Author(s)

Moumar Dieye¹, Mohamadou Moustapha Thiam¹, Anthony Geneyton², Mamadou Gueye¹

¹Earth Science Institute, Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar University, Dakar, Senegal.
²Eramet Ideas, Trappes, France.

Gravity, magnetic and electrostatic separation methods allowed to obtain different titanium oxide concentrates (ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile) and different varieties of zircon concentrates (premium zircon, standard zircon, medium grade zircon standard) from Senegal’s heavy mineral sands. During mining separation, monazite, which is a paramagnetic mineral, was found in a non-negligible concentration of 0.57 wt% on average in the medium grade zircon standard which also contains 37.96 wt% zircon and 44.46 wt% titanium oxides. Magnetic and gravity separation tests were carried out on the Medium grade zircon standard (MGZS) to produce a monazite concentrate at Eramet Ideas laboratory. Magnetic separation at 1.5 teslas intensity resulted in the recovery of 94.8% of the monazite from the MGZS. Gravity separation also recovered 76.6% of the monazite from the MGZS. The combination of these two treatment methods can thus produce three concentrates from MGZS (a monazite concentrate, a zircon concentrate, and a titanium oxide concentrate).

Monazite, Heavy Mineral Sands, Separation, Gravity, Magnetic

Dieye, M. , Thiam, M. , Geneyton, A. and Gueye, M. (2021) Monazite Recovery by Magnetic and Gravity Separation of Medium Grade Zircon Concentrate from Senegalese Heavy Mineral Sands Deposit. Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, 9, 590-608. doi: 10.4236/jmmce.2021.96038.