Leaching and the Residue Flotation of a Low-Grade Ni-Cu-PGM Sulfide Ore

Abstract:

According to the mineralogy of a low-grade Ni-Cu-PGM sulfide ore, a leaching-flotation process was introduced to process the ore. The leaching tests were focused on temperature, acid concentration, and grinding fineness under normal pressure. Results show that most of Mg and Fe can be effectively leached by 25% H₂SO₄ with a small amount of copper and nickel loss in leaching solution. Through separating Fe and Mg in the leaching solution, iron oxide red assaying 75%Fe₂O₃ and light magnesium oxide assaying 95%MgO were obtained. Residue flotation shows that a bulk concentrate assaying 2.72%MgO with a higher PGM recovery can be obtained. The most important fact is that the grade of PGM in the residue gets doubled relative to the raw ore, which enlarges the available low-grade PGM resource in China.

• Periodical: Advanced Materials Research (Volumes 753-755)
• Pages: 95-99
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.753-755.95
• Online since: August 2013
• Authors: Shu Zhao, Ji Ze Pan
• Keywords: Leaching, Low-Grade Ni-Cu-PGM Sulfide Ore, Residue Flotation

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