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By Alim Ullah

Process, quality and management control are necessary in order to produce DRI of required quality and at minimum cost. Although the characteristics of the two (2) principal inputs, that is, iron oxide feed and natural gas (for gas-based DRI plants) can affect the operation of a DRI plant significantly, they are outside the control of plant operators, at least in the short run. The quantity of reduction gas, its composition and reduction gas temperature are some of the key process variables. Statistical Process Control (SPC) can be used in a DRI plant to minimize the production of off-grade material and costs, as well as to improve the overall operation of the plant. One of the key quality variables to be measured and controlled is percent metallization, defined as FeM/FeT*100 where, FeM and FeT respectively are metallic iron and total iron in DRI. Control charts are used to monitor the quality of DRI produced and, when necessary, corrective actions are taken to bring the product back within the control limits. Management control can consist of essentially following how well the plant performs against some pre-established standards of parameters like daily production, downtime, consumption of material and energy, etc. In this respect, it is suggested that yield, defined as theoretical consumption/actual consumption of iron oxide feed, be used to monitor the consumption of feed material. Similarly, instead of using natural gas per ton of DRI produced, a better criterion would be efficiency, defined as theoretical natural gas consumption/actual natural gas consumption.

Jan 1, 2006

By Samuel A. Awe

"El presente texto señala se analiza la lixiviación sulfuro alcalina de impurezas de antimonio de un concentrado de cobre, como se examina el efecto de la concentración de sulfuro sódico, la temperatura de lixiviación y la concentración de sólidos en ladisolución de antimonio. De otro lado, se cuestiona sobre la recuperación de antimonio como un producto comercializable a partir de licores lixiviantes preñados simulados mediante la electrodeposición."

Apr 1, 2014

By A. J. Farstad, R. G. Olsen

The Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, passed by Congress in the wake of the disaster at Farmington, West Virginia, led to an extensive study by the National Academy of Engineering of the problems involved in coal mine safety. One of the results of this report and subsequent research conducted by the U. S. Bureau of Mines has been the investigation of electromagnetic techniques for the location of trapped miners after a mine emergency. The Westinghouse Georesearch Laboratory has been involved in both the 2 theoretical and field studies relating to this problem. A compact personal beacon transmitter has been developed which can be attached to and powered by a miner's lamp battery. A compatible lightweight loop antenna package has also been developed which can be easily carried on a miner's belt. This antenna can be quickly deployed on the mine tunnel floor. For the purpose of calculating its electromagnetic fields on the earth's surface, the loop can be considered to be a magnetic dipole buried in the earth. (The earth is assumed to be homogeneous and to have a conductivity of s mhos/m.) The surface of the earth is assumed to be uniformily sloping and the transmitter dipole oriented as in Figure 1. The fields on the earth's surface can be computed by using a superposition of the fields of a 4 vertical magnetic dipole3 and of a horizontal magnetic dipole in proportions which depend on the slope of the terrain. In the case of level terrain a null in the horizontal magnetic 5 field occurs on the surface directly above the dipole. This null is designated as the apparent source location and is the criterion by which the source is located. The criterion was tested at two hardrock mines and two coal mines in the fall of 1972. The apparent source locations were compared to actual locations determined by conventional surveying techniques. It was found that due to nonlevel terrain the apparent and actual source locations differed by up to 13 meters. This discrepancy can be resolved by an examination of the fields of a source beneath uniformly sloping terrain. Figure 2 shows the experimental and theoretical results for a

Jan 1, 1973

By T. Carl Jr. Shelton

Surveying and mapping are used to locate and visually portray objects, lines, or areas in relation to a reference point or line. The actual making of the measurements to locate the objects and points falls under surveying while mapping is concerned with putting the survey information into a graphical form. Generally, the type or class of proposed survey depends on the precision required. Some surveys may need only approximate measurements which can be obtained by simply pacing or by using an ordinary measuring tape; others may require much accuracy, thus calling for the use of an engineer's transit or theodolite along with a graduated steel tape for horizontal measurements, or a level and a graduated rod for measuring vertical distances. Mapping is likewise dependent on accuracy requirements. For example, a general layout showing the relative position of surface facilities may not call for a large scale of dimension or great precision whereas for detailed work, a large scale plus care in plotting points and drawing lines and curves are important factors.

Jan 1, 1981

By D. G. Purdy

Planning, as defined in Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, is a detailed program of action designed to achieve an end. When developing a detailed plan to incorporate all the complex activities involved in a surface lignite mine, many elements must be carefully evaluated as to the individual and cumulative effects on the end result. The following elements are generally evaluated when planning a surface lignite mine: ? Reserve evaluation, including lignite quality characterization; ? Delineation of mining parameters, including lignite recovery factors, geotechnical factors, land control factors; ? Selection of mining blocks; ? Pit sequencing; ? Reclamation, including soil reconstruction design and land use planning; ? Overburden handling design; ? Selection of equipment; ? Sizing of equipment; ? Manpower requirements; and ? Other elements, including contract negotiations and execution, financing, investment return, operation economics, permitting and scheduling.

Jan 1, 1985

By G. Bridgstock, S. S. Forbes, E. M. Elkin

"OPERATIONS at Canadian Cop-per Refiners Limited, since the refinery was established in 1931, have been described in previous papers ( 1,2). Since then the refinery has treated the entire copper output of Noranda Mines Limited and Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting Company Limited. With the commencement of production in 1956 at Gaspe Copper Mines Limited, this copper has also been refined. From the start of operations to the end of 1958, the following had been refined: copper, silver, gold, selenium and tellurium.Construction of new buildings and additions to other buildings have been needed to handle increased receipts. The refining capacity has been increased from 112,000 tons of copper per year to a total of 236,000 tons per year.The refinery is located at Mont-real East, Quebec, close to railway and highway facilities. Incoming materials and shipments, with some small exceptions, are handled by rail. Some finished products are sl1ipped by industrial flatcar to the adjoining plants of Canada Wire & Cable Company Limited and Noranda Copper & Brass Limited."

Jan 1, 1960

By Robert Adams

Secondary or scrap materials appear at all stages in the industrial process and in a bewildering variety of forms, grades, and values. It is useful to begin analyzing them by dividing the broad concept of "Secondary Supply" into three parts First, the concept must encompass the stock, or pool, of secondary materials. In the process of satisfying his wants, man produces desired products from the materials and natural resources found around him. As long as the rate of production is greater than the rate of obsolescence of a given product, the total stock or pool of materials embodied in that product will increase in size This stock concept relating to secondary materials is directly analogous to the "resource" concept used for primary raw materials in the preceding chapter, and includes all materials embodied in existing products (Obviously, this excludes those materials which are destroyed in the consumption process, viz , fuel oil burned to provide heat.) Consumption of a primary material in a productive process tends to reduce the resource base of that primary material In direct contrast, however, the production or use of products increases the resource base of the secondary material. Thus, we find that a country which has no resource of a primary material can, by importing products that contain the material, build up a large enough stock to provide a basis for secondary recovery. The estimated growth of the pool of copper in use in the United States through 1967 is shown in Table 5.B.1.a The estimate of 39 3 million tons at the end of 1967 includes only technologically recoverable copper and is, therefore, somewhat less than the stock concept described previously, which does not distinguish between recoverable and unrecoverable material. Nevertheless, Table 5 B.1 does give an idea of how a nation's secondary resource of a material can grow over the years. A second aspect of the concept of secondary supply is the generation of secondary materials. This includes materials generated as scrap in production as well as the movement of a material out of the stock of existing products via wear, damage, or obsolescence The quantity of materials generated is usually either nearly or completely independent of the technologic capabilities and economic forces which prevail in the secondary recovery market.b The justifications for and the qualifications to this statement are considered later. The final aspect of the concept of secondary supply consists in the secondary recovery process It is at this point that the technologic and economic forces of the secondary recovery market become the controlling fac-

Jan 1, 1976

By Tang Chaoho

Laboratory research on the reducing and matte smelting of Jamesonite concentrate has been carried out. The influence of the process conditions such as the smelting temperature, the amount of pyrite cinder (the agent of fixed sulfur) and the amount of additives on the smelting process have been studied. Under the optimum condition the direct recovery ratios of antimony and lead are 83.26% and 68.50% respectively. The ratio of fixed sulfur is 98.97% but more than 15% lead and 30% silver remained in the ferrous matte. The key problem to be solved of this new process is how economical and effective is the recovery of silver and lead in ferrous matte.

Jan 1, 2003

By Robert Linton

In 1898, Joseph L. Giroux and J. A. Snedaker organized the Pilot Knob Copper Co. and began developing the Pilot Knob mine at Kim-berly, Nev., for high-grade copper ores, carrying good gold and silver values, that the formation had disclosed. At that time the nearest railroad was over 150 mi. distant. The high-grade ores did not prove to be extensive at this point—at least to the depth (240 ft.) to which the work was carried—but development of neighboring claims indicated extensive deposits of sulfide porphyry ore of concentrating grade lying at shallow depth, and deeper deposits of direct-smelting oxidized ores occurring in limestone near the limestone-porphyry contact. The properties passed through the hands of several organizations, with only meager development, until acquired in 1913 by Consolidated Coppermines Co., whose holdings now comprise 3480 acres of mining claims in the Robinson district. Since that time development has been prosecuted more actively; and for the purpose of determining the most efficient and economical method of treating the ores, considerable testing work has been done during the past three years, both in the laboratory and in actual mill operations. At first, the shipments were of ore high enough in grade to be profitable even with the long wagon hauls to the railroad and prevailing freight and smelting charges. In 1905, a blast furnace and a concentrator were erected at Kimberly. On account of insufficient ore supply, the blast furnace was never blown in and later was dismantled. The concentrator as originally equipped was operated for only about two months, both because the ore supply at that time was not sufficient and because gravity concentration did not yield satisfactory extraction. The location and arrangement of the mill further entailed high operating costs. In 1908, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co. began to mill successfully, on a large scale, its sulfide porphyry ores, which are similar in character to the adjacent Coppermines ores. After that time, all of the ores and concentrates produced by Coppermines Company were smelted and a considerable part of the Coppermines low-grade ores concentrated at the Steptoe works of the Nevada Consolidated Co.

Jan 1, 1921

By Byron C. Hardinge, E. R. Palowitch, Albert W. Deurbrouck, David J. Akers, Edward R. Torak

During 1983, 42.2% of the 686.0 (624.3 Mt) million tons of coal reported, 289.6 (263.5 Mt) million tons were mechanically cleaned, of which 107 (97.4 Mt) million tons were cleaned by dense media (magnetite and sand) processes.' The percentage of bituminous coal and lignite cleaned mechanically by dense medium processes increased from 7 to 38% between 1938 and 1983. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that 150 million tons (137 Mt) of coal were cleaned by heavy-media processes in 1986, and that this number may increase to 265 million tons (241 Mt) by 1990.2 Dense medium separations include those coal preparation processes that clean raw coal by immersing it in a fluid having a density intermediate between clean coal and reject. As there is a general correlation between ash content and specific gravity, it is possible to achieve the required degree of removal of ash-forming impurities from a raw coal by regulating the specific gravity of the separating fluid. Dense medium processes generally offer the following advantages over other coal cleaning processes: • Ability to make sharp separations at any specific gravity within the range normally required even in the presence of high percentages of raw coal whose specific gravity is near the specific gravity of separation. • Ability to maintain a separating gravity that can be controlled within + 0.005 sp gr units. • Ability to handle a wide range of coal sizes. • Ability to change specific gravity of separation to meet varying market requirements. • Ability to handle fluctuations in feed, in terms of both quantity and quality. Unfortunately, dense medium processes can have the following disadvantages: • Relatively high capital costs caused primarily by the need for equipment to collect and recycle the medium. Relatively high operating costs caused primarily by operation of medium recycle equipment and loss of medium.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. J. Bartels

The phosphate rock review did not arrive in time for publication in the. June issue. The world phosphate industry continued its slide in 1992 from the already depressed levels in 1991. The industry is locked into a 30-year fertilizer price low due to the worldwide fertilizer glut. Domestic production and imported, marketable phosphate rock decreased 1%, while domestic consumption increased by 1 % last year. The US Bureau of Mines reported a decrease in the domestic phosphate rock value from $25.42/t in 1991 to $23/t in 1992 ($23.06/st to $20.80/st). The diammonion phosphate (DAP) product price also dropped in value from $138/ t in January 1992 to $11 0/t in December ($125/st to $99.70/st). Continued declines in DAP prices is forcing the US fertilizer industry to develop cost-saving programs and reorganizations. Layoffs in 1992 resulted in a 7.6% decrease in the Florida phosphate workforce. Since 1980, the Florida workforce has declined by 35%. Small phosphate companies were forced to close operations or were sold to larger phosphate companies. Federal and state environmental regulations for byproduct waste disposal methods are being studied. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved phosphogypsum use in agri¬cultural and research applications as long as the radium 226 concentration is lower than 10 pci/g. The EPA is also reviewing regulations concerning air emissions at fertilizer plants. Industry publications reported the possibility of continued company sales and mergers in 1993. Industry expectations are optimistic while waiting for an upturn in the market. The US phosphate industry consolidation into three or four major companies should evolve into a stronger world market force.

Jan 1, 1993

By Louis A. Carapella, Ralph Hultgren

WHEN F. Heusler1 found in 1898 that certain alloys containing only copper, manganese, and tin were ferromagnetic, the discovery excited a great deal of interest and led to numerous investigations. It was early found that tin could be replaced by aluminum, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, or boron without destroying the ferromagnetic nature of the alloys.2 Copper may also be replaced by silver.3 All these alloys have come to be known as "Heusler alloys." The aluminum alloys apparently were the most magnetic and have been most extensively investigated. However, no agreement has yet been reached as to the source of the ferromagnetism arising from these nonferromagnetic elements. Absence of reliable quantitative data makes speculation hazardous. The value of much of the earlier work was vitiated by lack of necessary precautions against contamination, and by lack of close control of heat-treatment. It was only recently established that in aluminum Heusler alloys" the ferromagnetism arose from a single phase, an ordered body-centered-cubic structure. With modern methods of preparation, heat-treatment, and X-ray examination, it is possible to prepare these alloys without contamination, to heat-treat them intelligently, and to determine what phase or phases are present in the finished sample. In the present investigation, a series of pure alloys in the comparatively neglected copper-manganese-tin system have been prepared, which consist of a single, body-centered-cubic structure (the beta phase) and whose compositions vary within wide limits. The magnetic saturation values of these single-phase alloys have been quantitatively determined, so that considerable data on the effect of composition on the ferromagnetism have been made available. In the course of the investigation some information on the extent of the stability of the beta phase and the nature of phases in adjacent regions of the ternary diagram has been accumulated. Anomalies in earlier data have been explained, and alloys have been prepared that are much more strongly magnetic than any previous Heusler alloys. PREVIOUS WORK In the original work of F. Heusler1 and coworkers,2 a maximum magnetic saturation value of I = 107 was found at the composition Cu6Mn3Sn, while a value for Cu2MnA1 of I = 443 was early measured. Ross and Grays found a second maximum at the composition Cu2MnSn, which was much more magnetic than Heusler's original alloy. F. Heusler6 then reinvestigated the system, confirmed their results,

Jan 1, 1941

By Dean McDonald

The Committee Bay Greenstone Belt extends over 300km and is one of the largest unexplored greenstone belts in North America with excellent gold and diamond potential. Committee Bay Resources Limited holds over 550,000 acres of land with prospective geology in the Committee Bay area southwest of Melville Peninsula, Nunavut. Committee Bay is a typical Archean greenstone belt comparable to the Yellowknife, Red Lake, Kirkland Lake and other prolific gold belts. Drilling during 2003 at Committee Bay resulted in: 1) the discovery of high-grade gold-bearing quartz veins with silicification and sulphidation at Three Bluffs, and 2) the continuation of high-grade gold mineralization in the hinge area of the iron formation at Inuk. Gold mineralization at Three Bluffs is identified in iron formation and adjacent sediments and has been traced by drilling for over 700m. The Three Bluffs iron formation is open to depth and along strike where is has been traced on surface for over 6km. In January 2004 Committee Bay and joint venture partner Gold Field?s announced a $7.1 million exploration program for the Committee Bay project in 2004. A total of 8,000m in exploration drilling has been approved for the expansion of the Three Bluffs to the resource stage and drilling of at least five new target areas. Additional mapping, sampling and geophysics will be used to identify new gold targets along the very prospective Committee Bay belt.

May 1, 2004

By Paul Merica

THOSE of you who, like myself, have had the privilege of hearing previous Howe Memorial Lectures will note, and I hope without too much disaffection, that for the first time in this series of lectures iron has been chosen as the subject. I feel sure that the predominant choice by previous lecturers of subjects relating to steel has been principally in deference to the well-known interest this subject held for Professor Howe, and that their choice has not reflected any lack of respect for the material, iron. Nevertheless, in the face of this record, I feel some diffidence in introducing this "Cinderella" of materials into the circle of distinguished subjects hitherto treated by Howe lecturers, which is relieved only by the fact that I hope to be able to present some evidence that this Cinderella has at last undergone some of those magical trans-formations which render her acceptable even in the society of her dis-tinguished sister, steel. Fortunately I can cite the old master himself in support of my choice of subject and recall to you that Professor Howe by no means overlooked or neglected cast iron in the long course of his metallurgical meditations. Indeed his attention was early arrested by a metallurgical aspect of cast iron which he believed and we still recognize as of the most funda-mental importance-namely, the genesis of graphite in gray iron and the means for the control of its quantity and distribution. He made some comments over 20 years ago regarding the nature of J. E. Johnson's oxygenated iron which indicate that even then his thoughts were taking directions which today we are finding it useful to explore in connection with the theory of high-strength iron. Had we had in the subsequent years the continuing benefit of Professor Howe's illuminating consider-ation of this important subject, our progress in the improvement of cast iron would undoubtedly have been even more rapid.

Jan 1, 1937

By Charles R. Fettke

BefoRe the Drake well on Watson Flats below Titusville, Pa, inaugurated the modern petroleum industry on Aug. 28, 1859, a considerable industry, based on the manufacture of mineral oils through the destructive distillation at relatively low temperatures (750' to 800' F.) of cannel coals and shales in closed, air-tight retorts, had already sprung up in Europe and America because of the increasing cost of animal and vegetable oils and fats and the growing demand for illuminating and lubricating oils. In 1860, eight out of 55 such coal-oil companies in the United States had plants located in Pennsylvania.' Of these, the Lucesco Works, costing $120,000, situated near Kiskiminetas Junction, was the largest operating in the country. It was equipped with 10 revolving 2.5-ton retorts and 16 stills for rectifying the oil, each holding 2000 gal. The total output of crude oil was almost 6000 gal. per day.2 The discovery of an abundant supply of natural petroleum by the Drake and other wells stopped the distillation of coal oil in America. Most of the smaller plants were closed and others were converted into petroleum refineries. At present, in spite of the temporary over-production of petroleum, the coal and oil-shale carbonization industries are again attracting the attention of far-sighted oil companies who realize that the gradual exhaustion of the American petrol-

Jan 1, 1923

By L. P. James

The Bulagidun copper-gold system occurs in Tertiary andesitic volcanic rocks. It is located (figure 1, from Curless, 1991) ca. two days walk from the coast in an isolated area on the northerly slope of the main range of mountains, in steep terrain dissected by erosion. Detailed and district-scale exploration from 1988 to 1991 by BHP Minerals defined a small, sub-economic resource of gold and copper. One preliminary estimate of the resource in bedrock suggests 14.4 million tons at 0.68 grams / Tonne Au and 0.61% Cu, in multiple small bodies.

Jan 1, 1993

By Jesús Contreras

Since the commencement of its activities in Huelva in 1970, Atlantic Copper has maintained a course of action that has been more demanding than the successive environmental legislations current at different times. As its primary objective it has sought compatibility between the protection of the environment and both its industrial activity and the social and economic development of the area in which its Metallurgical Complex is located. For this reason, since the seventies it has maintained a continuous programme of investments which have allowed it to attain its present environmental situation. As a consequence of the Environmental Policy of Atlantic Copper, in April 1998 it obtained certification for its Integrated System of Environmental Management (SIGMA) according to international standard IS0-14001, and under European Community Regulation 1836/93 (replaced by the 76112001) for the Eco-Management and Eco-Audit System (EMAS). The SIGMA formalises the environmental management practices of Atlantic Copper and engages it to have available a system that can be fully audited. Atlantic Copper was the first European Company in the non-ferrous metallurgical sector to obtain both the UNE-EN-ISO 14001 certification and the EMAS registration. The present paper reviews the actions by Atlantic Copper in environmental matters that have allowed it to achieve its present position. It also describes the coming stages of improvement planned and the modifications to be carried out in the near future, in particular the criteria for the selection of technologies on the basis of the concept of BAT (Best Available Techniques) introduced by the European Union, and always guided by the final objective of converting Atlantic Copper into a reference within the sector, comparable to the best designed and operated installations in the world.

Jan 1, 2003

By S. Acar

The results obtained for the selective flocculation or flotation of natural ores do not usually agree with the corresponding properties of the constituent minerals when present alone. This is mainly due to the presence of dissolved mineral species which can interact in many ways with other components in the system and alter their behavior. In this paper, the effect of dissolved species on the flocculation and electrokinetic properties of sulfide minerals is disscussed. Dissolved Fe, Cu and Ni species are found to affect the properties of chalcopyrite, pentlandite, millerite, pyrrhotite and covellite in certain pH range. These effects are interpreted in terms of species adsorption leading to activation or depression of reagents, surface precipitation and complexation of species, etc.

Jan 1, 1985

By M Haest, O Dominguez, D Mittrup

With the current focus in the mining industry on reducing costs, while simultaneously improving ore quality, infrared spectroscopy is a tool that can potentially assist companies to meet both challenges. Changes in the nature of infrared spectra are strongly influenced by changes in mineralogy, which is a key input variable for exploration (geology and orebody modelling and ore characterisation) and mining (pit design, mine scheduling and processing plant design/management).Infrared spectroscopic logging of drill holes has been embedded as a standard tool in BHP Billiton Iron Ore exploration, with a process set up to automatically deliver mineralogy and associated imagery to the end users (typically exploration geologists). The availability of consistent and automated mineralogy drill hole logs across a project is improving the output quality and reducing re-work.BHP Billiton Iron Ore is now looking into using the same infrared spectroscopic data for other applications, including improving predictions of geometallurgical and geotechnical parameters. Trials show that addition of infrared spectroscopic data to conventional data sets (element analysis and depth information) is significantly improving the accuracy of regression models to predict the lump-fine ratio.Further initiatives around infrared spectroscopic data in BHP Billiton Iron Ore include the installation of infrared spectroscopic sensors over conveyor belts, infrared spectroscopic mine face scanning and infrared spectroscopic blasthole logging. The ultimate vision is to have consistent, seamless mineralogical data from infrared spectroscopic sensing available throughout the mineral value chain (exploration/mining/processing). This seamless infrared spectroscopic data ‘bridge’ will allow the transfer of knowledge between the different sections of the value chain (exploration, mining and processing). For example, ore handle-ability could be predicted on exploration samples using regression models built from processing plant observations. In the opposite direction, information gathered about the buried stratigraphy by infrared spectroscopy utilised during exploration, could be used to predict the stratigraphy encountered during mining. This collaboration across BHP Billiton Iron Ore is expected to deliver significant savings, while improving the quality of the final product, thus helping to drive efficiency over the next decade.CITATION:Haest, M, Mittrup, D and Dominguez, O, 2015. Reaping the first fruits – infrared spectroscopy: the new standard tool in BHP Billiton Iron Ore Exploration, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2015, pp 277–284 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 13, 2015

By G. Demi

The biggest chromium mineral processing plant in Albania is Bulqiza plant. It has been in operation for more than 20 years, treating low-grade chromium ores grade 20 ? 26 % Cr2O3 and producing chromium concentrates grade 48 ? 50 % Cr2O3. About 2 million tons of tailings with 13 % Cr2O3 content are stocked in a dam close to the plant. Mineral processing of low-grade chromium ores with less than 16% Cr2O3 content is unprofitable because the mining expenses are high comparing with the current market prices of chromium concentrate. Recycle and enrichment of existing tailings is profitable, because there are no underground mining expenses in this case and because that this kind of raw material does not need expenses operation of crushing and grinding. The existing plant is in operation for more than 8 years treating existing tailings as raw material. Grade of concentrate in the value 40 % Cr2O3 and Cr2O3 recovery in the value 30-35% in the plant are considered low. The main reason of low concentrate grade and recovery is high content of particles under 100 microns, the slimes, in raw material. In the paper is described the study carried out to improve enrichment of the tailings, as well as analyses of existing process, raw material and products. It is concluded that majority of lost is present in the slimes which are not separated in existing spiral separators and shaking tables. Basing in the study is composed the new flow sheet of recycling and concentration of the tailings to produce chromium concentrate grade 41 ? 42 % Cr2O3 and recovery 60 %, decreasing in this way the concentrate production cost two times. In the paper are presented the tests and results of concentration of particle size fraction under 100 microns, using gravimetric, magnetic and flotation methods, as well as equipment and machines suitable for slimes treatment and concentration.

Sep 1, 2012