Abstract
A suitable grinding fineness and flow-sheet could potentially reduce the mechanical entrainment of gangue minerals in the flotation process of microcrystalline graphite. In this study, the suitable grinding fineness of a commercial graphite ore was estimated by mineralogy analysis and laboratory grind-flotation tests. The target grind size of this ore should be 92% passing 74 μm based on the mineralogical evaluation and the flotation performance. A comparison of a single-stage and a three-stage grinding circuit was conducted. Experimental results demonstrated that the three-stage grinding circuit could effectively improve the separation effect, which was attributed to the reduction of slimes. In the end, a more desirable beneficiation result was obtained with the application of three-stage grinding-flotation process by minimizing gangue entrainment.
Highlights
Natural graphite is found in three commercial varieties: crystalline flake, microcrystalline, and crystalline vein [1]
This study aims at the reduction of gangue entrainment and the improvement of the separation selectivity in purification of microcrystalline graphite ore
A suitable grinding strategy was investigated to reduce the mechanical entrainment of gangue minerals in flotation of microcrystalline graphite ore
Summary
Natural graphite is found in three commercial varieties: crystalline flake, microcrystalline, and crystalline vein (or lump) [1]. For commercial microcrystalline graphite ore with an FCad of 60%–70% can only be upgraded to 80%–84% (FCad ) by flotation for its poor beneficiability [4,5,6]. The entrainment of sericite leads to a poor flotation selectivity of the microcrystalline graphite ore [9,10]. Depressants such as starch and carboxylethyl cellulose have been reported to depress clay minerals thereby increase the grade of concentrate [11]. In the graphite flotation, entrainment of gangue obviously affected
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have