Method to establish theoretical yield-grade relation for Indian iron ore slime through quantitative mineralogy

Minerals & Metallurgical Processing , 2012, Vol. 29, No. 3, pp. 144-147

Banerjee, A.; Mukherjee, A.K.

 Conventional characterization methods are inadequate for Indian iron ore slime. As an alternative method, QEMSCAN was used to find the liberation characteristics. This method predicted low theoretical yield for a typical concentrate. This is due to predominance of a mineral phase and wide variation in its chemical composition. The database of QEMSCAN was then modified so that it recognized three broad subtypes of the major mineral phase. The new dataset is used to establish the theoretical yield-grade relation for the concentrate.This information on liberation characteristics depicts the beneficiation prospects of the slime. The proposed method will find its use in characterization of the vast reserves of low-grade Indian iron ore, which is similar to slime in its mineralogical composition and liberation characteristics. The outcome of this study helps in formulating the road map for beneficiation of the vast amount of iron ore in India that exists in the form of slime and low-grade ore.