Enhancing Recovery of Ultra-Fine Magnetite from Low-Iron-Grade Cyanidation Tailings by Optimizing Flow Field Parameters of Low-Intensity Magnetic Separation (LIMS)

Separations Pub Date : 2024-04-16 DOI:10.3390/separations11040120

Yingjie Chen, Yaxiong Jiang, Yongjun Xian, Luzheng Chen

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Abstract

The characteristics of iron minerals in cyanidation tailings with a low iron grade were determined via chemical composition analysis, iron phase analysis, and mineral liberation analysis (MLA). The results showed that the cyanidation tailings contained 15.68% iron, mainly occurring in the form of magnetite (19.66%) and limonite (79.91%), in which 16.52% magnetite and 65.90% limonite particles were fully liberated. Most ultra-fine magnetite grains were adjacent and wrapped with limonite to form complex intergrowths, which resulted in low-efficiency magnetite recovery in low-intensity magnetic separation (LIMS) and adversely affected the downstream high-gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) process. Thus, in this work, the optimization of the flow field was proposed to enhance the separation of ultra-fine magnetite from the cyanidation tailings using pilot-scale LIMS separation, and the controllable parameters (including feed flow, separation gap, drum rotating speed, and solid weight) affecting ultra-fine magnetite capture were investigated. Under optimized conditions, a high-grade magnetite concentrate assaying 63.31% Fe with 86.46% magnetite recovery was produced, which, respectively, increased by 0.76% and 15.22%, compared with those obtained from industrial production. In addition, from the flow dynamics simulation, it was found that the magnetite particles in the −6 µm ultra-fine fraction were lost much more easily than those of coarser fractions due to the relatively enhanced hydrodynamic drag force acting on the particles compared with the magnetic force. However, this loss would be effectively reduced with the regulation and control of the flow field. The iron recoveries in the −16~+6 µm and −6 µm fractions of magnetite concentrate increased by 3.66% and 4.42%, respectively, under optimized hydrodynamic conditions. This research outcome provides a valuable reference for the economic and effective utilization of iron resources from such solid wastes.

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通过优化低强度磁分离（LIMS）的流场参数提高低铁品位氰化尾矿中超细磁铁矿的回收率

通过化学成分分析、铁相分析和矿物解离分析，确定了铁品位较低的氰化尾矿中铁矿物的特征。结果表明，氰化尾矿含铁 15.68%，主要以磁铁矿（19.66%）和褐铁矿（79.91%）的形式存在，其中 16.52%的磁铁矿和 65.90%的褐铁矿颗粒得到充分解离。大部分超细磁铁矿颗粒与褐铁矿相邻并包裹在一起，形成复杂的互生体，导致低强度磁选（LIMS）中磁铁矿回收效率低下，并对下游高梯度磁选（HGMS）工艺造成不利影响。因此，本研究提出了优化流场的方法，以提高中试规模 LIMS 分离氰化尾矿中超细磁铁矿的分离效果，并研究了影响超细磁铁矿捕获的可控参数（包括给矿流量、分离间隙、转鼓转速和固体重量）。在优化条件下，生产出的高品位磁铁矿精矿铁含量为 63.31%，磁铁矿回收率为 86.46%，与工业生产相比，分别提高了 0.76% 和 15.22%。此外，流动动力学模拟发现，由于作用在颗粒上的流体动力阻力相对于磁力相对增强，-6 微米超细馏分中的磁铁矿颗粒比粗馏分中的磁铁矿颗粒更容易流失。不过，通过调节和控制流场，可以有效减少这种损失。在优化的流体动力学条件下，磁铁矿精矿中 -16~+6 µm 和 -6 µm 部分的铁回收率分别提高了 3.66% 和 4.42%。这一研究成果为经济、有效地利用此类固体废弃物中的铁资源提供了宝贵的参考。

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Separations

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