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Mineral Processing

Screening separates particles by size using screens, with smaller particles passing through and larger particles remaining. Gravity separation uses the density differences between particles and liquids, with denser particles sinking and less dense particles floating. Magnetic separation uses magnetic fields to separate ferromagnetic from non-magnetic materials. Flotation separates hydrophobic from hydrophilic materials by making some particles adhere to air bubbles and float.

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119 views10 pages

Mineral Processing

Screening separates particles by size using screens, with smaller particles passing through and larger particles remaining. Gravity separation uses the density differences between particles and liquids, with denser particles sinking and less dense particles floating. Magnetic separation uses magnetic fields to separate ferromagnetic from non-magnetic materials. Flotation separates hydrophobic from hydrophilic materials by making some particles adhere to air bubbles and float.

Uploaded by

Mahmoud Mahmoudm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Mineral processing

Screening
Screening, also called mechanical classification, is a separation process which
utilizes the differences in particle size. The particles which are smaller than screen
opening pass through the screen while larger particles either remain on the screen
or fall off at a designated place

Gravity separation
The basis of gravity separation in water and heavy liquids
During gravity separation the particles denser than the liquid, in which particles are
suspended, sink, while particles of lower density float
Mineral processing

Magnetic separation
A particle placed in a magnetic field interacts with this field. As a result, the particle
moves in the field. This phenomenon is utilized in separation of particles of
different materials and it is termed magnetic separation. The utilized feature of the
material is magnetic susceptibility. For particles pulled into stronger magnetic fields
magnetic susceptibility is positive (paramagnetics) and for those which are pushed
out is negative (diamagnetics). Magnetic separation is possible for particles of
different signs or susceptibilities. Ex: iron ores
Used when either the ore or the gangue are capable of being attracted by the
magnetic field
Mineral processing

Electric separation
The electric separation is based on interaction of electrically charged particles with
the electric field.
Mineral processing

Flotation (Froth Floatation Process)


Flotation is one of many methods of separation and can be used for separation of
phases, for instance to remove solid particles or oil drops from water. More
frequently flotation is used for separation of particles having different
hydrophobicities. Hydrophobicity is a feature of material characterizing its ability
to be wetted with a liquid in the presence of a gas phase. In mineral processing,
solids which can be easily wetted with water are called hydrophilic, while solids
with limited affinity for wetting are called hydrophobic. As a result of
hydrophobicity, particles adhere to a gas bubble forming a particle-air aggregate
which is lighter than water, and travels upwards to the surface of water.
Hydrophilic particles do not adhere to the bubbles and fall down to the bottom of
a flotation tank. Ex: sulfide ore
Used for removing Gangue from Sulphide ores.
Mineral processing
• Principle behind this process is the preferential wetting of ore particle with oil
and
gangue by water.
• A suspension of powdered ore is made with water.
• To this Collectors(oil, fatty acids etc) and froth stabilisers(cresols, aniline etc)
are added
• Minerals will be wet by oil while gangue by water
• When the mixture is agitated froth will be formed which will carry the ore
particles
• It is possible to separate two Sulphide ores by using Depressants
Eg :-In ore containing ZnS and PbS , NaCN acts as a Depressant & selectively
prevents ZnS from coming to the froth but allows PbS to come with the froth.

Coagulation
Coagulation relies on aggregation of fine particles suspended in water into a larger
unit called coagulum which, due to gravity force, settles down.
Mineral processing

Flocculation
Flocculation is the process in which fine particles, dispersed in water or other liquid,
aggregate under the influence of binding compounds called flocculants
A flocculant molecule has to be long and elastic in order to bind particles into
aggregates, after adsorption of different parts of a flocculant chain simultaneously
on several particles. Newly formed aggregates of fine particles, called flocs, have
considerably larger size than initial particles, so due to gravity forces, they settle
much faster than single particles, as the fines are the subject to brownian forces.
Flocculants are polymers of chain structure, water soluble and their molecular mass
in g/mole is about one million. Flocculants are used to accelerate particle settling,
improve filtration, enrich ore and raw materials (selective flocculation) and also as
modifiers in flotation.

Oil agglomeration
Mineral processing
Aggregation of particles and drops of a liquid, both suspended in an immiscible
liquid, is referred to as agglomeration. When the liquid used for agglomeration is
water immiscible and the process is performed in aqueous environment - it is called
oil agglomeration. Oil agglomeration is most often performed in the following way:
oil is added to aqueous suspension of particles and subsequent mixing leads to oil
dispersion. At the same time, collision of particles and oil drops causes formation
of oil agglomerates. Stopping the mixing initiates a fast settling of aggregates.
Agglomerates can be separated from the suspension by either decantation,
siphoning, or screening. The most common way is screening through a sieve or
screen.

The size of particles that can be separated with magnetic and electrodynamic
methods fall in the range of 10 2 -10 3 µm. With flotation methods the size of
mineral grains separated are usually in the range of 101 -102 µm.
Minerals
–Naturally occurring compounds of an element obtainable from the earth by
mining.
Ores
-Minerals from which the element can be isolated economically.
‘All ores are minerals, but all minerals are not ores’
Metallurgy
- The process used for the isolation of metal from its ore.
Mineral processing
Metallurgy involve the following major steps-
I. Concentration or Enrichment of ore
II. Isolation of Metal from the concentrated ore
III. Purification of the metal.
Concentration of the Ore
Removal of Earthy impurities (sand, clay, soil…)
• Earthy impurities are known as Gangue
• Also known as Dressing Or Benefaction
• The ores are graded and powdered to reasonable size.
METHODS OF CONCENTRATION (separation)
Hydraulic Washing
Used when there is difference in gravities between ore and gangue.
– Powdered ore is washed in an upward stream of running water.
– The lighter gangue particles are washed away and heavier ores are left behind.

Leaching-A chemical method


vent
(i) eg.- Leaching of Alumina From Bauxite
• Bauxite usually contain SiO 2 , Iron oxides, TiO 2 etc as impurities
• Powdered ore is digested with conc NaOH at 473-523K and 35-36 bar pressure
• Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 are leached out as Sodium aluminate and Sodium silicate

• The impurities are left behind


• The aluminate is neutralised by passing CO 2 so that hydrated aluminium oxide is
precipitated(seeded with fresh Hydrated Al 2 0 3
Mineral processing

• The sodium silicate remains in the solution


• Hydrated alumina is Filtered, dried and heated to give pure Al 2 O 3

Leaching is the process of extracting a substance from a solid by dissolving it in a


liquid. In metallurgy leaching is used for the ores that are soluble in a suitable
solvent.

Purification of the Metal


1. Distillation- This is very useful for low boiling metals like zinc and mercury.
The impure metal is evaporated to obtain the pure metal as distillate.

2. Liquation -A low melting metal like tin can be made to flow on a sloping
surface. In this way it is separated from higher melting impurities.

3. Electrolytic Refining -
• The impure metal is made as anode.
• A strip of the same metal in pure form is used as cathode.
• A soluble salt of the same metal is used as electrolyte.
• The more basic metal remains in the solution and the less basic ones go to the
anode mud.
• The reactions are:
Anode: M → M n+ + ne–
Cathode: M n+ + ne– → M
Copper metal is refined by using electrolytic method with impure copper metal as
anode and the pure copper metal strip as cathode. The electrolyte is acidified
copper sulphate solution. Copper dissolves from the anode into the electrolyte
and get reduced and deposited on the cathode as pure metal.
Mineral processing
Anode: Cu→ Cu 2+ + 2e –
Cathode: Cu 2+ + 2e -→ Cu
Impurities deposit as anode mud.

4. Zone Refining -
• Is based on the principle that the impurities are more soluble in the melt than in
the solid state of the metal.
• This method is very useful for producing semiconductor and other metals of
very high purity, e.g., germanium, silicon, boron, gallium and indium.

5. Vapour Phase Refining –


The metal is converted into its volatile compound and collected. It is then
decomposed to give pure metal.
The two requirements are:
1. The metal should form a volatile compound with an available reagent,
2. The volatile compound should be easily decomposable, so that the recovery is
easy.
eg. -i. Mond Process for Refining Nickel
• Nickel is heated in a stream of carbon monoxide forming a volatile complex,
nickel tetracarbonyl.
• Ni + 4CO→ (330 – 350 K) Ni(CO) 4
• It is decomposed at high temperature giving the pure metal.
• Ni(CO) 4 → (450 – 470 K) Ni + 4CO

Chromatographic Method –
• Based on the principle that different components of a mixture are differently
adsorbed on an adsorbent.

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