the paper [1] it is pointed out that sulphide oxidation products and slurry components, such as sulphide ions, metallic iron and its oxidation products, have effect on flotation performance. So, metallic iron has impact on metal-sulphite complex formation as a result of oxidation-reduction reactions as follows:"

Jan 1, 2018

By C. Dorfling, W. A. Rossouw

"Hydrometallurgical processes used for metal recovery from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) typically involve dismantling, shredding and physical separation prior to successive leaching stages for selective dissolution of different metals. The principles of the physical separation units are well understood, but valuable metal losses of more than 30 % can be incurred during these processing steps. The impact of the physical separation units’ performance on downstream leaching operations have not been defined; this prevents the development of a well-integrated process. The objective of this project was to determine to what extent the base metal leaching behavior depends on the physical separation pre-treatment. PCBs were shredded to 100 % passing 2 mm before physical separation by dense medium separation (DMS) as well as magnetic separation. Batch leaching tests using various concentrations of sulfuric acid were conducted on three feed fractions: (1) shredded PCBs without any physical separation, (2) heavy fraction recovered from DMS, and (3) non-magnetic fraction recovered from the DMS heavy fraction. DMS increased the metal content in the feed from 48 % to 75 % on a mass basis, but 70 % of the gold and 20 % of the copper reported to the light fraction. The application of magnetic separation to the heavy fraction produced by DMS removed 67 % and 61 % of the iron and nickel, respectively, while negligible amounts of non-magnetic metals were removed. Although DMS successfully concentrated the feed and magnetic separation removed the majority of iron and nickel, these steps did not result in any improvement in the rate or extent of copper leaching. Metals generally leached faster when the sulfuric acid concentration was increased from 1 M to 2.5 M; this effect was seen to be more pronounced for pretreated feed. INTRODUCTION The fast rate of technological development has led to a decrease in the service life of electronic devices. This is resulting in an increased rate of electronic waste generation. The recovery of metals from electronic waste is of environmental and economic interest. The majority of these metals are typically located on printed circuit boards (PCBs) within electronic devices (Tuncuk, Stazi et al., 2012). Hydrometallurgical processes are considered a viable option for small scale metal recovery from waste PCBs, and generally involve the following steps: disassembly for removal of hazardous and reusable parts, size reduction, physical separation, successive leaching stages for metal dissolution and finally recovery of metals from leach solutions."

Jan 1, 2018

By G. V. Sedelnikova

Biohydrometallurgical studies were performed on the sulfide gold-arsenic concentrate obtained in treatment of refractory ore from a deposit located in northern Russia. Gold is disseminated in sulfides-arsenopyrite, pyrite and antimonite (their content is 10.0%, 30.4% and 0.7%, respectively). Gold extraction is only 11.8% by cyanidation. Results are given for test bacterial oxidation of the concentrate in continuous mode at temp. = 28~32°C using mesophilic bacteria and at temp. = 32~38°C using the association including moderate thermophilic bacteria. The paper shows that the use of moderate thermophilic bacteria allows to speed up sulfide biooxidation and reduce its time to 96 hours compared to leaching at temp. = 28~32°C for 110~120 hours. The optimal range of pH = 1.5~2.0 of biooxidation process was determined where bacterial solutions are produced with the molar ratio Fe:As > 3 necessary for precipitation of hard-to-solve, environmentally safe arsenical precipitates. Electron microscopy showed that sulfide biooxidation results in liberation of disseminated gold with nanoparticle-level sizes. High sorptive activity of carbonaceous matter and other compounds of bacterial residues cause low gold extraction into cyanide solution ? 28.7%. 10% resin load makes it possible to extract 88.1% Au. Aeration of pulp in calcareous medium enhances extraction to 95.7% and decreases cyanide consumption from 17kg/t to 8 kg/t.

Jan 1, 2014

By S. M. Javad Koleini

The aim of this research is to extract zinc from complex lead and zinc ore containing carbo- silicate lead and zinc minerals using sulphuric acid. Samples, taken from Dareh Zanjireh mine located in central of Iran, were subjected to leaching tests after calcination process. Experiments were planed according to the Taguchi statistical method. The calcinated samples contain 13.98% zinc and the constituting minerals being dolomite and zincate. Various parameters such as speed of mixing, temperature, time, solid to liquid ratio and pH were studied. A solid to liquid ratio of 1:6 gr/mL at 60°C and 800 rpm speed of mixing for 30 minutes resulted in a product with 85.96% zinc recoveries.

Jan 1, 2014

By H. J. Cao

Valuable elements could be extracted by microorganism ferment fluid from bauxite, which mainly due to bacteria acid namely organic acid. And after leaching, reclaiming the remainder organic acid in leaching solution was an important procedure for bauxite leaching process. the re-searching status about organic acid reclaiming process from bauxite ore bioleaching solution was summarized. Common processes for recycling organic acid from bauxite bioleaching solution in this period and their advantages and disadvantages, research aspects which need being confirmed for the future were Indicated

Jan 1, 2014

By S. Gaydardzhiev

Initial experiments towards preparation of hollow ceramic microtubes by dip-coating of fibrous plants with water based alumina gel-casting slurries using hemp and coconut fibres as templates have been done. It has been found that the wettability of fibres and accordingly the stability of the developed ceramic layer on their surface during slurry gelation varied significantly within the different fibre types. Good correlation between the diameters of the template fibres and the resulting channels has been found at the level of solids loadings used, 31 %. Hemp fibres used as bundles have led to formation of multi channel patterns while the coconut fibres-templated process resulted in uniform monochannel materials. The micro tubes have show good mechanical handling.

Jan 1, 2014

By Mark Viduetsky, Dmitry Tropnikov, Victor Maltsev, Victor Sokolov, Alexander Purgin, Andrey Panshin, Alexander Bondarev, Pavel Kozlov, Igor Garifulin

"CFM pneumatic flotation machines were developed by the Institute of Materials Science and Metallurgy, UrFU, and designed to concentrate a wide range of ores and man-made materials. A key principle of work is pulp preparation for flotation owing to its saturation with finely dispersed air bubbles in ejectors. CFM plants, their advantages over domestic and foreign prototypes are described. CFM pneumatic machine commercialization resulted in: - machines demonstrated high floatation efficiency for concentration of rebellious pyrrhotite-bearing copper and zink by simultaneous floatation of copper and zinc minerals and depressing pyrrhotite. CFM- 1400M introduction allowed simplifying and optimizing the flow chart and increase extraction of copper - by 5.4%, zinc - by 9.5% and improve the quality of copper (3% Cu) and zinc (1.5% Zn) concentrates. - due to copper pyrite concentration by using CFM 1400M overall copper recovery was increased by 1.5 %, and the content of copper in concentrates - by1%. According to the results of pilot runs, the use of CFM flotation for zinc cakes concentration strongly intensifies the process of cleaning water-soluble metal compounds and, thereby, increases the efficiency of flotation concentration and subsequent milling. CFM machines showed higher specific capacity (three or four times higher) (both for feed material and froth product). Specifically, CFM froth product has higher content of useful elements (silver by 0.014 % abs. zinc by 0.31% abs.) and better extraction (silver by 6.08% abs., zinc by 0.31% abs., and sulfide sulfur by 13.7 %). Sulfide sulfur content of CFM product chamber as compared to mechanical flotation machines is two times lower (0.48 vs. 0.95 %)."

Jan 1, 2014

By K. Gonçalves

One of Vale?s sponsored research project is aimed at the implementation of a practical scale-up procedure for flotation. In this context, detailed flotation kinetics characterization is of critical importance. This work presents the results of a campaign aimed at characterizing flotation kinetic parameters with respect to particle composition. MLA analysis was carried out for 40 narrow-sized iron ore particles with known flotation time from a controlled flotation kinetic test. The iron ore sample studied (59% hematite and 41% quartz) comes from a mine in the southeast of Brazil and the type of reagents applied are the same as used in the plant. For the reagent conditions tested, the overall rougher concentrate (sink) yielded 79.1%, pure quartz and hematite recoveries to the froth were 56.0% and 4.8%, respectively. The results from the kinetic tests show that the flotation rate of the particles doesn?t vary much (~0.03s-1) with composition and that the fraction of floatable particles in each grade controls the separation action. The results show that the rate of flotation is controlled by transport and that the selectivity is controlled by the fraction of floatable particle of each phase.

Sep 1, 2012