Promising Dissociation Technologies for Preparation of Minerals to Flotation

Abstract

Milling of minerals and middlings is studied in ultra-fine bead mills, Vertimill fine milling machines and in hydropercussion-and-cavitation machines (rotary-pulsating type). Fine and ultra-fine milling provides the wanted rate of dissociation of sulphide minerals and host rocks as compared with ball milling, while hydropercussion-and-cavitation milling improves selectivity of dissociation at equal grain size composition of products from the rotary-pulsating machines and ball mills. Possible improvement of ore quality by fine hydraulic vibratory screening before deep concentration is examined. It is shown that as against hydrocyclones in pre-treatment circuits, fine hydraulic vibratory screens reduce circulation of fines with oversize flow, decrease overgrinding and increase mass fraction of optimal sizes for subsequent flotation.