Modification of Structural – Chemical and Technological Properties of Rare – Metal Minerals under the Influence of High – Power Electromanetic Pulses (e8c64e75-8fbe-4aa0-8eac-9306751fe616)

"We studied the mechanism of structural and chemical transformations of columbite, tantalite, zircon and feldspar surface during the treatment by high – power electromagnetic pulses (HPEMP) using the methods of X - ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), analytical electron microscopy (SEM - EDX), Kelvin probe force microscopy and flotation experiments. According to XPS and SEM - EDX data, major changes in the atoms chemical state of investigated minerals surface are related with formation and modification of functional cover and changing in concentration (% at.) of hydroxyl groups on the mineral surface, leading to increase in the contrast of technological properties of the rare metals minerals. Research has identified the optimal parameters of HPEMP - treatment of rare - earth minerals Npuls ??104, Ttreatment ??100 sec. improving the selectivity of the flotation separation of columbite and zircon. The difference in mineral recovery into the froth (? e) before and after HPEMP - treatment was about 11 % and 24.5 %, respectively. No significant increase was observed in the flotation activity of feldspar. This study's findings demonstrate the effectiveness of HPEMP - treatment in inducing a controlled change in the structural and chemical properties of rare - earth minerals and improving the process efficiency for the processing of rougher tantalum - niobium gravity concentrates.INTRODUCTIONThe importance of improving the processing methods of tantalum-niobium ores and concentrates is explained by the mineralogical properties of rare - earth ores. These are properties such as the variable mineral, chemical, and grain size composition, complex morphometric properties, and the dissemination of ore mineral grains of micro - and nanometric size. Iron oxide and hydroxide films on the mineral surfaces neutralize the surface physicochemical and absorption properties of the minerals. Both in Russia and globally, nonconventional (non - mechanical) methods are being developed based on physicochemical, electrochemical, and pulsed energy impacts to improve the efficiency of disintegration and liberation processes of disseminated mineral complexes and to enhance the contrast of the structural, chemical, and technological (floatability) properties of refractory ores. This study is devoted to the investigation of the applicability of high – power electromagnetic pulses (HPEMP – treatment) for the change in the structural and chemical properties of rare - earth minerals and improving of the flotation properties contrast."