Author(s)

P. P. Mishra, B. K. Mohapatra, P. P. Singh

Regional Research Laboratory, Bhubaneswar, India.
Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, India.

Resource potential of cobalt in India is practically negligible. Cobalt in marine manganese nodule though known since long, its report from terrestrial manganese ore is least observed. This paper reports the occurrence of cobalt in low-grade manganese ores of Bonai-Keonjhar belt, Orissa, eastern India and describes methods for its possible enrichment. Cobalt is associated with manganese minerals like lithiophorite (~CoO: 1.2%) and cryptomelane (~CoO: 0.2%). A feed of low-grade siliceous manganese ore containing 26% Mn and 32% SiO₂ and 0.08% Co was subjected to physical beneficiation. By processing the low-grade siliceous ore on a dry belt magnetic separator, a product with 47% Mn at 60% recovery could be obtained. It was observed that along with manganese the cobalt value gets enriched (~Co: 0.38%) more than four times in comparison to the feed. Some other traces like Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Li etc. also get enriched in the magnetic product. Thus, through simple dry magnetic separation a low-valued material cannot only be converted to usable product but two valuable metals can also be recovered from it.

Orissa Manganese ore, Magnetic separation, Cobalt.

P. Mishra, B. Mohapatra and P. Singh, "Enrichment of Cobalt Values by Dry Magnetic Separation from Low-Grade Manganese Ores of Bonai-Keonjhar Belt, Orissa," Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, Vol. 8 No. 4, 2009, pp. 317-327. doi: 10.4236/jmmce.2009.84028.