The process of copper ore beneficiation is to separate copper from gangue minerals and improve the copper grade. In this process, a variety of beneficiation methods are used to achieve the purpose of improving copper grade. So what indicators are used to measure whether the results of copper ore beneficiation meet the standards? How to improve these beneficiation indicators? This article will explain in detail.
1.Copper grade
Copper grade refers to the mass fraction of copper elements in copper ore. It is an important indicator to measure the content of useful components in copper ore and a key factor in determining the value of copper ore. Generally speaking, the higher the copper grade, the greater the value of the copper ore.
For example, when the copper grade is above 20%, the impurities in the ore are relatively small, the smelting difficulty is reduced, the smelting output is increased, and it has a higher mining value. According to the standard, copper ore with an industrial grade of 0.5% or above can be mined; if it is an associated copper ore, this percentage can be slightly reduced.
2.Copper recovery rate
Copper recovery rate refers to the percentage of the mass of copper recovered from copper ore to the total mass of copper in the original ore during the beneficiation process. It is an important indicator to measure the effect of beneficiation. The higher the copper recovery rate, the better the beneficiation effect.
The formula for calculating the recovery rate of copper concentrate is as follows: copper concentrate recovery rate = the mass of copper metal obtained ÷ the mass of raw copper metal × 100%. Assuming that the copper concentrate contains 1000 grams of copper metal, after smelting and purification, 800 grams of copper metal are obtained, then the recovery rate of copper concentrate is calculated as follows: copper concentrate recovery rate = 800 grams ÷ 1000 grams × 100% = 80%, that is, the recovery rate of copper concentrate is 80%.
In the actual application process, other factors need to be considered, such as other components in copper concentrate may affect the recovery rate of copper metal. Usually, the theoretical recovery rate will be higher than the actual recovery rate, but the difference between the two cannot be too large. Generally, the loss in a single metal flotation plant is not allowed to differ by 1%. If it exceeds this number, it means that the metal loss in the mineral processing process is serious, and further analysis and improvement of the mineral processing process are needed to improve the recovery rate.
3.Copper concentrate quality
Concentrate quality refers to the quality of copper concentrate obtained after the beneficiation process. The quality of concentrate is directly related to the copper smelting effect and product quality. Concentrate quality mainly includes indicators such as copper content, impurity content, and particle size. The higher the copper content, the lower the impurity content, the more uniform the particle size, and the better the concentrate quality.
For example, copper ore containing chalcopyrite can produce concentrates containing 20% to 30% copper, and the more valuable chalcocite concentrates are usually of higher grade. Since chalcocite does not contain iron, the copper content in the concentrate is between 37% and 40%. In the mineral processing process, reasonable processes and technical means should be used to control the quality of the concentrate and improve the copper smelting effect and product quality.
1.Strengthen technical research
Regrinding and reselection of middlings: The copper ores currently mined are generally difficult-to-select copper ores, which not only have complex mineral compositions but also have very fine embedded particle sizes. At this time, the method of stage grinding and stage flotation should be adopted, and the quality of copper concentrate can be improved through the process improvement plan of distribution priority flotation and regrinding and reselection of middlings. This method not only prevents over-grinding and under-grinding of different copper sulfide minerals, ensures early and more copper collection, but also avoids the repeated circulation of a large amount of sulfur in the copper selection circuit, so as to achieve early and fast loss, better adapt to the properties of the original ore, and achieve more satisfactory selection indicators.
Industrial test: before determining the mineral processing technology, mineral processing tests and industrial tests are required. After repeated tests, better mineral processing indicators can be obtained and applied to actual production to ensure the copper concentrate grade and mineral processing recovery rate.
2.Strengthen operational management
Increasing the frequency of measuring the grinding fineness of the raw ore is an important means to improve the mineral processing index. The grinding fineness directly affects the full dissociation of valuable minerals such as copper minerals, creating a good foundation for flotation operations. Reasonable control of the grinding fineness can avoid over-grinding or under-grinding and improve the monomer dissociation degree of useful minerals. At the same time, the appropriate pulp concentration and pH value can optimize the flotation effect and improve the recovery rate of copper.
3.Mining linkage
It is of great significance to improve the mineral processing index by linking with mining. According to the mining location, filling content, serpentine content, bottom waste rock, mining output and other matters provided by the mining unit, timely analyze the proportion of ore output from each mining field, and through continuous tracking and analysis, formulate a reagent system suitable for the properties of five types of ores, and adjust the amount of calcium hydroxide according to the trend of changes in ore properties.
4.Strengthen equipment management
Strengthening equipment management is the key to improving the recovery rate of mineral processing. In view of the problem of poor slurry operation during the operation of the middling regrinding and re-selection system, the slurry delivery pipeline was modified, the process flow was optimized, the flushing water pipeline and the 24 cubic meter flotation machine tank were maintained on a daily basis, and the tailings sand box and delivery pump were modified.
In short, the effect of copper ore dressing is mainly measured by three indicators: copper grade, ore dressing recovery rate and copper concentrate quality. To improve these three indicators, we must strengthen technical research, do a good job in mining linkage and equipment and operation management. Only in this way can we ensure that all indicators of copper ore dressing meet the standards and create greater profits for the dressing plant.
