NOUFERROUS METALLURGICAL EQUIPMENT

The composition of lepidolite ore is complex, and the associated tantalum and niobium are easily crushed and overground, which makes the comprehensive recovery of these resources difficult. Based on the technological mineralogy study of a tantalum-niobium-lepidolite polymetallic ore, the comprehensive recovery test of valuable components in the ore was carried out by the combined process of gravity separation and flotation. The results show that: under the condition of raw ore with Li₂O grade 0.65% and (Ta, Nb) ₂O₅ grade 0.016%, the gravity separation process of spiral chute roughing, shaker roughing and shaker selection is carried out, and then the gravity separation tailings are processed by flotation, with sodium carbonate as pH regulator, sodium hexametaphosphate as inhibitor, and BK426 as lepidolite collector. In the flotation concentrate, most of the monomers of lepidolite are dissociated, and some of the mica is soaked in feldspar, quartz and clay-containing iron oxide silt, which is difficult to dissociate in the grinding process. Finally, tantalum niobium concentrate with a grade of (Ta, Nb) ₂O₅ is obtained with a recovery rate of 36.15%. With Li₂O grade of 4.63% and recovery rate of 93.29%, the comprehensive recovery of valuable components of the polymetallic ore has been achieved.