Preconcentration of Low-Grade Ta–Nb Deposit Using Physical Separation Methods

• Published in: JOM (1989) Vol. 73; no. 5; pp. 1310 - 1320
• Main Authors: Cao, Miao, Bu, Hao, Gao, Yude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.05.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adaptive Metallurgical Processing Technologies for Strategic Metal Recycling; Centrifuges; Chemistry/Food Science; Concentrates (ores); Concentration gradient; Earth Sciences; Engineering; Environment; Gangue; Grain size; Gravity; Investigations; Laboratories; Magnetic separation; Magnetic separators; Materials recovery; Mineralogy; Minerals; Niobium oxides; Physics; Quartz; Separators; Tantalum; Tantalum oxides; China; Gravity separation; Low-grade ore; Magnetic separation; Columbite–tantalite
• ISSN: 1047-4838; 1543-1851
• DOI: 10.1007/s11837-021-04625-x

Ore from the Jinzhulong Ta–Nb deposit was processed using a combination of gravity concentration and magnetic separation to upgrade the columbite–tantalite fines. Two flowsheets, namely for gravity concentration–magnetic separation (the conventional flowsheet) and magnetic separation–gravity concentration (the novel flowsheet), are proposed herein, and the factors affecting the performance of gravity/magnetic separation were studied to optimize the flowsheets. Compared with the conventional flowsheet, the novel flowsheet was more effective for columbite–tantalite beneficiation and beneficial to the comprehensive recovery of nonmetallic minerals. In the novel flowsheet, the sample is ground to size of P 80 = −74 μ m then fed into a combination of a low-intensity wet drum magnetic separator and pulsating high-gradient magnetic separator to reject nonmagnetic gangue minerals while preconcentrating the paramagnetic columbite–tantalite; the high-gradient magnetic separation concentrates were screened into three size fractions and further upgraded by gravity concentration. The enrichment ratios for Ta 2 O 5 and Nb 2 O 5 were 403.8 and 385.6, respectively.