RIVS Science and Production Association:

Sizykh A. S., Engineer-Mineralogist

Poperechnikova O. Yu., Head of Subdivision

E-mail (common): rivs@rivs.ru

JV “IVS”:

Nagaeva S. P., Mineralogist, e-mail: SPN@yandex.ru

Currently, the most popular way of increasing iron content of magnetite concentrates is re-grinding and wet weak-magnetic field separation. Though readily available, this technology yields minimum increment in iron content, features high energy input and results in enlarged specific surface of concentrates, which has an adverse influence on moisture content of cake in filtration and subsequent pelletizing. Flotation re-treatment of iron concentrates is technologically the most selective method of mineral processing, since it allows reduction of content of silica, phosphorus and other admixtures, and cardinally solves the problem on production of super concentrates. At the present time when rich iron ore reserves have been depleted and the world market of iron ore material faces high competition, quality standards for iron concentrates increasingly grow. Iron ore producers have to modernize process flow charts they use. Within the past ten years, RIVS Science and Production Association has accomplished a wide range of works toward improvement of iron ore processing technology and equipment (Russia, Ukraine, Philippines). The ample research has resulted in development of the technology for re-treatment of iron concentrates. The paper describes the results obtained in re-treatment of magnetite concentrates by the method of reverse cationic flotation using collecting agents based on amines. High selectivity of the agents eliminates the use of depressors. Flotation uses hard water with partial water rotation. The re-treatment enables production of iron concentrates with the iron content of 69.5% (at the recovery of 94.62%) and silica content of 1.75%.