Recovery of Barite from Tailings Ponds and Bypassed Mining Waste (09082311-2a89-4599-b745-e9125ad551f1)

As part of its program to conserve domestic mineral resources through advancing mineral resources technology, the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Mines, conducted investigations to determine the feasibility of recovering high-grade barite concentrates, suitable for use as well-drilling mud, from current and old waste pond materials and materials bypassed in present mining operations. Flotation studies of waste pond samples from Missouri and Nevada yielded barite concentrates containing over 95% Bas04 with recoveries of 86% and 96%, respectively, of the barite in the flotation feed. Flotation studies of a hard-rock sample from Georgia, currently bypassed in mining, yielded a barite concentrate containing 97% Bas04 with an attendant recovery of97% of the barite.