Abstract

Determination of the vertical distribution of geochemical elemental concentrations is of fundamental importance in mineral exploration. In this paper, four mineralized boreholes from the Kahang Cu porphyry deposit, Isfahan, central Iran, were drilled, and the collected samples were investigated and identified the vertical distribution directional properties of Cu values using power-law frequency fractal model. The vertical distribution of Cu values in mineralized boreholes shows a positively skewed distribution in the former and multimodal distribution in the latter types. The power-law frequency analysis reveals that Cu values in mineralized boreholes are bifractal in nature. The two portions of the plot define a crossover point about 0.2% – 0.3%, for Cu values less than and greater than this value, fractal dimensions range from 1.70 to 4.97, in the mineralized boreholes.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality of the metallurgical coking coal seams in the north block of Eastern Parvadeh coal deposit located in Tabas, Central Iran. Quality particulars of the main coking coal seams named as C₁ and B₂, are; thickness, sulfur content and ash content, and have been evaluated by using statistical analysis and 3D modeling based on subsurface hole data including collar, orientation, lithology, stratigraphy and assay taken and analyzed from 87 drill holes. Seams were separated based on USGS (Bulletin 1450-B) and Russian (10583-72 and 7059-75) quality standards. Statistical studies reveal that the amounts of ash content and sulfur content are high considering the USGS standard. This study concludes that the C₁ seam has the highest quality amongst the analyzed seams based on metallurgical quality particulars.

Abstract

The depletion of high grade iron ore and increased generation of fines during mining and handling and demand for high grade iron ore fines for pellet making and export has necessitated the processing of low to medium grade fines. Physical separation methods were found to be inadequate to process fine sized ores due to reduced selectivity of separation. An attempt has been made to understand the intricate associations between different mineral phases of iron ore fines from Bellary-Hospet area, India from XRD, as well as Electron microscopy studies. XRD studies indicated that hematite and goethite are the iron bearing minerals in order of abundance and quartz and kaolinite form the gangue. EPMA studies on these ores show the presence of gibbsite as the only alumina bearing phase and apatite as phosphorous bearing mineral. Traces of alumina, present as solid solution in the iron oxide minerals has also contributed Al₂O₃ to the ores. Electron microscope studies indicated that gibbsite grains are in the range of 10 to 50 microns and are intimately associated with the iron oxide phases. Particle Size Analysis and Heavy Medium Separation (HMS) tests on different size fractions provided the insight into the liberation and separation characteristics of the material. d 80 of the material was found to be 40.5 microns. 20.6% by weight of the material can be treated as fairly liberated and obtained as a concentrate assaying 66.29% Fe, 2.15% SiO₂ and 1.17% Al₂O₃ from the feed assaying 60.43% Fe, 6.88% SiO₂ and 3.26% Al₂O₃. This defines the lower bench mark for theoretical recovery and grade of the concentrate. Further, scope exists for increase in recovery of iron values from the partially liberated particles without diluting the concentrate grade in terms of allowable limits of alumina (not more than 2.5%) for pellet making. Considering all these factors, flotation appears to be the only industrially viable process to recover these iron values with acceptable grade, recovery and alumina in the concentrate.

Abstract

Laboratory tests were conducted to decipher the effect of the particle size of minerals that influenced the concentration of limestone in terms of grade and recovery by flotation. Both direct as well as reverse flotation experiments were conducted on five different mean particle size ranges on a low grade siliceous limestone sample having CaO 43.09% and SiO2 18.24% from Jayantipuram mine of Andhra Pradesh, India. Direct flotation experiments were carried out using sodium silicate and sodium oleate as depressant and collector respectively. Reverse flotation process was adopted where silica containing minerals of the gangue (quartz) are floated using cationic collector SOMU Sokem 565C. The direct flotation process using sodium oleate as a collector was found to yield better weight percentage as well as distribution than reverse flotation.

Abstract

In this paper, an attempt is made to study the textural and grain size distribution, heavy mineral distribution pattern and chemical characteristics of representative samples collected from different village areas such as Kalingapatnam, Bandaruvani peta, Komaravani peta, Mogadal padu, Vatsavalasa, Chinna vastavalasa and Yerraguddi in a coastal stretch of 20 kms from NE side of Kalingapatnam town to SE side of Srikurmam in Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. The results of these studies indicate that the percentage of magnetic heavy minerals is significantly more compare to non-magnetic heavy minerals in all beach sand samples collected from Kalingapatnam to Yerraguddi. It is also observed that distribution
pattern (concentration) of ilmenite in beach sand decreases from Kalingapatnam (4.9%) to Yerraguddi (1.8%), whereas percentage of garnet increases from Kalingapatnam (10.6%) to Yerraguddi (15.6%). Zircon concentration is almost constant in beach and dune sand samples from Kalingapatnam coast to Yerraguddi. Thus these deposits contain economic minerals such as garnet, ilmenite, sillimanite, rutile and zircon in order of abundance. The results of rougher spirals using sea water for recovery of the total heavy minerals (THM) indicate that a concentrate contains 98% THM by weight with 22.7% yield and 89% recovery from a composite sample containing 25% THM.

Abstract

In this paper, an attempt is made to study the textural and grain size distribution, heavy mineral distribution pattern and chemical characteristics of fifteen red sediment samples collected from badlands to sea near Bhimunipatnam, Visakhapatnam Dist., Andhra Pradesh, India. The results of these studies indicate that the percentage of minerals’ concentration of ilmenite, sillimanite, rutile and zircon are decreasing, whereas garnet is gradually increasing from badland to sea. The composite sample prepared from all fifteen samples contain 29.4 % Total Heavy Minerals (THM). The modal analysis of the THM indicates that the sample contains 48.3% ilmenite, 25.5% garnet, 20.2% sillimanite, 2.6% zircon, 2.4% rutile and 1.0% other minerals. The product obtained from this composite sample by using stage spirals contain 98.3% THM with 29.2% yield and 97.6% recovery which could be subjected to mineral separation plant to recover individual heavy mineral concentrates.