Mineralogical Factors Affecting the Dense Medium Separation of Nickel Sulfide Ores

dc.contributor.authorPillay, Keshree
dc.contributor.authorMainza, Aubrey Njema
dc.contributor.authorChetty, Deshenthree
dc.contributor.authorBecker, Megan
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-29T10:29:29Z
dc.date.available2024-04-29T10:29:29Z
dc.date.issued2022-10-18
dc.date.updated2022-10-26T11:08:07Z
dc.description.abstractDense medium separation (DMS) is often used to reject a large portion of gangue material upfront to create cost and energy savings during processing. As lower-grade ores with complex mineralogy are being increasingly exploited, the properties of the gangue minerals begin to play a more important role in the upgrading of the ore. It is therefore important to understand these mineralogical factors to be able to select suitable processing routes for specific ore types. Two nickel sulfide deposits in southern Africa were chosen as case studies to understand differences in DMS efficiency when applied to different ores: Ore A and Ore B. Both ores showed nickel upgrades using DMS and the products were then characterized using QEMSCAN, with the aid of X-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis. Overall, particle density remains the main control on the separation, followed by sulfide texture, with massive and net-textured sulfides having larger grain sizes and therefore better liberation than disseminated sulfides. In addition to the concentration of sulfides, primary and secondary silicate minerals are separated by their density differences, which can affect the recovery of finely disseminated sulfides associated with them. Particle size is also important in DMS, with material near the cut-point density separating on size rather than density. The understanding of the mineralogical properties affecting DMS can aid in the prediction of the suitability of DMS for different ore types.
dc.identifierdoi: 10.3390/min12101311
dc.identifier.apacitationPillay, K., Mainza, A. N., Chetty, D., & Becker, M. (2022). Mineralogical Factors Affecting the Dense Medium Separation of Nickel Sulfide Ores. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39479en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationPillay, Keshree, Aubrey Njema Mainza, Deshenthree Chetty, and Megan Becker "Mineralogical Factors Affecting the Dense Medium Separation of Nickel Sulfide Ores." (2022) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39479en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMinerals 12 (10): 1311 (2022)
dc.identifier.ris TY - Journal Article AU - Pillay, Keshree AU - Mainza, Aubrey Njema AU - Chetty, Deshenthree AU - Becker, Megan AB - Dense medium separation (DMS) is often used to reject a large portion of gangue material upfront to create cost and energy savings during processing. As lower-grade ores with complex mineralogy are being increasingly exploited, the properties of the gangue minerals begin to play a more important role in the upgrading of the ore. It is therefore important to understand these mineralogical factors to be able to select suitable processing routes for specific ore types. Two nickel sulfide deposits in southern Africa were chosen as case studies to understand differences in DMS efficiency when applied to different ores: Ore A and Ore B. Both ores showed nickel upgrades using DMS and the products were then characterized using QEMSCAN, with the aid of X-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis. Overall, particle density remains the main control on the separation, followed by sulfide texture, with massive and net-textured sulfides having larger grain sizes and therefore better liberation than disseminated sulfides. In addition to the concentration of sulfides, primary and secondary silicate minerals are separated by their density differences, which can affect the recovery of finely disseminated sulfides associated with them. Particle size is also important in DMS, with material near the cut-point density separating on size rather than density. The understanding of the mineralogical properties affecting DMS can aid in the prediction of the suitability of DMS for different ore types. DA - 2022-10-18 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PY - 2022 T1 - Mineralogical Factors Affecting the Dense Medium Separation of Nickel Sulfide Ores TI - Mineralogical Factors Affecting the Dense Medium Separation of Nickel Sulfide Ores UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39479 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/39479
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationPillay K, Mainza AN, Chetty D, Becker M. Mineralogical Factors Affecting the Dense Medium Separation of Nickel Sulfide Ores. 2022; http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39479.en_ZA
dc.titleMineralogical Factors Affecting the Dense Medium Separation of Nickel Sulfide Ores
dc.typeJournal Article
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