TITLE:
Comparative Beneficiation Study of Gyel Columbite Ore Using Double Stage (Magnetic-to-Magnetic and Magnetic-to-Gravity) Separation Techniques
AUTHORS:
Oladunni Oyelola Alabi, Shehu Aliyu Yaro, George Thomas Dungka, Ferdinand Asuke, Binta Hassan
KEYWORDS:
Beneficiation, Gyel Columbite, Metallurgical Grade, Homogenization, Characterization
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering,
Vol.4 No.2,
March
31,
2016
ABSTRACT: The comparative beneficiation study of Gyel columbite ore using double stage (magnetic-to-magnetic
and magnetic-to-gravity), located in the vicinity of Gyel village in Jos South Local Government
Area of Plateau State to metallurgical grade was carried out. The ore sample was sourced from 20
different pits each 1.5 × 1.5 × 2 meters deep, 50 meter apart covering a land of 50 hectares. The
samples from the 20 pits were crushed, pulverized and homogenized. 200 kg of the homogenized
ore sample was used for the experiment and laboratory works. Chemical characterization of the
ore sample was carried out using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (ED-XFR).
Single and double stage concentration tests using magnetic and gravity methods were carried out
respectively. The results of the chemical analysis of ore sample reveal that, Pit 1 contains 12.26%
Nb2O5, 21.6% Fe2O3, 36.1% SiO2; Pit 20 contains 4.78% Nb2O5, 19.34% Fe2O3, 23.96% SiO2 and the
homogenized sample contains 6.71% Nb2O5, 23.1% Fe2O3 and 27.0% SiO2 averagely. The liberation
study reveals that the niobium of ore can be liberated over a range of sieve size fractions of
-355 + 63 μm for the coarse and -63 + 45 μm for the fine particle size fractions. On the basis of
this, sieve size fractions of -1400 + 355 μm (as coarse size), -355 + 90 μm (as medium size) and
-90 + 45 μm (as fine size) were used for the concentration tests. The concentration test using the
double stage processes revealed that the air-floatation followed by rapid magnetic method produced
a concentrate with the highest percent assay of 54.48% Nb2O5 with a recovery of 96.53% followed by the rapid-to-rapid magnetic method which produced a concentrate assaying 52.12%
Nb2O5 with a recovery of 86.96%. These results meet and surpass the 50% Nb2O5 stipulated as the
acceptable metallurgical grade concentrate for niobium metal production in the literature.