ABSTRACT
The current beneficiation study examines the potential for separating ultrafine low-grade iron ore materials using a circulating-type air classifier. Statistical analysis using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was implemented for optimization of the separator critical processing parameters to achieve sharp separation at a cut size as fine as 20–38 µm. Results demonstrated that it was possible to achieve a separation of about 9.21% lean grade ultrafine content with a size cut of ~d50 20 µm through a single-stage application.
Acknowledgments
This work was carried out as a part of CSIRO Mineral Resources, Australia and NMDC Limited, India collaborative project “Design, development and performance evaluation of dry processing technology for treating low grade lateritic iron ore fines” which is gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to acknowledge the CMR Business Unit of CSIRO, Australia and NMDC Limited, India for providing support and facilities and for giving permission to publish this work. Also, the authors would like to thank Dr Nathan Webster (CSIRO) for providing quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis support. Reviewers from the CMR Business Unit of CSIRO are thanked for their reviews and for suggesting improvements to the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.