Showing papers on "Mineral processing published in 2011"

Hydrometallurgical process and method for recovering metals

Abstract: A mineral processing facility is provided that includes a cogen plant to provide electrical energy and waste heat to the facility and an electrochemical acid generation plant to generate, from a salt, a mineral acid for use in recovering valuable metals.

The Application of Microwave Energy in Mineral Processing - a Review

Abstract: This paper presents a review of the application of microwave energy in the field of mineral processing at the Institute of Geotechnics, Slovak Academy of Sciences. The influence of microwave radiation of rocks on the failure disintegration of minerals and ores as well as, a modification of magnetic properties and thermal processing of rocks was studied. Moreover, the rate of microwave heating of minerals, effect of microwaves on coal desulphurisation and the extraction of diterpanes from coal were investigated.

Applied Mineralogy: Applications in Industry and Environment

Abstract: Introduction.- Part-I: Essentials of Mineralogy.- Minerals and Their Chemical Classification.- Mineral Crystals and Structural Classification.- Mineral Chemistry.- Physical Properties.- Optical Mineralogy and Its Uses.- Special Mineral Properties and Related Structures.- Descriptive Mineralogy.- Part - II: Mineral Transformations and Their Effects.- Energetics, Thermodynamics and Stability of Minerals.- Origin of Minerals and Their Transformations in Nature under various Environmental Conditions.- Mineral Deposits and Their Characteristics.- Marine Minerals in Different Environments.- Minerals and Mineral Associations as Geothermometers and Geobarometers.- Part-III: Mineral Analysis, Industry and Environment.- Common Analytical Techniques in Mineralogical Studies.- Precious and Semiprecious Stones.- Mineralogy in Exploration of Mineral Deposits using Magnetic, Electrical and Gravitational Properties.- Synthesis of Selected Minerals (Crystals) in Laboratory and Industry.- Industrial Mineralogy: Mineral Processing, Beneficiations and Other Related Mineral Usage.- Environmental Mineralogy.- Concept of Geomedicine and Medicinal Mineralogy.

Method for carrying out flotation on high-silicon high-calcium low-grade magnesite step by step

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for carrying out flotation on high-silicon high-calcium low-grade magnesite step by step, belonging to the technical field of mineral processing The method comprises the following steps of: (1) carrying out ball milling on the high-silicon high-calcium low-grade magnesite and adding water to prepare raw ore pulp; (2) placing the raw ore pulp into flotation equipment, adding inhibitor, collecting agent and foaming agent while stirring is carried out, carrying out reverse flotation roughing, and carrying out reverse flotation selection on the obtained raw ore concentrate 0-2 times to obtain desiliconized ore; and (3) adding water into the desiliconized ore to prepare ore pulp, regulating the pH value to be 10-11, adding the inhibitor water glass, the inhibitor sodium hexametaphosphate and the collector to be stirred while stirring is carried out, carrying out direct flotation roughing, and carrying out direct flotation selection on the obtained desiliconized ore concentrate 0-2 times to obtain magnesite ore concentrate The ore processed by the method provided by the invention has low grade, the obtained magnesite ore concentrate can reach super standard in the metallurgical industry, the flotation effect is good, and the cost is low

Studies on selective flotation of smithsonite from silicate minerals using mercaptans and one stage desliming

Abstract: The separation of oxide zinc mineral from silicate minerals in smithsonite mineral, associated silicate minerals and oxide zinc ore samples was assessed using methyl mercaptan (CH3SH), ethyl mercaptan (C2H5SH) and hexyl mercaptan (C6H13SH; HM) as collectors. The optimal flotation conditions were defined through Hallimond tube, contact angle and batch flotation and the results were applied to a natural Angooran oxide zinc ore. The microflotation and artificial mixture flotation results showed a maximum of 78% flotation recovery using HM. Selective flotation of oxide zinc ore was also accomplished by using an HM collector at pH 9. The flotation recovery was 55% without desliming. When the initial feed was deslimed before bench scale flotation tests, the recovery increased from 55 to 75% with 22·5% zinc content in the concentrate. When methyl mercaptan or ethyl mercaptan was used, lower zinc recoveries and grades compared to HM flotation were achieved.

Method for separating zinc and indium and iron from indium-enriched high-iron high-zinc calcine through reduction-magnetic separation

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for separating zinc and indium and iron from indium-enriched high-iron high-zinc calcine through reduction-magnetic separation, belonging to the technical field of mineral processing. The invention is characterized in that the method adopts the technical means that mineral dressing is combined with smelting and performs smelting firstly and mineral dressing secondly; and the method is as follows: the waste heat of the indium-enriched high-iron zinc calcine obtained through fluidized roasting is utilized, the indium-enriched high-iron zinc calcine is introduced to perform low-temperature weak reduction treatment at below 570 DEG C and ensure that zinc ferrite is decomposed and reduced to ZnO, Fe3O4 and iron, the reduced calcine is levigated to prepare slurry, and zinc and indium and iron is separated through wet-type magnetic separation to obtain iron ore concentrates and indium-enriched zinc- enriched ore concentrates. The method has low energy consumption and low dosage of a reducing agent, is simple in operation, easy in control and high in metal recovery rate. Therefore, the indium embedded and distributed in zinc ferrite can be released, the loss caused by the high temperature volatilization of indium can be avoided, and the zinc and indium and iron of the indium-enriched high-iron high-zinc calcine can be separated in an ore dressing manner before leaching.

Method for sorting high-phosphorus iron ore by combining microwave reduction roasting and low intensity magnetic separation

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for refining iron and removing phosphorus from complex refractory high-phosphorus iron ore, in particular to a method for sorting high-phosphorus iron ore by combining microwave reduction roasting and low intensity magnetic separation, and belongs to the technical field of mineral processing, particularly iron ore beneficiation. The method comprises the following steps: crushing refractory high-phosphorus iron ore used as raw material into granules with granularity of less than 2mm; mixing the crushed raw ore with a fluxing agent and a reducing agent in a certain proportion; transferring the obtained mixed material into a microwave reaction furnace for reduction roasting; and carrying out water-quenching, cooling, ball-milling and wet-magnetic-separating on the obtained roasted ore to finally obtain iron ore concentrate. In the method, the ore is reduced by utilizing a microwave roasting technology, wherein microwave reduction roasting time is short, and the temperature of the ore is raised quickly; and meanwhile the fluxing agent is added so as to promote gangue softening and improve refractory ore structure together with microwave roasting reaction. By utilizing the method for sorting the high-phosphorus iron ore, the iron ore concentrate with grade of more than 58.39% can be obtained, and phosphorus removal rate reaches over 70.44%, thus a new technique is provided for sorting the high-phosphorus iron ore.

Method for separating scheelite from fluorite

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for separating scheelite from fluorite and belongs to the technical field of mineral dressing of metal mines. The method comprises the following steps of: preparing ore pulp from tungsten secondary concentrate ore containing 30 to 60 weight percent of tungsten trioxide; carrying out two stages of separation by adopting shaking tables; then making middlings of a first-stage shaking table enter a second-stage shaking table to be separated so as to produce special grade white tungsten concentrate ore products containing over 70 weight percent of tungsten trioxide; concentrating the middlings and tailings, which are separated by the shaking tables, to 50 to 60 weight percent in a centralizing mode, then adding water glass and TN into the concentrated middlings and tailings, and uniformly stirring the mixture in a stirring barrel for flotation; diluting flotation pulp to 20 to 30 weight percent, regulating the pH of the diluted flotation pulp to 9 to 10, and adding an inhibitor KJ and a collector YY to produce white tungsten concentrate ore containing over 65 weight percent of tungsten trioxide; and further carrying out flotation on the flotation tailings to obtain fluorite powder ore containing over 85 percent of calcium fluoride. The method has the advantages of high mineral dressing index, simple process, low production cost, environmental protection and capability of better solving the environmental problems of ammonium paratungstate manufacturing enterprises, which are caused by high fluorine content of raw materials.

Microbial Leaching of Uranium Ore

Abstract: This chapter is a review of the microbiological leaching of uranium ores. Microbiological leaching has been use as an alternative approach to conventional hydrometallurgical methods of uranium's extraction. In the microbiological leaching process, iron-oxidizing bacteria oxidize pyretic phase to ferric iron and sulfuric acid, and uranium is dissolved from the ore due to sulfuric acid attack. If uranium in the ore material is reduced state and in involves tetravalent form and a redox reaction is involved whereby uranium oxidized to the hexavalent form. Future sustainable development requires measures to be taken to reduce the dependence on non-renewable raw materials and the demand for primary resources. New resources for metals must be developed with the help of novel technologies. In addition, improvement of previously existed mining techniques can be resulted in metal recovery by the sources that have not been of economical interest up to today. The metalwinning processes based on the activity of microorganisms offer a possibility to obtain metals from mineral resources which are not accessible by conventional mining. Generally bioleaching is a process described as being “dissolution of metals from their mineral source by certainly and naturally occurring microorganisms” or “use of microorganisms to transform elements so that the elements could be extracted from a material when water is filtered through it”. However, there are some slight differences in definition: Usually, “bioleaching” is described as the conversion of solid metal values into their water soluble forms using microorganisms. Bacterial leaching is the extraction of metals from their ores using microorganisms. The capital costs are low compared to those for a smelter. Environmental pollution caused by mineral processing is a serious problem and on the other hand, microorganisms play crucial roles in biogeochemical cycling of toxic metals and radionuclides. Recent progresses have been made to understand metal–microbe interactions and new applications of these processes to the detoxification of metal and radionuclide contamination have been developed. It also suggests an opportunity to reduce of environmental and air pollution by sulphur dioxide.

Method for pre-sorting low-grade tin ores through X-ray radiation

Abstract: The invention discloses a method for pre-sorting low-grade tin ores through X-ray radiation, belonging to the field of mineral processing technology. The method comprises the following steps: (1) breaking the raw low-grade tin ores; (2) sieving the broken material, wherein the oversize material is used as the tin ore powder; and (3) setting the grade threshold for concentrate and tailings separation in a control system of an X-ray sorter, wherein the threshold ranges from 0.017-0.07%; and feeding the tin ore powder into the sorter and sorting with the X-ray sorter to obtain high-grade tin ore concentrates. The method disclosed by the invention has high automation degree, saves the mineral processing cost, greatly improves the beneficiation feed grade of a mineral processing plant after pre-discarding tailings with the X-ray sorter, and realizes a good tin ore flotation effect.

Impact of pulp rheology on selective recovery of value minerals from ores

Abstract: Rheological behavior of mineral pulps plays a critical role in almost all mineral processing unit operations. Although the impact of rheology in unit operations such as grinding and slurry transport has received much attention in the past, this is not the case for flotation. The pathway by which the pulp rheology influences the flotation performance is not well understood. The aim of this paper is to explore how physical (shape, size and morphology) and surface chemical properties of minerals contribute to pulp rheology and pathways by which rheology can influence selective value mineral recovery and/or concentrate grade. Systematic studies involving spiking experiments (deliberate addition of fibrous minerals and other solids), measurement of pulp viscosity and yield stress, flotation tests, SEM, EDX and XRD were conducted on a Ni ore and a Cu ore. A phenomenological model was developed. The key components of the model are the formation of a macro-network comprising micro-aggregates of fibrous minerals which significantly increases pulp viscosity, and as a result impedes gas dispersion and bubble-particle attachment and influence froth phase properties. Additionally, the role of various reagent types in regulating pulp rheological behavior was explored.

Sulfide flotation aid

Abstract: The invention provides a method of improving a flotation separation process. The method involves an organophosphorus compound, a material previously thought to only be of use in controlling scale deposit on surfaces of equipment used in cyanide leaching. In the invention the organoposphorus compound is added to the flotation separation process for improved sulfide mineral separation. Not only does the addition of the organophosphorus compound improve the overall recovery of sulfide complexed metals in flotation, but by doing so it also reduces the energy requirements and adds other efficiencies to other downstream ore processing and refining steps. This has the added benefit of helping to preserve the enviroment.

Keynote address:hydrometallurgical process development for complex ores and concentrates

Abstract: Hydrometallurgical processing of complex ores and concentrates is becoming increasingly important as the mining and metallurgical industry seeks to exploit mineral deposits that are difficult to treat using conven tional mineral processing and pyrometallurgical technologies.Mineral processing is often challenged by the difficulty or inability to separate valuable minerals into marketable concentrates.Hydrometallurgical processing,us ing selective leaching technology,can often ' chemically beneficiate ' such difficult deposits.Pyrometallurgical treatment of base metal concentrates is capital intensive and subject to ever more stringent environmental con trol.Hydrometallurgical processing is generally lower in capital cost for an equivalent metal production rate and avoids the gas and dust issues associated with pyrometallurgical processing.The possibility of by-product recov ery may also increase with hydrometallurgical treatment.Example of new technology or flowsheet development for treatment of complex ores and concentrates are used as illustration to introduce the PLATSOL process for recovery of copper,nickel,cobalt,platinum,palladium and gold from a bulk sulphide concentrate.

Concept of seafloor mineral processing for development of seafloor massive sulfides

Abstract: Seafloor Massive Sulfides (SMS), which were formed by deposition of precipitates from hydrothermal fluids vented from seafloor, is one of unconventional mineral resources beneath deep seafloors in the world. The authors have proposed the concept of seafloor mineral processing for development of SMS, where useful minerals included in SMS ores are separated on seafloor to be lifted while the remaining gangue is disposed on seafloor in appropriate ways. To apply column flotation, one of conventional methods in mineral processing, to seafloor mineral processing, the authors carried out simulating experiments of column flotation on deep seafloor using ores including copper, iron, lead and zinc as metallic elements. Prior to the experiments at high pressures, preparatory experiments at the atmospheric pressure were carried out to find out the optimum condition of the properties of pulp, a mixture of feed ore, water and chemical reagents. In flotation experiments at high pressures, formation and overflow of froth layer by bubbling were observed at 1MPa in both of pulps with pure water and artificial seawater. The analytical data showed that the concentration of metallic elements such as copper and zinc in the concentrates recovered from the experiments was higher than that in the feed ores while the concentration of silicon and calcium, which are assigned to gangue, in the concentrates was lower than that in the feed ores. These results suggest that column flotation can be applied to operation on seafloor.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

Singleness siderite full flotation ore dressing method

Abstract: The present invention relates to a single siderite all-flotation mineral separation method, belonging to the technical field of iron ore separation of mineral processing engineering, which adopts all-flotation technological process to process the single siderite ore with small amount of hematite-limonite, magnetic pyrite, pyrite and other ores. The processing method comprises the following steps: (1) the material is crushed to 3mm, mixed evenly and ground with liquid-solid weight ratio 1:2 and 75% to 95% of particle size of 0.074 mm, and (2) one roughing and triple cleaning are processed and the siderite concentrate ore with grade TFe larger than or equal to 38% and 75 to 86% of the iron recovery is acquired. The single siderite all-flotation mineral separation method has the advantages of adopting the siderite collecting agent for collecting, enabling the strong physico-chemical adsorption between the siderite surface and the collecting agent surface, and realizing the effective separation of the siderite and other ores.

Mineral processing technology for polymetallic sulfide ore containing arsenic, copper and zinc

Abstract: The invention relates to mineral processing technology for polymetallic sulfide ore containing arsenic, copper and zinc. In the technology, arsenic mineral, copper mineral and zinc mineral in the ore are separated by using a gravity separation-flotation combined flow, namely the arsenic is removed by gravity separation and then copper and zinc of tailing which is subjected to the gravity separation are separated by floatation. The invention has the advantages that: the arsenic content in copper and zinc concentrate can be reduced to be less than 0.5 percent to obtain arsenic-containing qualified copper and zinc concentrate by the technology; and the technology has the advantages of simple equipment, no pollution and stable index.

Ore grinding flotation silicon-removing method of bauxite

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for removing impurities from bauxite, in particular to an ore grinding flotation silicon-removing method of bauxite, which comprises the steps of: carrying out primary floatation on the bauxite after rough grinding, wherein the floated foam is used as a concentrate product; carrying out secondary ore grinding on floating underflow; and carrying out secondary floatation after secondary ore grinding, wherein the floated foam is used as a concentrate product and the underflow is used as tailings to be discharged. The invention has the characteristics of proper granularity of flotation pulp, reasonable fraction distribution, shortened process flow, reduced mineral dressing cost and improved floatation recycling rate due to the adoption of reasonable configuration of ore grinding and floating and equipment selection.

The solitary grain liberation model: a description of a mineral liberation model for low-grade ores

Abstract: Some of the mineral deposits that are being processed today, and especially those expected to be processed in the future, have relatively low compositions of the valuable mineral. With these low-grade ores, it is necessary to be able to design processes that are sufficiently low-cost to permit exploitation. One approach to minimizing the capital and operating costs for these processes is to use the capabilities of computer process simulation in the design phase of development, to make important technical and economic decisions regarding the evaluation of alternative process flow schemes, the selection of equipment and the choice of operating conditions. There are mathematical simulation models for most mineral processing operations, including several each for size reduction, size classification and mineral separations. To be able to tie these individual operating models together in an integrated mineral process simulation, however, it is important, in fact in some cases essential, that there be a model which describes how the mineral system responds to size reduction in making the liberated valuable and waste mineral particles available for concentration or rejection operations and the locked particles available for possible recirculation. This, then, is the role played by the mineral liberation model, showing the relationship between particle size, quantity and composition throughout the process.

The effect of gangue mineralogy on the density separation of low grade nickel ore

Abstract: With the decrease over time of high grade, easy to process base metal sulfide ores, mineral processing operations have been forced to process low grade, disseminated and more mineralogically complex ores. Dense medium separation (DMS) is one of the techniques that can be used to upgrade low grade ores, such that they may become economic to process. The success of density separation however, is closely related to the mineralogy of the ore. The aim of this process mineralogy study is to investigate the effect of mineralogy on the DMS of ore from the Main Mineralised Zone (MMZ) of the Nkomati Nickel Mine in Mpumalanga, for which it was previously shown to be unsuccessful. The results from this study showed an overall upgrade of Ni from 0.4 to 0.7% Ni in the flotation feed sample, at a recovery of 87%. A qualitative mineralogical characterisation of the over- and underflow showed that the original igneous minerals such as pyroxene and olivine increase in abundance in the higher density classes, whereas the abundance of the lower density alteration minerals e.g. chlorite, quartz and carbonates decrease. Pentlandite, which is the main host of nickel, is closely associated with pyrrhotite, both of which are recovered predominantly to the underflow. Particle density (determined by mineralogy, liberation and associations), particle size and particle shape were all noted as important factors controlling the separation and could be related back to the original ore textures (net-textured versus disseminated sulfides, granular versus flame pentlandite and degree of alteration). An understanding of the influence of these mineralogical factors on the separation efficiency of a centrifugal separator such as a dense medium cyclone and their variability in a geologically and mineralogically heterogeneous ore deposit, will aid in the effective processing of these low grade and complex base metal sulfide ores.

Studies On The Isolation And Characterisation Of Bioreagents For The Flotation Of Sphalerite From Galena-Sphalerite System

Abstract: A gradual depletion of high-grade ores, coupled with the growing demand for mineral commodities across the world has culminated in the increased exploitation of lean-grade ores with complex mineralogy. The mineral processing industry commonly uses an extensive range of inorganic, naturally derived or synthetic organic reagents in the separation of valuable minerals from the ore. Froth flotation is a commonly used separation technique to float or depress different sulfide minerals from the ore, based on their surface properties. In recent times, biological processes have been attracting attention in mineral processing and metal recovery operations due to a number of factors, especially lower operating costs, lesser energy consumption and their environment friendly nature. The use of microorganisms and their direct derivatives in mineral processing, hydrometallurgy and in the bioremediation of mineral industry discharges has led to the emerging area of “Mineral Bioprocessing”. In this study, a family of four microorganisms belonging to the Bacillus species, viz., Paenibacillus polymyxa, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus megaterium and Bacillus subtilis was used to ascertain the selective floatability of sphalerite from a sphalerite-galena mineral mixture. These bacteria are Gram positive, mesophilic, neutrophilic, aerobic and spore forming. The major objectives of the investigation include: a) Identification and characterization of bioreagents derived from Bacillus species for the flotation of sphalerite from a sphalerite-galena mixture b) Optimization of the flotation process for the enhanced recovery of sphalerite using specific bioreagent combinations c) Modes and mechanisms of bacterial adaptation to minerals and their consequent effects on the flotation of sphalerite and galena d) Elucidation of the mechanisms of microbe-mineral interactions and the role of extracellular secretions in sphalerite flotation column and their N-terminal residues were identified using Edmann N-terminal sequencing. Additionally, sequences of several internal peptides from both the proteins were determined using Tandem Mass Spectrometric techniques. A database search revealed that the sequences of these peptides are unique and have not been reported earlier. It was established that the bacterial cells give high flotation recovery of sphalerite under buffered conditions and that it took place only in the presence of anionic buffers. Additionally, the viability of the bacterial cells was not required for the flotation of minerals. A major finding of this study was that other than extracellular DNA (eDNA), none of the other bacterial surface components like teichoic acids, surface proteins, polysaccharides played a positive role in the flotation process. Nucleic acids, more particularly single stranded DNA (ssDNA), facilitated sphalerite flotation relative to double stranded DNA (dsDNA). A probable mechanism of ssDNA -mediated selective flotation of sphalerite has been presented. A negative role for non-DNA surface components was also…

Controlling clay behaviour in suspension: developing a new paradigm for the minerals industry

Abstract: Clays, which are often associated with mineral deposits, can be the source of significant problems in mineral processing operations. Their presence as impurities in low grade ores can lead to issues such as high pumping energy, high water consumption and large volume of tailings. Current strategies for dealing with clay related issues in mineral processing are all end-of-pipe in nature, in the sense that they all attempt to solve the problems well after they have been created through clay dispersion. However, the effectiveness of such strategies will always be limited due to the physical and chemical nature of clays. The purpose of this study is to develop a new paradigm for the minerals industry to control clay behaviour in suspensions using a start-of-pipe, or up front strategy that reduces the level of dispersion and break-up of the clays throughout the process. Through such a strategy, the occurrence of clay-associated problems will be predicted and moderated at the front end of a processing plant. This could result in significant improvements in dewaterability over the current end-of-pipe practice. The investigation of the start-of-pipe strategy for minimising in process clay break-up, referred to as controlled dispersion, was conducted on two clay minerals that are commonly associated in mineral ore bodies: kaolinite (non-swelling clay) and montmorillonite (swelling clay). In both cases, the focus was on controlling the dispersion and break-up of the clays during initial hydration, but due to differences in their physical and chemical properties, different strategies were investigated for each clay mineral subgroup. For the swelling clay minerals, the investigation was focused on as-mined Volclay bentonite swelling control through monovalent (Na+) and divalent (Ca2+) ion exchange and double layer compression. For the non-swelling clay minerals, the investigation was focused on the implementation of cementation via aluminium hydroxide precipitation on as-mined Skardon River kaolin. The outcomes from the investigation demonstrated that effective dispersion control could be achieved with the application of different controlled dispersion strategies. The resultant quantitative improvements in the physical properties of the clays, such as their dewaterability, were in excess of one order of magnitude in many cases. The benefits of the strategy to a mineral processing operation were illustrated via model simulations of the operation of an arbitrary steady state thickener. With the implementation of the controlled dispersion strategy, improvements were observed in either throughput or required equipment size in excess of one order of magnitude. Further investigations were then conducted on mixed clay mineral systems to illustrate the additive nature of the dispersion control strategies. The results highlighted the effectiveness of each controlled dispersion strategy in controlling the dispersion of the respective clay minerals, and also highlighted the importance of adequate clay mineralogical data for the processing plant feed to allow continuous adjustment and optimisation of the controlled dispersion strategy for systems with a clay composition that varies. For this reason, the potential use of Quantitative Scanning Electron Microscope system (QEMSCAN) technology as a clay mineral characterisation tool was investigated. However, due to its limitations in quantifying different clay minerals, the existing QEMSCAN technology needed development by customising the existing sample preparation method for clay-rich samples and updating the Species Identification Protocol (SIP) with the mineral database from a number of swelling and non-swelling clays. As a validation study, the QEMSCAN measurements of a range of clay-spiked samples were compared with the analysis from X-ray Diffraction. In general, the results demonstrated the potential for use of QEMSCAN for providing basic clay mineralogical data. However, further work needs to be completed to improve and quantify the accuracy of the results.

Thematic Issue: Isotopic Geochemistry of Mineral Deposits—Implication for Ore Genesis

Abstract: [Extract] Mineralization involves several processes, of which chemical processes are the ones that finally result in precipitation of metals or formation of minerals. Thus, geochemistry is an important field in the study of mineral deposits. Geochemical (e.g. elemental, isotopic, etc.) characterization of mineral deposits is important in (i) understanding ore genesis, (ii) mineral deposit classification, (iii) mineral exploration, (iv) extractive metallurgy or mineral processing, and (v) geoenvironmental research. This thematic issue of Resource Geology is devoted to isotopic geochemistry of mineral deposits for understanding of ore genesis.

Iron ore dressing product mineral monomer liberation measuring method

Abstract: The invention belongs to the technical field of mineral monomer liberation measurement, in particular to an iron ore dressing product mineral monomer liberation measuring method, which comprises the following detection steps: screening and elutriating dressing products by granularity level, recording granular weight, testing the all-iron grades of the dressing products of all granularity levels, observing dressing products of all granularity levels under a microscope, dividing the dressing products by the area ratio of iron minerals to grain into monomer iron minerals, 7/8 iron minerals, 3/4 iron minerals, 1/2 iron minerals, 1/4 iron minerals, 1/8 iron minerals, 1/16 iron minerals, 1/32 iron minerals and monomer gangue minerals, counting the numbers of the mineral grains of all area sections of dressing products of all granularity levels, obtaining an original record of liberation measurement, inputting the weights of all granularity levels, all-iron grades and original data on libration measurement into an original data input interface of iron mineral dressing product libration computing software, computing the theoretical libration values of all granularity levels by using a formula and correcting the actually measured libration J(D) of all granularity levels. The method provided by the invention can process a large amount of libration measurement data quickly, effectively and more accurately.

A Comprehensive Utilization of Laterite Nickel Ore

Abstract: Nickel is difficult to be enriched from laterite nickel ore with mineral processing. The traditional processes used for manufacturing nickel need high energy consumption and yield a large amount of metallurgy waste residue. A new method was developed. Nickel and iron was enriched firstly by leaching laterite nickel ore in concentrated alkali solution. In the process, silicon entered to the solution in the form of sodium silicate, and nickel and iron were remained in the residue in form of simple oxides due to the destroying of silicate structure. Ferronickel was obtained by magnetic separation after reducing the residue with carbon. The silicon dioxide was prepared using carbonation decomposition from the leaching solution. The alkali used in the leaching process was recycled and reused using causticizing technology.