Andrzej Luszczkiewicz

Flotation study on high-hercynite ilmenite ores

Abstract Ilmenite from Polish magnetite-ilmenite ores has been floated with tall oil. Chemical and mineralogical analysis of the flotation products established that the ores containing hercynite are difficult to upgrade. For ore A (18.7% hercynite and 32.8% ilmenite) and ore B (9% hercynite and 41.3% ilmenite) poor concentrates containing much less than the required 45% TiO 2 have been obtained. It has been found that the higher concentration of hercynite in the feed, the lower the grade of concentrates in respect to TiO 2 is obtained. Ilmenite ore containing a minor amount of hercynite (ore C, 0.15% hercynite and 12.3 ilmenite) gives a good concentrate. By means of microscopic observation it was established that hercynite floats together with ilmenite in the rougher flotation but is partially depressed in the cleaning and scavenging flotation.

Application of Upgrading Curves for Evaluation of Past, Present, and Future Performance of a Separation Plant

The Fuerstenau upgrading plot, relating recovery of an ore component in concentrate (ϵ) versus recovery of the remaining components in the tailing (ϵ r ), was found suitable for analysis and evaluation of industrial separation data of five copper mineral processing plants. The past, present, and future performance of the flotation plants was analyzed with the Fuerstenau curve. It was found that all the plants tend to produce concentrates with the recovery of the remaining components in the tailing near ϵ r = 95.5%. Additional laboratory flotation tests using industrial final products provided industrial floatability of the ores. The industrial floatability curves had their maximum curvature at about ϵ r = 95.5%. This represents optimum of the industrial separation. Similarity of the industrial performance and the industrial upgradeability of the ores indicates that the flotation plants work near the optimum point as far as the recovery of the remaining components in the tailing is concerned. However, there is fluctuation of the industrial separation results of the other upgrading parameter (always two upgrading parameters are required), that is the recovery of the useful component (Cu) of the ore in the concentrate. For improved evaluation of the considered industrial separation, the reason of the fluctuation has to be determined. Finally, a simplified procedure of relating industrial and laboratory separation results is offered. It can be useful for predicting future industrial separation results.

Flotation of Sulfide Components of Copper Ore in the Presence of n-Dodecane

Influence of n-dodecane aqueous emulsion on flotation of sulfide minerals present in the copper ore from the Legnica-Glogow Copper Basin (LGOM), carried out on the laboratory scale, was investigated. Five flotation experiments performed in the presence of different doses of n-dodecane were conducted and compared. Next, mineral analysis of selected flotation products were conducted and discussed. The best flotation selectivity was obtained for bornite, tennantite and chalcocite using 600 g/t of n-dodecane. In the case of non-copper sulfides, the maximum selectivity was observed for sphalerite and galena. Measurements of the rest potential of copper sulfide conducted to explain the differences between recoveries of each sulfide mineral were performed. It was observed, that with increasing sulfide rest potential, the recovery was decreasing. The study provided information hitherto poorly available in literature on flotation of sulfides from the LGOM area with n-dodecane.

Microlaboratory study on magnetic, gravity and high-tension separation of hercynite and pleonaste from low-grade ilmenite concentrates

Abstract Some ilmenite concentrates obtained from oleate flotation of ilmenite ores from NE Poland contain less than the required 45% TiO2 due to the presence of green spinels (hercynite and pleonaste). Such concentrates were further upgraded by different separation techniques. It was established at microlaboratory scale that magnetic, gravity and high-tension separations can provide qualified ilmenite concentrates with TiO2 recovery in the order of 50 to 80%.