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By A. Danaei, A. McLean, M. Barati, C. Ravindran

"The aluminum industry generates about 90 million tonnes of red mud each year. Previous research shows it could be utilized as a refining flux with a high capacity to absorb phosphorus and sulphur from hot metal in the steel industry. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the melting properties of such fluxes, as it affects the effectiveness of the flux. The results show that the melting behavior of red mud is strongly affected by lime addition and the characteristic melting/softening temperatures reach minimum VALUES (at 32.7 wt% CaO. From these findings, a correlation was established between melting behavior and optical basicity. This allows one to adjust the composition of the flux based on the process requirements. INTRODUCTIONThe aluminum industry generates about 90 million tonnes of bauxite residues each year. This residue is usually red in color because it contains a substantial amount of iron oxide. The red mud, as it is called, is a solid waste with a high concentration of sodium oxide, high pH (10 to 13), and high alkalinity, and thus is harmful to many forms of life. Traditionally, the material is stored in large tailings ponds within the plant’s vicinity (Power, Grafe, & Klauber, 2009). Development of solutions for safe disposal or preferably using this residue for other industrial processes or applications could help restore polluted locations and eliminate a negative impact on the environment (Haake, 1988; Power et al., 2009; Yan & Xuegong, 2010).The mineralogy and chemical composition of red mud depends on the quality of the bauxite and refining process parameters. In general, it consists of iron oxide (Fe2O3), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), titanium oxide (TiO2), sodium oxide (Na2O), silicon oxide (SiO2), and calcium oxide (CaO) (Power et al., 2009). Like most ores and soils, bauxite can contain trace quantities of metals such as arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, and naturally-occurring radioactive materials, such as thorium and uranium. Most of these trace elements stay in the residue (Power et al., 2009)."

Jan 1, 2012

By G M. Jeffress, D C. Arne

There are two discrete aspects to collecting portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) data to obtain reliable results and to comply with reporting requirements under the 2012 edition of the JORC Code (JORC, 2012) – sampling method and quality assurance. A robust sampling program is required to obtain representative material for analysis. The appropriate method should be established for a particular project using a small orientation study. A variety of approaches to sampling soils, drill cuttings, rock faces and diamond drill core are discussed. These include using multiple spot analyses, scanning using a single operating beam and the collection of cutting saw pulps. The operator must also be aware of the attenuating effects of analysing through sample bags of different material types for various elements as well as the limitations of current pXRF instruments in reporting reliable data for certain elements. The analysis of the samples must also be accompanied by a quality assurance program in order to generate data that are ‘fit for purpose’. This includes recording X-ray tube resolution on a routine basis, using matrix-appropriate standards for which total elemental concentrations are available, using silica blanks, capturing sufficient duplicate analyses to constrain data precision and obtaining check assays to calibrate pXRF data against laboratory data. Examples of quality control approaches and data are presented. Table 1 of the 2012 JORC Code also recommends that information on instrument make and model, reading times and calibration be provided in any reporting of pXRF data. To this should be added information on operating mode and temperature, software version and moisture content of the samples. A robust sampling methodology with a suitable quality assurance/quality control program should produce pXRF data of sufficient quality for public reporting purposes, provided that the data are presented using appropriate cautionary language and adequate supporting information.CITATION:Arne, D C and Jeffress, G M, 2014. Sampling and analysis for public reporting of portable x-ray fluorescence data under the 2012 edition of the JORC Code, in Proceedings Sampling 2014 , pp 57–64 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 29, 2014

By D K. Weatherley, A N. Mainza, I Govender, L M. Tavares, M S. Powell

It is understood that rocks do not instantaneously transport along a grinding mill and are consequently not perfectly mixed, but this is conveniently overlooked in mill modelling. A lack of understanding of the transport phenomenon and the difficulty of modelling realistic transport in a complex tumbling system, contribute to this. Visual observation of segregation in AG and SAG mills and measured lag time of mill response to changes in feed provide evidence of the influence of axial transport within mills. Incorporating this lag in dynamic models should underpin dynamic simulation of milling circuits for design and for model-based control. Limitations and errors in predicting the influence of increased power via mill length versus diameter, inability to predict pebble production, and a lack of the differential in residence time across rock sizes and competences, all contribute to inadequate design prediction that can be especially acute for large Autogenous mills. Examples of dramatically under – and overloaded pebble regrind circuits and the inability to predict pebble load in AG milling discouraging the application of this energy-efficient option, point to the need for predictive modelling of breakage by competence linked to transport through and out of mills. Incorporating progress in granular flow and mixing, coupled to computational advances enable models to be based on complex breakage and transport models at high spatial resolution. This allows mechanistic models to simulate thousands of times faster than real time, opening the door to more accurate mill design, including dynamics in process simulation and to live simulation for process control – all with advanced mechanistic models. The value of grasping this opportunity is not easily refuted.

Aug 24, 2022

By K. Norris

The Amax Gold Guanaco mine is located in the Atacama Desert, approximately 260 km southeast of Antofagasta, Chile. The 6,000 tpd leach operation produces approximately 90,000 oz of gold, and 360,000 oz of silver per year. Production began in 1987, and the operation has been managed by Amax Gold since 1992. The mine has been plagued in the past by high operating costs and low production. Several significant changes have been made to the operations which have resulted in lower costs and higher operating efficiencies. A review of these changes is presented herein.

Jan 1, 1997

[†ADAIR, ARTHUR C., Corp 4th Co., 1st. Training Bat., 154th Depot Brigade. ADAMS, HENRY, Major Chemical Warfare Service. ARLUCK, A. A Headquarters, 1St Corps of Artillery. ASKIN, THOMAS B. H Ensign.] [ ]

Jan 1, 1925

By Herbert R. Babitzke

The Minerals Availability System (MAS) was formally established by the Bureau of Mines in May 1975 to provide current appraisals of the engineering and economic availability of nonfuel minerals for consideration in the formulation of both domestic and foreign minerals policy, Domes- tic mineral property reports are developed by the Bureau's four Field Operations Centers, and foreign data are obtained under contract. This site-specific information is subsequently subjected to engineering verification and economic evaluation, and the results are analyzed and published as Minerals Availability System Appraisals. The deposit-specific data are also entered into the computerized MAS data base, where a subset of this information, the Mineral Industry Location System (MILS), is available to the public in the form of computer graphics and listings. Other MAS products are also described. The Bureau's MAS personnel are frequently involved in special engineering and mineral economic projects for other Federal and State agencies. MAS personnel also work closely with the private sector, both in the area of mining and processing cost estimation, and as a source of nonproprietary mineral deposit information.

Jan 1, 1982

By C. Burton Clark, J. Spotts McDowell

Refractories are defined as "materials having the ability to retain their physical shapes and chemical identities when subjected to high temperatures," or as "nonmetallic materials suitable for the construction or lining of furnaces operated at high temperatures." While resistance to "high" temperatures is thus the primary requirement for refractory materials, it is by no means the sole requirement. They must be able to withstand thermal shock resulting from rapid heating or cooling; other stresses induced by temperature change; pressures from the weights of furnace parts or contents; mechanical wear (abrasion) resulting from movement of furnace contents; and chemical attack by heated solids, liquids, or gases. Refractories of many kinds are needed for the many and widely diversified industrial applications. Those in greatest demand are classified on the basis of composition or properties into a few main groups, known as alumina-silica, silica, basic and insulating refractories. In each of these groups there are several classes. In addition to those included in the main groups, there are various special refractories, including silicon carbide, carbon, zircon, zirconia, alumina, and several others. Alumina-silica refractories comprise two main divisions: fire clay and high-alumina. The alumina content of fire-clay refractories covers the range from about 45 pct to 18 pct, and the silica content from 50 pct to 80 pct. The alumina content of fired high-alumina refractories ranges from about 99 pct to 45 pct, and the silica content from about 0.5 pct to 50 pct. Silica refractories of the different classes contain 94 pct to 97 pct silica. Basic refractories include periclase (magnesite), chrome spinel, forsterite, and dolomite. Refractory materials, including insulating firebrick, are supplied mainly as preformed shapes. Other products include bonding mortars and high temperature cements, ramming mixtures, plastic firebrick, hydraulic setting castables, dead-burned grain magnesite, and dead-burned dolomite. Refractory brick are classified on the basis of their physical form as Standard Sizes and Special Shapes. The Standard Sizes are brick of certain definite sizes and relatively simple design which are used in sufficient amounts to permit quantity production. The brick most widely used are the standard 9 in. X 4 ½ in. X 2 ½in. and 9 in. X 4½in. X 3 in. straights and corresponding series of sizes. All brick of nonstandard dimensions are regarded as "special shapes." They include a wide variety of brick regularly used for specific services, such as baffle tile for boilers, checker brick for regenerators, and others; together with shapes of special design manufactured on particular orders from designs submitted by the user. Not included in the broad classifications of Standard Sizes and Special Shapes are several specific-service refractory products, usually made by companies which specialize in their manufacture, or in some cases by the consumers themselves. These products include

Jan 1, 1960

By Joseph W. Roe

MANY questions arising in the work of the mining engineer may be solved quickly and with sufficient accuracy by the methods of descriptive geometry; but, unfortunately, this subject is more often considered from a mathematical view-point than as an effective tool. for solving practical problems. Some of the principles involved are merged into the ordinary operations of mechanical drawing, and are used unconsciously by the engineer in his every-day work. The rest are stowed away on the book-shelf with his forgotten or rarely-used college text-books. One reason for this condition of "innocuous desuetude " may lie in the unfortunate and often cumbersome notation which it has been found necessary to introduce. If some of these principles can be recalled to the engineer's attention in terms of every-day use they may prove of practical bearing. Recently, in talking with several mining engineers, I used some of the drawing-room methods of a machine-designer, to the evident surprise of those around me. These men were perfectly familiar with the methods, but their application to mining-work had not occurred to them. At their suggestion the present paper is offered, not in any way as a treatise, but merely to suggest a certain point of view, in hope that it may lead others far more familiar with mining-problems to pursue the subject further. I. To FIND THE STRIKE. As the simplest and most fundamental problem, let it be required to find the strike of a vein when the location and elevation of three points on the outcrop are known. It will be assumed for the present that the vein is a plane.

Mar 1, 1910

By Charles Jones

Discussion of the paper of CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, presented at the San Francisco meeting, September, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 105, September, 1915, pp. 1887 to 1898. D. A. LYON, Salt Lake City, Utah.-For some years I have been interested in the iron-ore deposits of the Pacific Coast, and I feel very much indebted to Mr. Jones for the information he has given us on this subject. I think that we are also very much indebted to him for having presented this paper, as he has given us reliable data in shape of facts and figures, which is just what we need in considering whether or not it would be commercially feasible to attempt to establish an iron and steel industry on the Pacific Coast. Personally, due to lack of market, I do not think it is a commercially feasible proposition at the present time. Mr. Jones states that pig iron can be produced on this coast as cheaply as it can be produced in Pittsburgh. Even. so, what can be done, with it after it is produced? To begin with, iron produced on the. Pacific Coast has to compete with iron produced in China. Last year I had occasion to investigate the subject of the market for iron and, steel on the Pacific slope, and found that it was possible for the producers of Chinese iron to sell it for much less than the price for which iron can be produced in the West, and also for less than eastern pig iron is now sold for, even when shipped through the Panama Canal. I was informed that the agents for Chinese iron had instructions to sell it for $1 or $2 less per ton than that asked for other irons on the market. Of course, I realize that the competition of Chinese iron may not be important, but even if it is not, and even though pig iron ,can be produced at the cost given by Mr. Jones in his paper, I do not see any immediate chance of its being so produced, due to lack of market. C. C. JONES, Los Angeles, Cal.-Mr. Lyon is right. It is a fact that Chinese pig is being sold in San Francisco on some large contracts at $18.50 a ton, while $19 is the usual price. We ought to produce iron. on this coast at $14. Personally I do not think Chinese iron is ever going to be an important factor. It is a bugbear out here now. You are not going to have much Chinese pig iron in .this country. Our little friend Japan is going to absorb everything it can. The price of Chinese pig iron at $18 is about as low as it will ever get. If we can show you that we can produce this iron here at the same price as at Pittsburgh, I. think you will have a good opportunity to compete with anything China or India can ever do. Costs there are very low now. They are going to come up by leaps and bounds in the next few years. The labor cost over there may be very low now, but I. have seen some men from there quite recently

Jan 12, 1915

By P. Hadzeriga

Ion exchange techniques have been growing fast and spectacularly in all phases of Science for the last two decades, but still its acceptance as a unit operation in Metallurgy is resisted. Mainly this is because ion exchange procedures are thought of as glamorous techniques by which only relatively expensive metals are to be recovered. Perhaps this concept comes from the early and basic marriage of uranium and other high price metals and ion exchange procedures. The general trend is that ion exchange technique requires equipment and materials which are too expensive to economically perform a chemical step whenever "cheap" commodities are produced. However, we are here presenting a means of utilization of waste hydrochloric acid by an ion exchange technique. We have studied this from the engineering and economic standpoint in a number of variations of the main procedure discussed here and we-conclude that under proper economic circumstances, the cost of the ion exchange material as well as the equipment and labor involved in the ion exchange section, is by no means unreasonable.

Jan 1, 1964

By W. P. Huleatt, R. B. McCulloch

"The Big Four zinc-deposit, directly above the north bank of the Green Mountain Reservoir on the Blue River, Summit County, Cole., was discovered in 1937 by the present owner, Walter McDaniel, who lives on the property. Mr. McDaniel, together with members of his family, have worked the mine on a small scale since its beginning and have shipped quantities of sorted high-grade ore to the International Smelting Co. at Tooele, Utah, and the Combined Metals Corp. at Bauer, Utah. More recently, parts of the nine have been operated by lessees.The property had been examined previously by the Federal Geological Survey, and the geological report was made available' to the Bureau of Mines.The Big Four mining claim was located in 1937 by Walter McDaniel and his wife Frances,- who had been prospecting in the vicinity since 1933. The discovery of the high-grade zinc deposit caused considerable excitement, as it had not been regarded as a mineralized area.Mining was begun in 1937 and carried on until 1944 by Mr. and Mrs. McDaniel with the help of a few hired miners. During 1944, parts of the mine were leased: to various parties Who produced small quantities of ore but did no development work.Shipments during 1941 .totaled 752 tons; during 1942, 387 tons; and during 1943, 510 tons. From the beginning of 1944 to April of that year, 98 tons wore produced and shipped to Utah,Since the lessees began operations, a grade of 30 to 35 percent zinc has been maintained by careful sorting. No production has been recorded for 1945.The Big Four mine is situated on Colorado State- Highway 9 between Dillon and Kremmling on the south face of Green Mountain overlooking the Green Mountain Reservoir, a Federal irrigation project on the Hue River, Green Mountain rises 1,600 feet above the general level of the valley to an altitude of 9,408 feet and the surrounding terrain, i s correspondingly mountainous and rugged."

Apr 1, 1946

By Clayton A. Landsidle

There has been little change in timbering methods in anthracite mines for 75 years, and technical information on strata control is almost wholly lacking. In order to assist the industry to establish technical data, the Bureau of Mines and a Northern field operator are cooperating in underground experiments, the first phase of which has been to investigate pneumatic packing. The four principal methods of packing in mining are hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, and hand. The hydraulic pa caring system is believed to have originated at Shenanodah, Pa., in 1864,4/ to prevent destruction of a church by surface subsidence after underground coal mining. This method was used again in 1884 to arrest an underground fire at Buck Ridge colliery, near Shamokin, Pa. In 1901 hydraulic packing was introduced to Europe in Upper Silesia, where it gained in popularity owing to the availability of large quantities of sand suitable for flushing .5/ Hydraulic packing has a number of disadvantages. Chief among these are the softening effect of large quantities of water on the mine floor conducive to heaving action; drainage and punning costs; and the inability to fill roof cavities completely in flat beds.

Jan 1, 1953

By Halter L. Gould

Since the turn of the century there has been a marked increase in population, industrial and economic growth, and in energy requirements in the United States. During this time our energy needs have been met largely by natural gas and petroleum, but as our reserves of these materials are depleted, we are going to depend more and more on our large reserves of coal. The mining of coal for electrical power production has increased at a rapid rate during the past decade. Over half the coal produced in the United States in 1971 came from mines utilizing surface mining operations (Paone, et al, 1974). Surface mining is expected to increase as the rising cost of oil places more demand on coal for energy. About 57 percent of the coal reserves in the United States lie in the area west of the 100th meridian. About one-quarter of this can be mined by current surface methods. This would involve the disturbance of approximately 1.5 million acres (600,000 hectares). By the year 2000, projections indicate disturbance of about 200,000 acres, or 300 square miles, in the West. Mined areas receiving more than 250 mm of annual precipitation can usually be revegetated without irrigation if the spoils are properly shaped, the surface layer consists of suitable plant growth media, and proven techniques in rehabilitating disturbed rangeland are applied. Areas receiving less than 250 mm of annual rainfall or with high evapotranspiration rates pose a more difficult problem. Revegetation of these areas can probably be accomplished only with major inputs of water and good management (National Academy of Science, 1974).

Jan 1, 1978

By N. Skopak, C. Aimone-Martin, J. Redyke, B. O. Meins

PipeBlast is a spreadsheet-based calculator based on research conducted by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), used by the pipeline industry to determine if proposed blasting planned near existing pipelines can be safely executed. The two factors determining “safe” are blast-induced pipe wall hoop stresses and predicted peak particle velocity (PPV) at the pipeline. Although methodology used to predict hoop stresses is somewhat sound, predicted PPV amplitudes are highly exaggerated based on inappropriate attenuation models developed using spherical explosive charges of limited charge weights, placed in soil adjacent to model pipelines that do not represent rock blasting. Hence, pipeline companies readily reject well-design blasts and limit scaled distances far beyond what is reasonable and cost-effective to pipeline owners. Full-scale trench blasting in rock was conducted near a 24in (711mm) diameter operating API 5L X70 grade steel pipeline in Texas to compare PipeBlast model predictions with a Ground Strain Model (GSM) based on field measurements of ground motions on the surface and at the pipeline springline. Results of the GSM were compared with pipeline strains measured using wire gauges mounted on the Springline. The comparative results showed that a site-specific velocity propagation model provided good estimates of ground strains that are replicated on the pipeline walls in terms of hoop and longitudinal strains. Trench blasting 28ft (8.5m) from the pipeline produced ground motions of 7.6in/s (193mm/s). At this ground motion amplitude, the factor of safety defined as the allowable stress divided by the combined operating and blasting hoop stresses was reduce from 3.04 in the absence of blasting to 2.98. This paper explains the research and findings on which PipeBlast is based and presents an alternative approach to predicting blast-induced pipe wall stresses based on site-specific velocity propagation measurements and a ground strain model.

Jan 1, 2024

By E. Fregeau-Wu

To recycle steelmaking slags for their iron, manganese, and lime contents, removal of the phosphorus-bearing dicalcium silicate and calcium phosphate is essential. Slow-cooling of slags was necessary to promote the sufficient grain growth to achieve liberation. In-situ grain size distribution determination showed that a high soaking temperature, a long soaking time, a very slow cooling rate, and the addition of fluorspar were shown to promote grain growth. High gradient magnetic separation on slow-cooled slags removed much of the dicalcium silicate. Liberation modelling was used to discuss the breakage and beneficiation characteristics of the slow-cooled slags.

Jan 1, 1992

By H. Stuart Auvil

Twelve samples of run-of-oven coke were taken at coke plants in the United States and Canada. Sampling procedure was directed toward obtaining the highest possible degree of uniformity in the gross samples, so that variations in results caused by sampling variations were at a practical minimum. Under these conditions the standard deviation of the screen analysis test on 500-pound samples is found to range from 1.2 percent for the 1-inch screen to 4.5 percent for the 5-inch screen. At present, the A.S.T.H. standard method of test requires that results be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. This implies a higher than actual degree of precision, and revision of the report required by the method is suggested. Much larger Samples than are generally tested are required to reduce normal testing errors to a point where they are not appreciable fractions of the total variations found in a smoothly operating plant. For example, it is deduced that over 100,000 pounds of coke must be screened to determine if ordinary day-to-day variations in screen analysis have appreciable effects on the performance of a blast furnace.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. E. Dutrizac, J. B. Sunstrum

"Lead was among the first metals known to man, and there are indications that lead was produced by the reductive smelting of galena in the mountains surrounding the Black Sea as early as 3000 B. C .(1). The early metallurgists soon discovered that silver could be recovered from lead bullion by cupellation techniques, and that the litharge product of the cupellation process could be reduced to give silver-free lead metal. By the Graeco-Roman era, lead-silver ores were being extensively exploited for both their silver and lead contents. Although silver was always of prime concern, a number of industrial uses existed for lead that included piping and sheeting. Subsequently, lead metallurgical practice developed steadily in different parts of the world, and was a relatively mature technology by the time of the European colonization of North America. In the United States, lead was produced on a small scale as early as 1720, and by 1800, the extensive Pb-Zn deposits of Missouri-Kansas and the upper Mississippi Valley were being developed(2). Many of the early American lead ores were low in silver, and seemed to have been worked primarily for their lead contents. Major uses of lead at the time included bullets, pipe and sheeting. During the period 1860-1890, the silver-rich galena ores of the western United States were exploited, and a number of lead smelters were operated. Although all the smelters produced lead metal, the recuperation of the associated silver and gold values was generally of prime concern. In Canada, lead deposits are abundant, and galenarich outcrops frequently attracted the attention of the early explorers and prospectors. In fact, the first record of a Canadian ore deposit seems to have been the observation of an argentiferous galena vein near Lake Temiscamingue in 17 41(3). The presence of silver-bearing lead deposits naturally attracted the attention of the mining community, and many outcrops were worked throughout the country. Because of the problems associated with transporting lead concentrates to existing American or overseas smelters, attention soon shifted to the establishment of local lead smelting facilities. The purpose of this article is to examine those early smelting efforts and to try to identify the first ""successful"" Canadian lead smelter."

Jan 1, 1999

By L. A. Taylor

The production of oxygen on the Moon utilizing indigenous materials is paramount to a successful lunar colonization. And several processes have been put forth to accomplish this. The LLOX generation schemes which have received the most study to date are those involving?: 1) the reduction of ilmenite (FeTi03) by H2, C, CO, CH4, CO-CI2, & Cl2 plasma, 2) magma electrolysis, both unadulterated and fluoride-fluxed, and 3) several others, including carbo-chlorination, HF acid leaching, fluorine extraction, magma oxidation, and vapor pyrolysis. The H2 reductions of ilmenite and magma electrolysis processes have received the most study to date. They are both feasible schemes with various pros and cons, including their feedstock requirements. However, all processes should be addressed at least at the onset of our considerations. There is an obvious need for considerably more experimentation and study. Some of these requisite studies are in progress, and this paper reviews several of the most studied and feasible processes for winning oxygen from lunar materials.

Jan 1, 1991

La presente investigación revela aspectos sobre los métodos geoquímicos aplicados a la exploración de depósitos minerales, como las aplicaciones prácticas e indicaciones sobre de las diversas técnicas empleadas en el campo y y laboratorio. La exploración química de los depósitos minerales como método de prospección, comprende la investigación e interpretación de anomalías químicas relacionadas a la mineralización dentro de varias sustancias naturales como rocas, aguas y vegetación para así localizar depósitos minerales ocultos. La naturaleza de estas anomalías se divide en dos grupos: las anomalías primarias formadas durante el periodo de mineralización y las secundarias, formadas por la destrucción y dispersión del depósito metalífero durante el ciclo de intemperismo y erosión. Sin embargo, existen algunas anomalías de naturaleza "residual" o "vestigial", las cuales son descubiertas mediante el muestreo sistemático de rocas o de los suelos que de ellas derivan. A esto se suma, la dispersión de elementos en solución puede dar origen a muchas variedades de anomalías secundarias que tienen importancia en la exploración geoquímica como las dispersiones secundarias en las aguas de fuentes, pozos y aguas corrientes, en las cajas de cuerpos mineralizados; en coberturas de carácter no residual sobre y cerca de depósitos mineralizados y aquellas dispersiones secundarias en vegetales. Paralelamente a esta exploración geoquímica, tenemos otras métodos comom los técnicas colorimétricas, basadas en reactivos que indican cambios de color y los de análisis espectográfico, que complementan paulatinamente dicho proceso minerológico.

Jul 20, 1956

By Xiao Ni

Alkyl hydroxamic acid was shown to be a suitable collector for the flotation of pyrochlore from carbonatite niobium oxide ores. In the direct batch rougher flotation from the ore without desliming, over 85% of the pyrochlore can be recovered at about 30% mass pull. Cleaner flotation tests showed that the rougher concentrate can be upgraded. The adsorption mechanisms of octyl hydroxamic acid (OHA) were studied by using high purity pyrochlore and calcite mineral samples and employing analytical measurements such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV/VIS spectroscopy. FTIR showed a shift of the vibrational frequencies of the carbonyl group in hydroxamic acid after adsorption on pyrochlore and calcite, and the shift was more pronounced on pyrochlore. XPS results indicated a lowering of the binding energies (chemical shift) of Nb3d5/2 and Ca2p3/2 electrons on pyrochlore, and the lowering of the binding energies of Ca2p3/2 electrons on calcite, again with the shift being more pronounced on pyrochlore. The results indicated hydroxamic acid formed stronger complexes with pyrochlore than with calcite. Adsorption isotherms indicated that OHA adsorbed more on pyrochlore than on calcite at low concentration. At high concentrations, the adsorption densities on both minerals were similar. All results explained the observed selectivity of the reagents in the flotation of the carbonatite niobium oxide ores.

Sep 1, 2012