RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN METAMORPHISM DEGREE AND LIBERATION SIZE OF COMPACT ITABIRITES FROM THE IRON QUADRANGLE
Iron ore exploited in Brazil can be classified into several lithological types which have distinct features. The progress of mining over time leads to scarcity of high grade iron ores, leading to the exploitation of poor, contaminated and compact ores. There is a growing trend of application of pr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Associação Brasileira de Metalurgia, Materiais e Mineração
2015-06-01
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| Series: | Tecnologia em Metalurgia, Materiais e Mineração |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.tecnologiammm.com.br/doi/10.4322/2176-1523.0868 |
| Summary: | Iron ore exploited in Brazil can be classified into several lithological types which have distinct features. The progress
of mining over time leads to scarcity of high grade iron ores, leading to the exploitation of poor, contaminated and compact
ores. There is a growing trend of application of process flowsheets involving grinding to promote mineral liberation, essential
condition for concentration processes. Several authors have correlated metamorphism processes of banded iron formations
to mineralogical features observed on itabirites from the Iron Quadrangle, mainly the crystals size. This paper presents
the implications of such variation in defining the mesh of grinding. Mineralogical characterization and grinding, desliming
and flotation tests have been carried out with samples from two regions of the Iron Quadrangle subjected to different
degrees of metamorphism. It was found a trend of reaching satisfactory liberation degree in coarser size for the itabirite
of higher metamorphic degree, which has larger crystals. The flotation tests have confirmed the mineralogical findings. |
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| ISSN: | 2176-1515 2176-1523 |