Study on Process Mineralogy of a Tungsten Ore in Yunnan Province

Abstract

By applying chemical phase analysis, mineral liberation analyzer (MLA), SEM, optical microscope and energy spectrum analysis, the mineral composition, grain size and occurrence states of valuable minerals are studied in this article, also the beneficiability of the ore is analyzed, which provides a theoretical basis for the effective separation of the ore. Results show that the valuable elements of the tungsten ore are WO3, Au and Ag. Tungsten exists in the form of scheelite and its particle size is coarse, so it is suitable for gravity separation. Scheelite is mainly distributed in non-metallic minerals (quartz and calcite) in the form of massive star point, forming a semi regular association or inclusion relationship, so it is necessary to improve the grinding fineness to ensure the recovery rate of tungsten concentrate.

Keywords

• tungsten ore
• process mineralogy
• embedded features
• occurrence states