Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)
Scientific Journal

Flocculation Behavior of Ultrafine Quartz and Magnetite as the Main Mineral Components of Iron Ore Tailings

Document Type : Regular Article

Authors

S. Ghasemi 1
A. Behnamfard 2
R. Arjmand 3

1 Faculty of Engineering, University of Birjand, Birjand

2 Faculty of Engineering, University of Birjand, Birjand, South Khorasan, Iran

3 Senior Process Engineer, Opal Parsian Sangan Industrial and Mineral Co. (OPSIM), Khaf, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/ijche.2021.260225.1362
Abstract
The thickening of the iron ore tailings allows process water to be partially recovered and recirculated, also it reduces the fresh water consumption, which results in lower operating costs and less environmental impacts. The settling characteristics of the mineral components of an iron ore tailing in the thickening process may be different under various pulp conditions. Hence, the study of the characteristics of the mineral components of the iron ore tailings separately can provide very useful information about the thickening of an iron ore tailing. In this research, the settling behavior of the main mineral components of iron ore tailings including quartz and magnetite have been investigated under various operational conditions. The quartz and magnetite showed different settling behaviors, so as the maximum settling rate of quartz was achieved under different pulp conditions than that of magnetite was. There was a big difference between the maximum settling rates of quartz and magnetite, as the maximum settling rates of quartz and magnetite were 197 and 873 m/h respectively. In the thickening of an iron ore tailing, the pulp conditions must be set based on the settling behavior of the mineral component with the lowest settling rate.

Keywords

Iron Ore Tailing
Mineral Components
Quartz and Magnetite
Flocculation Behavior
Settling Rate

Subjects

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Iranian Journal of Chemical Engineering (IJChE)
Volume 18, Issue 2
Spring 2021
Pages 3-18

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