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With the wide application of lithium batteries and lithium carbonate, downstream enterprises have an increasing demand for raw materials of lithium concentrate. In order to meet the needs of enterprises, improving the recovery rate of concentrate in ore is one of the main ways to solve this problem. There are various methods for spodumene ore beneficiation. This article mainly introduces five ways to improve spodumene ore flotation efficiency and concentrate recovery rate. , Dosing in sections, increase the aeration strength of the flotation machine, reduce the flotation acceleration and stirring strength.
Use the table of contents below to navigate through the guide:
01 Increase the floating particle grade of spodumene ore
02 Multi-tank series + spodumene ore sludge mixing
03 Dosing in sections to save drug consumption and increase production
04 Properly increase the inflation strength of the flotation machine
05 Reduce the flotation machine running speed and stirring intensity
The spodumene ore has high hardness, and the associated gangue minerals have low hardness. Therefore, in the grinding process, spodumene is more difficult to grind than gangue minerals. When grinding spodumene to a suitable floating particle grade, the degree of sludge of the ore is high, which will affect the flotation efficiency. Therefore, when providing floating particle grade lithium ore, a desliming process should be set in the process, which is one of the important parts to improve the grade and recovery rate of lithium concentrate. The finer the particle size of spodumene, the higher the recovery rate of concentrate. In theory, the floating particle grade of spodumene is about 200 mesh. In the grinding process, in order to increase the selected particle, a steel ball supplementary system can be established to strengthen on-site operation and technical management. In addition, the spodumene content of about 200 mesh can also be adjusted by appropriately reducing the gradient of the classifier.
Because the particles of the milled slime are fine, its specific surface area increases. During flotation, the content of ore slime will affect the beneficiation index to a certain extent. In the preparation of lithium concentrate, the composition of the slime is generally the surrounding rock gangue, except for a small amount of primary slime, most of which are secondary slimes. The sludge will agglomerate into agglomerates due to electrostatic action, the specific surface area will increase, and the consumption of flotation reagents will also increase. In addition, the slime will wrap the spodumene concentrate particles and thus affect the contact between the agent and the concentrate particles and weaken the effect of the agent. In order to solve this problem, before the spodumene enters the flotation machine, it should strengthen the stirring in the mixing tank to disperse the sludge, which can improve the selectivity of the agent to the concentrate particles. Multi-operations in series for sludge stirring and flotation can improve the recovery rate and grade of concentrate.
In order to improve product quality and reduce waste of resources, it is particularly important to choose an appropriate dosing location and dosage. When the degree of weathering of the lithium ore is deep and the pollution is serious, you can choose to add medicine in stages. The purpose is to prolong the action time of the two alkalis on the spodumene concentrate particles, so that the action strength of the agent can be supplemented and strengthened. Staged dosing can also reduce drug consumption, save costs, and improve the recovery rate of spodumene ore concentrate.
Inflation strength is one of the factors that affects the flotation index. During flotation, the air can form bubbles attached to the floating minerals and float the spodumene concentrate out of the pulp. In addition, a part of the air will be dissolved in the high pressure area and precipitated into microbubbles in the reduced pressure area. These microbubbles will first contact the surface of the mineral particles with strong hydrophobicity, attach to the bubbles and float. Therefore, while ensuring the same flotation time, the aeration is strengthened, and the beneficiation recovery rate of the lithium concentrate is improved to a certain extent.
The rotation speed and stirring intensity of the flotation machine will affect the recovery rate of lithium concentrate to a certain extent. When the rotation speed of the flotation machine decreases, the distribution rate of lithium concentrate increases, and the metal content in the lithium concentrate increases accordingly. Therefore, in the flotation process, reducing the rotating speed and reducing the stirring intensity will increase the recovery rate of the coarse-grained spodumene ore concentrate, and the concentrate grade will also increase.
The above contents are five ways to improve the flotation efficiency of spodumene ore. In the spodumene ore beneficiation process, it will also be affected by other factors. Xinhai Mining suggests that before spodumene beneficiation, a beneficiation test should be carried out to determine the ore composition and formulate a suitable beneficiation process to avoid waste of resources and improve investment benefits. Xinhai Mining can customize the spodumene beneficiation process and beneficiation equipment for you. If necessary, welcome to consult.
