US 12,163,205 B2 · Recovery of PGMs and chromite from mixed PGM/CR ores

Abstract

THIS invention relates to a process for the enhanced recovery of chromite and platinum group metals (PGMs) from a mixed chromite/PGM ore. Ore is ground 12, classified 14, to produce a coarse fraction and a fine fraction 36. The coarse fraction is subjected to gravity separation 16 and coarse particle flotation 20 to obtain a chrome concentrate and a PGM concentrate. The fine fraction 36 and PGM concentrate are ground 28, and subjected to conventional flotation 30 to obtain a PGM concentrate product 32. The benefits of this novel configuration of gravity concentration and coarse flotation technologies, as applied to both chromite and PGM recovery, are higher recoveries of chromite in a saleable concentrate, higher recoveries of PGMs and base metals, and lower chromite content in the PGM concentrate.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A process for the enhanced recovery of chromite and platinum group metals (PGMs) from a mixed chromite/PGM ore by:

a) grinding the ore to a particle size distribution p80 in the range of 0.2 to 0.6 mm containing less than 30%<75 μm;
b) classifying the ground ore into a coarser fraction with a particle size from 100 μm to 150 μm or greater, and a finer fraction with a particle size less than 100 μm to 150 μm;
c) subjecting the coarser fraction to gravity separation and coarse particle flotation thereby to obtain a chromite concentrate and a coarse particle flotation PGM concentrate;
d) subjecting the coarse particle flotation PGM concentrate to fine grinding to obtain a finely ground stream with a particle size of less than 150 μm;
and
e) subjecting the finely ground stream from step d) to conventional flotation to produce a PGM concentrate product.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Recovery of PGMs and chromite from mixed PGM/CR ores

Life of this patent

Recovery of PGMs and chromite from mixed PGM/CR ores

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10