Flotation and Tailing Discarding of Copper Cobalt Sulfide Ores Based on the Process Mineralogy Characteristics

The mineral composition of copper–cobalt ores is more complex than that of copper sulfides, and it is also difficult to discard tailing efficiently in primary flotation for the fine-grained disseminated of ore. In this work, a mineral liberation analyzer (MLA) was employed to study the characteristics of minerals. As a significant mineralogical characteristic, the liberation degree of useful mineral aggregates was determined after grinding, and a correlation was established between the ore grinding size and mineralogical characteristics. The results showed that the adopted ore occurred in sulfide form. However, the particle size of the mineral’s monomer was fine grained, whereas its aggregate was coarse. The sulfide mineral aggregate obtained after primary grinding was selected as the recovery object, and its mineralogical characteristics, such as liberation degree and particle size, were investigated to promote total recovery in primary flotation. The copper–cobalt sulfide concentration was obtained at the following optimal conditions: the grinding size of −0.074 mm (65%), the aggregate’s liberation degree of 67%, a collector dosage of 50 g·t−1, a collector combination of 35% aerofloat + 65% butyl xanthate, a pH of 8.5, and 2# oil (a terpineol type foaming agent) dosage of 60 g·t−1. The recovered rough Cu and Co concentrates were 89.45% and 88.03%, respectively. Moreover, the grades of Cu and Co were 13.4% and 4.81%, respectively, with 85.07% of the ore weight discarded as tailing. The consideration of sulfide aggregates instead of singeral minerals mineralogy characters in primary grinding and primary flotation provides an effective theoretical guide for the sorting of sulfide minerals and reduction in the power consumption of grinding.

Mineralogical characteristic of quaternary sediments (sand fraction) from the southern extremity of the Chukchi plateau, Arctic ocean

The data on mineralogical analysis of fine sand fractions in sediments accumulated in the southern part of the Chukchi Plateau during the Quaternary are presented. The associations and downcore distribution of the rock-forming and accessory minerals in relation to other characteristics are considered. The established climatically controlled mineralogical features, i. e. periodicity of warmings and coolings, can be used in solving a number of genetic problems, stratigraphic subdivision of sediments and paleoreconstructions.

Mineralogical characteristic of mortars from the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari: preliminary report

The article presents the results of physico-chemical analyses of a few masonry mortar and whitewash samples taken in the mid-1990s from the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari. The mineralogical characteristic of the samples contributes to the body of knowledge on the composition of these masonry mortars and their structure, while at the same time encouraging further research on a greater number of samples.