Analysis of the current
technical solutions for the processing
of iron ores showed that the high-grade ores are directly exposed
to metallurgical processing; by comparison, low-grade ores, depending
on the mineralogical and material composition, are directed to beneficiation
including gravitational, magnetic, and flotation processes or their
combination. Obtaining high-quality concentrates with high iron content
and low content of impurities from low-grade iron ores requires the
maximum possible liberation of valuable minerals and a high accuracy
of separating features (difference in density, magnetic susceptibility,
wettability, etc.). Mineralogical studies have established that the
main iron-bearing mineral is hematite, which contains 69.02 to 70.35%
of iron distributed in the ore. Magnetite and hydrogoethite account
for 16.71–17.74 and 8.04–10.50% of the component, respectively;
the proportion of iron distributed in gangue minerals and finely dispersed
iron hydroxides is very insignificant. Iron is mainly present in the
trivalent form—Fe
2
O
3
content ranges from
50.69 to 51.88%; bivalent iron is present in small quantities—the
FeO content in the samples ranges from 3.53 to 4.16%. The content
of magnetic iron is 11.40–12.67%. Based on the obtained results
by the investigation of the features of magnetite–hematite
ores from the Mikhailovskoye deposit, a technological scheme of magneto-flotation
beneficiation was proposed, which allows producing iron concentrates
with 69% of iron content and less than 2.7% silicon dioxide for the
production of pellets with subsequent metallization.
Deterioration of mineralogical and physical characteristics of mineral raw materials results in the formation of the primary task for the comminution processes—reduction in the size of ore to obtain a material with a certain granulometric composition, which in turn is achieved by overgrinding of raw materials and, consequently, an increase in energy costs. The work aimed to justify the possibility of selective disintegration of mineral assemblages of polymetallic ores of various genesis at the stage of crushing based on in-depth investigation and revealing of interrelation and mutual influence of mineralogical-geochemical features, textural-structural and technological properties. Structural and textural features have been studied by the methods of computed X-ray microtomography. Experimental and theoretical investigations of mineralogical and technological parameters of raw materials, as well as research on crushing using different types of crushers, made it possible to substantiate the possibility of selective disintegration for polymetallic ores.
Investigations on the possibility of selective grinding and benefication of quartz-pecoraite ores of the Ufaleiskoye deposit have been carried out. Methods of computer X-ray microtomography have been used to study the morphometric features and pore volume parameters of samples, and these data was compared with results of quantitative microstructural analysis. The performed research shows the powerful capabilities of X-ray computer microtomography method for solving scientific and practical problems related to the study of physical and mechanical properties of rocks, the determination of ore minerals liberation, the evaluation of their content, the analysis of the granulometric composition and the spatial distribution of their grains. Analysis of mineralogical and geochemical composition of ores showed that these ores meet the criteria for selective disintegration. An analysis of flotation experiments results showed that when material is grinded in a roll mill, the consumption of reagents is 25% lower than when grinding in a ball mill if the same degree of nickel extraction is achieved.
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