Separation and preparation of level I standard lead concentrate from lead ore via S-HGMS technology: description of separation mechanism

ABSTRACT

To eliminate the adverse effects of traditional lead ore flotation methods, such as high reagent cost, complex operation process, and a large amount of wastewater, a superconducting high gradient magnetic separation (S-HGMS) technology was proposed to prepare level I standard lead concentrate (IGC) from lead ore. Under optimal conditions including a magnetic flow ratio of 0.076 T·s/m, a pulp concentration of 1.5%, a slurry flow velocity of 500 mL/min, and a 90% mass fraction of minus 45 μm, the Pb grade of the IGC product increased from 45.36% to 68.79% with 55.43% of Pb recovery, while all Cu, Zn, As, Fe, MgO, and Al₂O₃ concentrations of IGC decreased. The obtained IGC product meets the standard of level I in YS/T319–2013. The characterization results showed that lead ore comprised galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. After S-HGMS, galena was effectively concentrated in the IGC product, while sphalerite and chalcopyrite were separated into the tailings. The magnetic field intensity and mineral magnetization characteristics were vital factors affecting the Pb grade and recovery of the IGC product. The S-HGMS technology efficiently achieved the preparation of the IGC product from lead ore, without using flotation agents and generating wastewater, and provides a valuable guideline for separating Cu – Pb, Zn – Pb, and Cu – Zn – Pb minerals.

KEYWORDS:

• Lead ore
• lead concentrate
• S-HGMS
• separation mechanism

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the reviewers who participated in the review, meanwhile, thank Nan Luo from Shiyanjia Lab (www.shiyanjia.com) for the VSM analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Statement of novaelty

To eliminate the adverse effects of traditional galena ore flotation methods, such as high reagent cost, complex operation process, and a large amount of wastewater, a S-HGMS technology was proposed to prepare high-class standard lead concentrate from galena ore. The obtained lead concentrate meets the standard of level I in YS/T319–2013. The characterization results show that galena ore was composed of galena, sphalerite, and chalcopyrite. After being treated by S-HGMS, galena was effectively enriched in the lead concentrate, while sphalerite and chalcopyrite were separated into the tailings. The magnetic field intensity and mineral magnetization characteristics were the key factors affecting the separation of lead concentrate from galena ore. The S-HGMS technology efficiently realizes the preparation of high-class standard lead concentrate from galena ore, avoiding the use of flotation agents and the generation of wastewater, which provided a valuable reference for the Cu-Pb, Zn-Pb, and Cu-Zn-Pb minerals separations.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/01496395.2023.2258275