2014-Sustainable Industrial Processing Summit
SIPS 2014 Volume 2: Mineral Processing
| Editors: | Kongoli F |
| Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
| Publication Year: | 2014 |
| Pages: | 446 pages |
| ISBN: | 978-1-987820-04-1 |
| ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
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Recovery of iron oxide particles from reject slimes
Antonio Peres1; Elias Castro2; Cristiano Sales1; George Valadao1;1ENGINEERING FACULTY FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF MINAS GERAIS, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; 2SAMARCO, Mariana, Brazil;
Type of Paper: Regular
Id Paper: 168
Topic: 2
Abstract:
The recovery of iron bearing minerals from the reject products of the processing of iron ores is a challenge regarding the sustainability of the operation of concentrators. This paper describes two case studies addressing the concentration of fine particles from Samarco's concentrator I desliming cyclones overflow and from VALE's Brucutu concentrator slimes thickener underflow. Samarco's investigation included stages of micro-desliming and flotation. The concentrate produced via cationic reverse flotation presented silica content compatible with pellet feed requirements. VALE's investigation comprised four concentration routes, namely: pilot scale magnetic separation as rougher stage and conventional mechanical flotation as cleaner stage (route A), rougher and cleaner stages laboratory scale flotation (route B), rougher stage followed by three scavenger stages gravity separation in Falcon centrifugal apparatus (route C), and rougher, cleaner, scavenger I and scavenger II magnetic separation stages (route D). The best overall result was achieved from route D. The expected total production would reach 363,000 metric tons per year of concentrate with grades 66.8% Fe, 0.80% SiO2, 0.97% Al2O3, 2.45% LOI. In both cases, the total mass of reject products should be decreased, the life of the tailings pond would be increased, and the resulting environmental impacts would be mitigated.