Combination of carrier-magnetic-separation and a further separation for mineral processing

A process for concentrating desired particles comprising a carrier-magnetic-separation comprising the following steps,

• a) providing a feedstock which contains the desired particles and an undesired material;
• b) adding hydrophobic magnetic particles to the feedstock which results in a loaded feedstock containing agglomerates of the magnetic particles and the desired particles or of the magnetic particles and the undesired material;
• c) separating the agglomerates from the loaded feedstock by a separation method which results in isolated agglomerates, where the separation method magnetic separation;
• d) breaking up the isolated agglomerates to obtain a suspension comprising the magnetic particles in de-agglomerated form;
• and
• e) separating the magnetic particles from the suspension obtained in step d) by a separation method selected from sorting, electric separation, magnetic separation, screening, classification, gravity concentration, and flotation;
• and
• f) optionally re-introducing the magnetic particles obtained in step e) to step b);
• g) provided that at least one separation method of steps c) or e) is a magnetic separation, and where the process comprises at least one further separation before or after the steps a), b), c), d) or e),
• wherein the at least one further separation is made before the agglomeration step b),
• and where the further separation is selected from the group consisting of sorting, electric separation, screening, classification, gravity concentration, and flotation
• wherein the flotation is achieved with
• mechanical flotation machines,
• pneumatic flotation machines,
• hybrid flotation machines,
• flotation columns,
• reactor/separator flotation machines,
• flash flotators,
• Hydrofloat separator, or
• Stack cells.