JSC «Mekhanobr Engineering» (Russia):

Maksimov I. I., Science Director, Doctor of Engineering

Otrozhdennova L. A., Leading Researcher, PhD Technical

Zavarina R. I., Researcher

E-mail (common): office@mekhanobr.com

The article presents the results of the studies performed with the view to develop processing technology for the Gaiskoye deposit's off-grade coppercontaining ore, which is mainly dumped at the present time. Three alternatives have been studied for ore preparation with removal of ferruginized clayey slime sulfides from flotation process, to which they produced an adverse effect: with desliming prior to grinding, and with desliming after grinding and washing of feed ore on screen and desliming of undersize prior to grinding. It is shown, that the most efficient, with regard to produced concentrate grade and recovery of valuable component into it, is the alternative with ore screening and crushed ore of 3–0 size washing with desliming of undersize prior to ore grinding, for the reason that ferruginized clayey slime sulfides and soluble salts are removed from the process more completely, than in other ore preparation flowsheets. –20 microns slimes were rejected to dump. To verify the correct choice of ferruginized clayey slimes removal flowsheet, competitive experiments were conducted in open circuit with different ore preparation alternatives. A flowsheet similar to the one currently applied at the Gaiskoye Plant, apart from ore preparation stage, which was accomplished in accordance with the alternative, chosen on the basis of the competitive experiments, good metallurgical results were achieved with production of 18% copper concentrate, copper recovery into concentrate being about 76 %.

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