An Alternative Flotation Process for Apatite Concentration of the Itataia Carbonaceous Uranium-Phosphate Ore

Transcription

1 Engineering Conferences International ECI Digital Archives Beneficiation of Phosphates VII Proceedings Spring 2015 An Alternative Flotation Process for Apatite Concentration of the Itataia Carbonaceous Uranium-Phosphate Ore Elves Matiolo Centro de Tecnologia Mineral (CETEM) Ligia Gonzaga Centro de Tecnologia Mineral (CETEM) Ana Luiza Guedes Centro de Tecnologia Mineral (CETEM) Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Materials Science and Engineering Commons Recommended Citation Elves Matiolo, Ligia Gonzaga, and Ana Luiza Guedes, "An Alternative Flotation Process for Apatite Concentration of the Itataia Carbonaceous Uranium-Phosphate Ore" in "Beneficiation of Phosphates VII", P. Zhang, FIPR; J. Miller, Univ. of Utah; L. Leal, Univ. of Sao Paolo; A. Kossir, OCP Group; E. Wingate, Worley-Parsons Services Pty Ltd. Eds, ECI Symposium Series, (2015). This Conference Proceeding is brought to you for free and open access by the Proceedings at ECI Digital Archives. It has been accepted for inclusion in Beneficiation of Phosphates VII by an authorized administrator of ECI Digital Archives. For more information, please contact

2 Itacoatiara, Niterói, RJ AN ALTERNATIVE FLOTATION PROCESS FOR APATITE CONCENTRATION OF THE ITATAIA CARBONACEOUS URANIUM-PHOSPHATE ORE Elves Matiolo, DSc Lígia Gonzaga, MSc Ana Luiza Guedes, IC Melbourne, March 2015

3 Agribusiness in Brazil Grain production(2013) = 188 million ton Planted area (2013) = 53 million hectares (2013) 23% Gross domesticproduct = US$ 454 billion Projections for international trade (2022) Production(million ton) Product Market share(%) Position Brazil World Corn 18,6 138,7 13,4 4º Soybean(grain) 63,8 144,3 44,2 1º Soybean(oil) 2,4 10,8 22,2 2º Soybean(bran) 16,9 73,9 22,9 2º Cattle 1,9 8,1 23,3 2º Pork 0,8 6,3 12,4 4º Chicken 4,8 9 52,9 1º Sources: Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) - CNA

4 Brazilian fertiliser industry supply 100% 90% 80% Import Production 51 Fertiliser demand in Brazil will grow twice as fast as overall global demand 70% 60% 50% Brazil = 5.3% y.y % 30% Brazil = 5.3% y.y 20% % 0% Potash Phosphate Nitrogen

5 Santa Quitéria INB and Galvani Araxá Vale Salitre Vale Catalão Vale and Copebrás Tapira Vale Cajati Vale

6 Introdução Typical flowsheet Rod and ball mills P µm Crushing Slimes (discharge) 90% < 10 µm Magnetite (discharge) Low intensity magnetic separator Mechanical cells Conditioning Coarse particles D µm Conditioning Fines/ultrafines D µm Column flotation

7 Introdução Santa Quitéria Project

8 Phosphate-uranium ore (Itataia- CE) 80 s years Ore Apatite 36% (15% P 2 O 5 ) Calcite 24% Silicates 20% Reagents Tall oil Corn starch Sodium silicate ph 10 (NaOH) H 3 PO 4 2 kg/t ph 5,6 BULK Concentrate (apatite and calcite) Calcite CDTN 32 34,5% P 2 O 5 3-6% calcite Air Silicates Apatite concentrate

9 CLDRI Process Chinese Lianyungang Design and Research Institute Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute (FIPR) University of Florida 1994 year < 150 µm Fatty acid soap Dolomite H 3 PO 4 and H 2 SO 4 Silicates or apatite flotation

10 Siliceouscarbonatephosphate ore fromcatalão (Goiás) Rougher flotation Air Ar Flotation Bulk concentrate Apatite and carbonates Conditioning -50% solids - Collector (sulphosuccinate) Lupromin FPA Corn starch (depressant) - ph 9,5 - NaOH H 2 SO 4 Calcite/dolomite Air Apatite concentrate Froth

11 Two stage conditioning process

12 Carbon dioxide applyed in flotation

13 Carbonicgas applyedin flotationof phosphatesores (Brazil) Bulk concentrate Feed Apatite and carbonates Apatite concentrate CO 2 Air/CO 2 Silicates/iron hidroxides Calcite/dolomite Catalão s Mine

14

15 Cleaner Flotation columns CO 2 injection Cavitation tube

16 Barreiros s Mine - Araxá ROM Slimes Carbonates P 80 = 150µm Coconut soap Dilution CO 2 Apatite flotation

17 Apatite flotation Corn starch NaOH Dilution Apatite concentrate sulphosuccinate Fatty acid soap substitution Tailing Cleaner Tailing Rougher

18 Experimental

19 Ore sample 1 ton

20 Chemical and mineralogical characterization CaO/P 2 O 5 Grade (%) P 2 O 5 CaO Fe 2 O 3 SiO 2 MgO Al 2 O 3 TiO 2 2,8 16,7 47,6 2,5 8,7 0,6 2,9 0,2 5,9 5,2 38,2 50,7 Calcite Apatite Quartz Others

21 Flowsheet < 3.36 mm Discharge Slimes Fines Fraction Calcite and Apatite Flotation Coarse Fraction Calcite and Apatite Flotation

22 Particle size distribution D 96 = 150µm Passing (%) D 50 = 5µm D 50 = 28µm D 50 = 100µm Slimes Fines Milling Product Coarse Particle size (µm)

23 Mass Balance Preparation Flux Recovery (%) Grade (%) Mass P 2 O 5 P 2 O 5 CaO Fe 2 O 3 SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 Slimes 18,2 16,4 14,7 42,1 3,2 10,5 4,0 Fines 35,4 34,7 16,0 48,6 2,2 8,0 2,8 Coarse 46,4 48,9 17,2 53,0 2,2 6,1 1,3

24 Calcite flotation - Coconut soap (calcite collector) - CO 2 bubble generator - ph 5.8 Apatite flotation - Sulphosuccinate (apatite collector) - Corn starch (depressant) - ph 11 (NaOH) Conditioning = 50% w/w (coarse) 40% w/w (fines) Flotation = 25% w/w

25 Results

26 Calcite flotation Coarse fraction Effect of the collector dosage Calcite concentrate Mass recovery;p 2 O 5 recovery and P 2 O 5 grade ,6 34, ,2 (%) ,8 Mass recovery P2O5 Recovery 10 P2O5 (%) 5 0 4,3 0,4 0,7 0,91,4 0,4 0,5 2, Coconut soap (g/t)

27 Calcite flotation Coarse fraction Effect of the collector dosage Float Mineralogical composition ,1 90,8 89,9 86,3 Mineral (% %) ,0 3,2 4,4 9,6 Calcite ,4 1,1 300 Coconut soap (g/t) 400 1, ,1 Quartz Apatite

28 Calcite flotation Coarse fraction Effect of the collector dosage Sink Mineralogical composition ,0 72,7 73,4 77,4 Mineral (%) , ,2 6,9 7, Coconut soap (g/t) 400 7,5 7, ,2 4,9 Quartz Apatite Calcite

29 Apatite flotation Coarse fraction Effect of the collector dosage (sulphosuccinate) Feed CaO/P 2 O 5 Grade (%) P 2 O 5 CaO Fe 2 O 3 SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 1,55 30,0 46,4 2,5 10,3 1, ,7 75,2 80 (%) ,7 66,3 31, ,4 6,1 0 Mass P 2 O 5 Recovery P 2 O 5 (%) 5,3 SiO 2 (%) g/t Collector g/t Grade (%) P 2 O 5 CaO Fe 2 O 3 SiO 2 Al 2 O ,6 38,9 3,3 18,3 3, ,4 36,4 3,4 20,9 4,1 Tailings

30 Apatite flotation Coarse fraction Scavenger Corn Starch = 300 g/t Sulphossucinate = 500 g/t ph = 11,0 Feed Grade (%) P 2 O 5 CaO Fe 2 O 3 SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 26,6 37,0 3,4 19,4 4,3 Concentrate R P 2 O 5 Grade (%) P 2 O 5 CaO Fe 2 O 3 SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 65,5 32,9 42,8 2,3 11,3 6,3 Balance coarse fraction Massrecovery = 28,6% P 2 O 5 recovery= 42% - 85% flotation P 2 O 5 grade = 32% SiO 2 grade = 7,1%

31 Calcite flotation (fines fraction) 500 g/t collector 2 L/min CO , , ,7 42,9 (%) 40 35,9 28, ,9 0 1,5 0,9 0,5 Sink Mass CaO P 2 O 5 recovery P 2 O 5 (%) SiO 2 (%) Float

32 Apatite flotation (fines fraction) Corn starch = 700 g/t Sulphosuccinate = 700 g/t ph = 11 Flux Recovery (%) Grade (%) Mass P 2 O 5 P 2 O 5 CaO Fe 2 O 3 SiO 2 Al 2 O 3 Feed ,5 44,6 2,7 11,2 3,5 Concentrate 66,2 76,9 33,2 53,4 1,9 3,7 1,1 Tailings 33,8 23,1 19,5 27,5 4,2 25,8 8,1 Balance fines fraction Mass recovery = 15% P 2 O 5 recovery = 26,31% - 75,7% flotation

33 Calcite concentrate Apatite concentrate Global balance Mass recovery = 43,6% P 2 O 5 recovery = 68% P 2 O 5 (%) = 32,4% SiO 2 (%) = 6,0%

34 Final remarks The use of carbon dioxide in combination with coconut soap showed high selectivity on separation between apatite and calcite in the Itataia s phosphate ore; This carbonate flotation process concept based on use carbon dioxide and coconut soap as carbonates collector was applied in others two differents carbonaceous phosphate ores from Brazil (Araxá and Catalão) with very good results; Quartz flotation must be avaliated in replacement of apatite flotation in the sink fraction of calcite flotation.

35 This work is dedicated to the Mining Engineer Lauro Akira Takata

36 Acknowledgments Dr. Reiner Neumann- CETEM To all institutions that support research in Brazil

37 CETEM - CENTRO DE TECNOLOGIA MINERAL Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)