As an important strategic resource, the efficient development and utilization of spodumene ore has always been a hot topic in mining research. The construction of spodumene ore beneficiation plants in high-altitude areas places higher demands on beneficiation processes and equipment due to their unique natural environmental conditions. This article takes a spodumene ore beneficiation plant as an example to explore the practical experience and process optimization of designing beneficiation plants in high-altitude areas.
1.Analysis of the properties of spodumene ore
A certain spodumene deposit is mainly composed of spodumene, containing small amounts of phosphate lithium aluminate, lithium mica, as well as trace amounts of niobium iron ore, niobium tantalum iron ore, etc. that can be comprehensively utilized. The grade of Li2O in the original ore is 1.20%, and the ore type is granite pegmatite type, mainly composed of primary ore.
2.Design of lithium pyroxene beneficiation process flow
Based on the characteristics of the spodumene ore, a combined process of "flotation+magnetic separation+gravity separation" was designed to achieve comprehensive recovery and utilization of valuable metals in the ore. The design scale of the beneficiation plant is 2000 tons/day, with a service life of 14 years.
3.Spodumene beneficiation test
The beneficiation test includes scheme exploration test, system condition test, full process closed-loop test, and expanded continuous beneficiation test. The experimental results indicate that the recommended process flow is simple and stable, and the impurity content of the concentrate meets the standard requirements.
1.Optimization of the crushing system
In order to reduce grinding power consumption, the crushing system adopts a three-stage closed-loop process, with a final product particle size of -10mm. Jaw crushers are used for coarse crushing, cone crushers are used for medium and fine crushing equipment, and circular vibrating screens are used for screening equipment.
2.Optimization of grinding and sorting systems
The grinding process adopts a two-stage closed-loop grinding process, with a grinding fineness of -200 mesh accounting for 75% to 78%. The flotation process adopts a mixed roughing multiple selection sweeping process, and the mixed concentrate after weak magnetic iron removal is separated from lithium concentrate and tantalum niobium ore by a high gradient strong magnetic machine.
3.Optimization of dehydration system
Tantalum niobium concentrate is dehydrated in a sedimentation tank, while lithium concentrate and tailings are dehydrated in two stages of concentration and pressure filtration. When selecting dewatering equipment, the influence of mineral mud was considered, and the dewatering equipment model was selected based on similar equipment in the selection plant.
The spodumene ore beneficiation plant is located in a high-altitude and high-altitude area, and its design fully considers the local natural geographical environment and related policies. After the project is completed and put into operation, it not only brings good economic and social benefits to the enterprise and the local area, but also provides valuable reference for the design of similar spodumene beneficiation plants.
Through the practice of this project, we have realized that when designing a spodumene ore beneficiation plant in high-altitude areas, it is necessary to comprehensively consider various factors such as ore properties, environmental conditions, process flow, equipment selection, etc., in order to achieve efficient operation and sustainable development of the beneficiation plant. In the future, with the continuous growth of lithium resource demand, the rational development and utilization of spodumene mines in high-altitude areas will have important strategic significance.
