Study on the Occurrence State of Rhenium in Copper-Molybdenum Ore from the Fujiawu Deposit, Jiangxi Province and Factors Affecting Re Recovery

Abstract

Understanding the occurrence of Re in ore minerals is the prerequisite for comprehensive recovery of rhenium. The study on the occurrence of Re in copper-molybdenum ores of Fujiawu deposit is lacking. Chemical analysis, optical microscopic identification, electron probe analysis, sieve analysis and balance classification were used to systematically process a mineralogy study on the porphyry type copper-molybdenum ore and phyllite type copper-molybdenum ore from the Fujiawu copper molybdenum mine, in order to understand the present state of Re in ores and the factors affecting the recovery and utilization of Re in ores. No independent rhenium minerals have been found, and Re is dispersed in minerals such as molybdenite chalcopyrite, pyrite, galena, and zircon. The content of Re ranges from 0.001% to 0.267%. Molybdenite is the target mineral for enrichment and recovery of Re with Re content up to 684×10-6. Moreover, the grade change of Re and Mo is similar in different particle sizes. For the comprehensive recovery of Re from two types of copper-molybdenum ores, the differences in molybdenite content and types of gangue minerals should be taken into consideration, and the ore to be used should be classified. Meanwhile, when the ore is crushed and ground, it should not be crushed excessively, in order to improve the comprehensive recovery of Re at +0.023 mm.

Keywords

• occurrence of rhenium
• molybdenite
• altered granodiorite porphyry type copper-molybdenum ore
• phyllite type copper-molybdenum ore
• fujiawu copper-molybdenum deposit