Recovering Fluorite from Kafang Copper-Tungsten Flotation Tailings, Yunnan Province

Abstract

This is an essay in the field of mineral processing engineering. In addition to the valuable elements copper and tungsten, there are still valuable fluorite resources in the newly discovered ore bodies of Kafang Branch of Yunnan Tin Group. The grade of fluorite in copper and tungsten flotation tailings is as high as 31.98%, the fluorite is coarse medium grain embedded, and the liberation degree is more than 95%. Besides quartz and feldspar, the gangue minerals are mainly hedenbergite with weak magnetism. During beneficiation tests, magnetic separation has been first conducted to remove the hedenbergite into magnetic gangue minerals, which reduces the interference on fluorite flotation process. Then flotation tests have been conducted using “one roughing- two scavenging- six cleaning” process, during which acidified sodium silicate as collector, sodium oleate as collector and return the middlings to scavenging 1, and a fluorite concentrate assaying 96.27% CaF2 with operation recovery of 88.85% has been obtained, which realized the efficient and comprehensive utilization of fluorite resources in Kafang mining area.

Keywords

• mineral processing engineering
• fluorite
• tungsten flotation tailings
• magnetic separation
• hedenbergite