Barite beneficiation process and selection of flotation agents

 Barite, also known as baryte, is a naturally occurring mineral composed of barium sulfate (BaSO4). It is commonly used in the oil and gas industry as a weighting agent for drilling fluids, as well as in other industries such as paints, plastics, and rubber.

     The beneficiation process of barite mainly includes crushing, screening, washing, and flotation. The crushing stage usually uses jaw crushers and impact crushers. After crushing, the barite ore is screened and classified according to particle size. The coarse-grained materials are washed with water to remove impurities, and the fine-grained materials are subjected to flotation to obtain high-quality barite concentrate.

     The selection of flotation agents is crucial in the flotation process of barite. The commonly used flotation agents for barite are collectors such as fatty acids, sulfonates, and carboxylates, as well as modifiers such as inorganic and organic substances.

Collectors:

Fatty acids: The commonly used fatty acids are oleic acid, lauric acid, and palmitic acid. Oleic acid is the most widely used collector for barite flotation. However, the selectivity of oleic acid is poor, and it is easy to cause gangue mineral flotation.

Sulfonates: The commonly used sulfonates are petroleum sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, and aryl sulfonate. They have good selectivity for barite and can effectively separate barite from gangue minerals.

Carboxylates: The commonly used carboxylates are sodium oleate, sodium lauryl sulfate, and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate. They have good selectivity for barite, but the collecting power is weaker than that of fatty acids and sulfonates.

Modifiers:

Inorganic modifiers: The commonly used inorganic modifiers are sodium silicate and sodium carbonate. They can activate the barite and improve the selectivity of the collectors.

Organic modifiers: The commonly used organic modifiers are quebracho, tannin, and lignin sulfonate. They can also activate the barite and improve the selectivity of the collectors.

In addition, the pH value of the slurry also affects the flotation of barite. The suitable pH range for barite flotation is 8-9.

Overall, the selection of flotation agents for barite beneficiation should consider the type and content of impurities in the ore, the mineral processing capacity, and the economic benefits. It is necessary to constantly optimize the flotation process and improve the selectivity and recovery rate of barite concentrate.

Bauxite beneficiation process

 Bauxite beneficiation refers to the process of extracting valuable aluminum, silicon, iron, copper and other metals from bauxite and removing other impurities. The beneficiation process includes crushing and homogenization, pulp grinding, pulp flotation, concentrate tailings slurry concentration, concentrate tailings dehydration and other steps.

crushing and homogenization

The crushing and homogenization of bauxite is the first step in beneficiation. The ore is crushed to below -50mm and homogenized into -25mm particles. The homogenized ore has a uniform particle size, which is beneficial to the subsequent beneficiation process.

pulp grinding

The crushed bauxite is sent to a wet ball mill for grinding to make the particle size reach -50mm. The speed of the ball mill and the material of the liner have a great influence on the grinding effect of bauxite.

Slurry flotation

The ground bauxite is sent to Guangyida integrated flotation system for separation to obtain concentrate and tailings. Flotation is the process of separating valuable metals in bauxite from gangue using flotation agents. Guangyida integrated flotation system has the function of automatically adjusting the pulp concentration and flow rate, which can realize efficient flotation.

Concentrate Tailings Slurry Concentration

The resulting concentrate and tailings are concentrated to remove 80% of the water. The concentrated concentrate and tailings are filtered through a filter press to remove the remaining moisture to a moisture content of 13-18% for truck transportation.

Concentrate tailings dehydration

The concentrated concentrate and tailings are filtered through a filter press to remove the remaining moisture and make it 13-18% moisture for vehicle transportation. The water content of dehydrated bauxite is less than 10%, which can be conveniently loaded and transported.

water recovery

All the removed water is collected in the circulating pool for recycling, and the return water utilization rate is 100%.

In summary, the bauxite beneficiation process includes crushing and homogenization, pulp grinding, pulp flotation, concentrate tailings slurry concentration, concentrate tailings dehydration and other steps. Through these steps, valuable metals such as aluminum, silicon, iron, and copper can be extracted from bauxite and other impurities can be removed. During the beneficiation process, it is necessary to pay attention to controlling the particle size, controlling the concentration and flow rate of the pulp, and adjusting the reagents to ensure the quality and output of bauxite.