Gangue separation

Foundry sand" (blasi-furnacc slag) formed upon addition ol lime during iron ore gangue separation in blast furnaces... 

A very important but rather complex application of surface chemistry is to the separation of various types of solid particles from each other by what is known as flotation. The general method is of enormous importance to the mining industry it permits large-scale and economic processing of crushed ores whereby the desired mineral is separated from the gangue or non-mineral-containing material. Originally applied only to certain sulfide and oxide ores. 

Prior to about 1920, flotation procedures were rather crude and rested primarily on the observation that copper and lead-zinc ore pulps (crushed ore mixed with water) could be benefacted (improved in mineral content) by treatment with large amounts of fatty and oily materials. The mineral particles collected in the oily layer and thus could be separated from the gangue and the water. Since then, oil flotation has been largely replaced by froth or foam flotation. Here, only minor amounts of oil or surfactant are used and a froth is formed by agitating or bubbling air through the suspension. The oily froth or foam is concentrated in mineral particles and can be skimmed off as shown schematically in Fig. XIII-4. 

Ore Dressing. The principal lead mineral, galena, in most cmde ores, is separated from the valueless components, or gangue. Other valuable minerals that are present in the ore may be recovered either together with the lead, or in a separate step (2,3). Occasionally, the ores are sufftciendy rich in lead and low in impurities to be smelted direcdy. 

Gravity concentration, ie, the separation of ore from gangue based on the differences in specific gravities, using jigs, heavy—medium separators, or spiral concentrators for example, is appHcable for lead ores. However, the predominant beneficiation technique used in modem plants is the bubble or froth flotation (qv) process (4,5). 

Gangue. Undesired minerals associated with ore, mostly nonmetaUic. Gangue represents the portion of ore rejected as tailings in a separating process. It is usually valueless, but may have some secondary commercial use. 

Leaching Chemistry. The purpose of the leaching operation is to dissolve the desired mineral and separate it from the gangue material. The reaction should be selective and fast, the solvent inexpensive or easHy regenerated. Several leaching agents are commonly used. 

Size reduction (qv) or comminution is the first and very important step in the processing of most minerals (2,6,10,20—24). It also involves large expenditures for heavy equipment, energy, operation, and maintenance. Size reduction is necessary because the value minerals are intimately associated with gangue and need to be Hberated, and/or because most minerals processing/separation methods require the ore mass to be of certain size and/or shape. Size reduction is also required in the case of quarry products to produce material of controlled particle size (see Size measurement of particles). In some instances, hberation of valuables or impurities from the ore matrix is achieved without any apparent size reduction. Scmbbers and attritors used in the industrial minerals plants, eg, phosphate, mtile, glass sands, or clay, ate examples. 

Although the size separation/classification methods are adequate in some cases to produce a final saleable mineral product, in a vast majority of cases these produce Httle separation of valuable minerals from gangue. Minerals can be separated from one another based on both physical and chemical properties (Fig. 8). Physical properties utilized in concentration include specific gravity, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductivity, color, surface reflectance, and radioactivity level. Among the chemical properties, those of particle surfaces have been exploited in physico-chemical concentration methods such as flotation and flocculation. The main objective of concentration is to separate the valuable minerals into a small, concentrated mass which can be treated further to produce final mineral products. In some cases, these methods also produce a saleable product, especially in the case of industrial minerals. 

Sulfide collectors ia geaeral show Htfle affinity for nonsulfide minerals, thus separation of one sulfide from another becomes the main issue. The nonsulfide collectors are in general less selective and this is accentuated by the large similarities in surface properties between the various nonsulfide minerals (42). Some examples of sulfide flotation are copper sulfides flotation from siUceous gangue sequential flotation of sulfides of copper, lead, and zinc from complex and massive sulfide ores and flotation recovery of extremely small (a few ppm) amounts of precious metals. Examples of nonsulfide flotation include separation of sylvite, KCl, from haUte, NaCl, which are two soluble minerals having similar properties selective flocculation—flotation separation of iron oxides from siUca separation of feldspar from siUca, siUcates, and oxides phosphate rock separation from siUca and carbonates and coal flotation. 

Typically, ore bodies are relatively low in iron content. Iron minerals are finely divided in a gangue matrix. Wet grinding is usually required to Hberate the iron minerals, although some beach sands may have Hberated iron mineral values. Wet dmm separators are limited to the treatment of material <10 mm. The magnetic dmm separators appHed are usually related to the grinding circuit required to Hberate the iron mineral, and are typically designated by appHcation as cobbers, roughers, or finishers. 

Decomposition with Bases. Alkaline decomposition of poUucite can be carried out by roasting poUucite with either a calcium carbonate—calcium chloride mix at 800—900°C or a sodium carbonate—sodium chloride mix at 600—800°C foUowed by a water leach of the roasted mass, to give an impure cesium chloride solution that is separated from the gangue by filtration (22). The solution can then be converted to cesium alum [7784-17-OJ, CS2SO4 Al2(S0 2 24H20. Extraction of cesium from the poUucite is almost complete. Solvent extraction of cesium carbonate from the cesium chloride solution using a phenol in kerosene has also been developed (23). 

The sharpness of separation of the mineral from the gangue is dependent on (1) the stability of the suspension, which is influenced by the size of the medium (2) the specific gravity of the medium (3) the cleanliness of the medium (4) the cone angle (5) the size and ratios of the internal openings in the cyclone (inlet, apex, and vortex) and (6) the pressure at which the pulp is introduced into the cyclone. A 20° cone angle is the most common. Cyclone diameter will be determined by the separation to be made as well as by the capacity required. The 0.5- and 0.6-m (20- and 24-in) cyclones are most common in coal plants, whereas multiple cones of 0.25- or 0.3-m (10- or 12-in) diameter are used in higher-gravity separations. 

Pyrometallurgical Processes Such high temperature processes convert certain minerals into others for easier separation from gangue or for easier recovery of metal. They are accomplished in Idlns, hearth furnaces or fluidized bed reactors. 

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