A beneficiation method of spodumene ore

Abstract

This invention discloses a beneficiation method for spodumene ore, comprising: S1, grinding spodumene ore; S2, preparing a pulp from the spodumene ore obtained in S1; S3, desliming using a first-stage hydrocyclone and a second-stage hydrocyclone; S4, separating the pulp in a shallow-tank flotation machine to remove muscovite, biotite, amphibole, and sphene, obtaining a flotation-removed pulp; S5, obtaining a stirred pulp; and S6, performing flotation in a flotation system to obtain spodumene concentrate. This invention not only has low production costs, a short process, low energy consumption, and no environmental pollution, but also requires low equipment investment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lithium ore beneficiation technology, and in particular to a beneficiation method for spodumene ore. Background Technology

[0002] The rise of new energy vehicle consumption in recent years has led to an increase in the consumption share of lithium batteries, resulting in strong supply and demand in the global lithium industry and high prices, propelling the industry into a period of rapid development. Spodumene is the most important lithium mineral resource, but research on spodumene ore beneficiation technology in China is still in its developmental stage. In practical production, spodumene ore beneficiation suffers from problems such as long flotation times and large quantities of flotation reagents.

[0003] Chinese patent CN220879190U discloses a lepidolite beneficiation system, mainly used for beneficiating muscovite granite ore. It includes pre-grinding equipment, grinding equipment, material classification equipment, pre-treatment equipment, flotation equipment, flotation tailings treatment equipment, feldspar fine powder treatment equipment, and lepidolite concentrate treatment equipment. This system uses hydrocyclones and high-frequency vibrating screens for classification. The overflow from the hydrocyclone enters the high-frequency vibrating screen, the underflow returns to the mill, and the undersize material from the high-frequency vibrating screen is sent to the flotation stage. The lepidolite beneficiation method mentioned in the above patent is only suitable for lepidolite and not for the spodumene ore described in this application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a beneficiation method for spodumene ore, which requires a short flotation time and a small amount of flotation reagents.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] A method for beneficiating spodumene ore, comprising the following steps:

[0007] S1, spodumene ore is ground;

[0008] S2. Pulping the spodumene ore obtained from grinding in S1;

[0009] In S3 and S2, qualified particle size slurry is deslimed using a first-stage hydrocyclone and a second-stage hydrocyclone.

[0010] S4. The underflow from the first-stage hydrocyclone and the second-stage hydrocyclone enters the shallow-tank flotation machine for separation to remove muscovite, biotite, amphibole and sphene, and obtain the flotation-removed slurry;

[0011] The slurries after flotation and impurity removal in S5 and S4 are then subjected to first-stage and second-stage stirring, respectively, with sodium carbonate added. The third-stage stirring is then carried out with the addition of sodium hydroxide. Magnesium chloride, an activator, is added during the fourth-stage stirring, and a collector is added during the fifth-stage stirring to obtain the stirred slurry.

[0012] The slurry after stirring in S6 and S5 enters the flotation system for flotation to obtain spodumene concentrate.

[0013] To ensure the quality of spodumene concentrate, after desliming in the hydrocyclone, the shallow flotation machine in S4 is used to separate muscovite, biotite, amphibole, and sphene from the ore. These are all easier to float than spodumene. In industrial production, because the beneficiation process uses a full water recirculation process, no separate reagents are needed to remove muscovite, biotite, and amphibole.

[0014] Strong agitation can remove sludge from the surface of spodumene ore and increase the contact time between the reagent and the ore. If the time is too short or too little reagent is added, the contact time between the reagent and the ore will be insufficient, and sludge will adhere to the surface of the ore, making it difficult for the ore to float.

[0015] According to embodiments of the present invention, the present invention can be further optimized, and the optimized technical solution is as follows:

[0016] In one preferred embodiment, the diameter of the first-stage hydrocyclone in S3 is 250 mm, the feeding pressure is 0.1-0.15 MPa, the overflow from the first-stage hydrocyclone flows into the second-stage hydrocyclone, the diameter of the second-stage hydrocyclone is 100 mm, and the feeding pressure of the second-stage hydrocyclone is 0.15-0.2 MPa.

[0017] The main purpose of this parameter is to meet the requirements of hydrocyclone desliming. Hydrocyclone desliming needs to remove fine-grained sludge below -600 mesh. The finer the sludge to be removed, the smaller the hydrocyclone should be and the lower the feed concentration of the hydrocyclone should be. If the concentration is too high, it will cause ineffective classification. The lower the concentration of sludge, the better the effect, but a large amount of water needs to be added, resulting in energy waste.

[0018] In one preferred embodiment, the feed concentration of the first-stage hydrocyclone in S3 is 30-40%, and the feed concentration of the second-stage hydrocyclone is 5-12%.

[0019] The second-stage hydrocyclone needs to be replenished with water to meet the feed concentration requirements.

[0020] In one preferred embodiment, the yield of sludge removed in the desliming step of S3 is 8-10%, and the loss rate of spodumene in the removed sludge is 8-13%.

[0021] In one preferred embodiment, the amount of sodium carbonate added in S5 is 1500-2000 g / t, the amount of sodium hydroxide added is 100-200 g / t, the amount of magnesium chloride added is 200-300 g / t, and the amount of collector added is 1500-2000 g / t.

[0022] The addition amount of 1500-2000g / t refers to adding 1500-2000g of reagent per ton of spodumene ore.

[0023] In one preferred embodiment, the stirring time for the first stage and the second stage is 30-60 min, the stirring time for the third stage is 20-30 min, the stirring time for the fourth stage is 20-30 min, and the stirring time for the fifth stage is 20-30 min.

[0024] In one preferred embodiment, flotation in step S6 employs a two-stage roughing, one-stage scavenging, and three-stage refining process.

[0025] S6 consists of two roughing processes, one scavenging process, and three refining processes. The roughing process 1 concentrate foam enters the refining process 2, the roughing process 2 concentrate foam enters the refining process 1, the scavenging process 1 foam returns to the roughing process 2, the refining process tailings return to the roughing process 1, and the scavenging process 1 tailings are sent to the tailings dam.

[0026] In one preferred embodiment, 60-70% of the spodumene ore in S1 is crushed to -0.08 to -0.07 mm.

[0027] In one preferred embodiment, step S2 specifically involves classifying the spodumene ore after crushing in S1 using a hydrocyclone. The underflow from the hydrocyclone enters a high-frequency vibrating screen, and the overflow from the high-frequency vibrating screen is returned to S1 for further crushing. The overflow from the hydrocyclone and the underflow from the high-frequency vibrating screen are used as qualified particle size slurry.

[0028] In the over-grinding of spodumene ore, a combination of a high-frequency vibrating screen and a hydrocyclone is used. The high-frequency vibrating screen provides forced classification with high efficiency and good effect, preventing liberated minerals from returning to the mill, reducing the mill's circulating load, and minimizing ore over-grinding. The hydrocyclone uses pump-pressurized strong classification, which is also highly efficient and can separate coarse and fine minerals. However, spodumene ore is liberated as needle-like particles, and liberated minerals are easily trapped in the underflow and returned to the mill during production. By using a high-frequency vibrating screen for secondary classification of the hydrocyclone underflow, the return of liberated minerals to the mill can be minimized, reducing ore over-grinding.

[0029] In one preferred embodiment, the spodumene ore comprises 5-15% spodumene, 20-40% feldspar, and 20-40% quartz.

[0030] The spodumene ore also includes mica, chlorite, amphibole, sphene, and tantalum-niobium minerals.

[0031] In one preferred embodiment, the parameters of the hydrocyclone in S2 are as follows: the diameter of the first-stage hydrocyclone is 200-250 mm, and the sizes of the inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet are φ120-125 mm, φ150-155 mm, and φ110-115 mm, respectively; the diameter of the second-stage hydrocyclone is 100-110 mm, and the sizes of the inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet are φ70-80 mm, φ70-80 mm, and φ40-50 mm, respectively. Preferably, the parameters of the hydrocyclone in S2 are as follows: the diameter of the first-stage hydrocyclone is 250 mm, and the sizes of the inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet are φ121 mm, φ152 mm, and φ114 mm, respectively; the diameter of the second-stage hydrocyclone is 100 mm, and the sizes of the inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet are φ70 mm, φ70 mm, and φ47 mm, respectively.

[0032] In one preferred embodiment, the parameters of the high-frequency vibrating screen in S2 are a screen size of 0.15mm-2mm.

[0033] Ball milling is used in S1.

[0034] In S2, the qualified particle size is -0.074 mm, accounting for 60%-75%.

[0035] The collector in S5 is one or more of sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, collector, and magnesium chloride.

[0036] A comprehensive analysis of practical production practices reveals the following problems in spodumene ore beneficiation:

[0037] 1) Spodumene is an oxide ore. In industrial practice, spodumene is prone to over-grinding. The fine mud produced after over-grinding will cover the surface of the spodumene, contaminating the spodumene and making it difficult to separate. The flotation time needs to be extended and the amount of flotation reagents needs to be increased.

[0038] 2) Due to the influence of production water quality, iron ions generated during grinding, and the dissociation of minerals in water, the amount of Ca produced in industrial practice... 2+ Mg 2+ Fe 3+ The presence of easily activated feldspar results in poor sorting performance of spodumene ore, while the presence of slime makes spodumene ore difficult to sort.

[0039] 3) In production practice, the surrounding rock of mining is difficult to control, and there are many impurity minerals mixed in with the surrounding rock, especially easily floatable mica, amphibole, chlorite and other impurity minerals that have a great impact on production, which all have a serious impact on the production of spodumene ore.

[0040] Patent number CN220879190U describes grinding and classifying equipment, grinding equipment, material classification equipment, and pretreatment equipment. While the grinding and classifying equipment, grinding equipment, and material classification equipment in this patent are similar, the process flow differs significantly. The latter uses hydrocyclones and high-frequency vibrating screens for classification, with the overflow from the hydrocyclone entering the high-frequency vibrating screen, the underflow returning to the mill, and the undersize material from the high-frequency vibrating screen going to flotation. In this patent, the underflow from the hydrocyclone enters the high-frequency vibrating screen, the oversize material from the high-frequency vibrating screen enters the mill, and the overflow from the hydrocyclone and the undersize material from the high-frequency vibrating screen are used as qualified particle sizes for the flotation process.

[0041] Patent CN220879190U cannot meet the characteristics of spodumene ore being prone to over-grinding. This patent is fundamentally different from patent CN220879190U. Using this patent, qualified particles in the underflow of the hydrocyclone can be controlled to pass through a high-frequency vibrating screen, avoiding the return of qualified particles to the mill and causing over-grinding.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0043] This process, by employing a combination of high-frequency vibrating fine screens and hydrocyclones in the grinding process, can minimize the over-grinding of spodumene ore and reduce the yield of -600 mesh particles. After grinding, a two-stage hydrocyclone is used for pre-desliming, further reducing the impact of slime on spodumene ore beneficiation. After desliming, a shallow-tank flotation machine is used to remove impurity minerals such as muscovite, biotite, amphibole, and sphene, creating a favorable environment for subsequent spodumene ore beneficiation. Finally, vigorous stirring and the addition of sodium carbonate eliminate calcium... 2+ Mg 2+ Fe 3+ Ions activate feldspar by adding sodium oxide to dissolve the spodumene surface, creating a fresh surface, and magnesium chloride is used to activate the spodumene ore, providing favorable conditions for the final beneficiation of the spodumene ore.

[0044] This invention not only has low production costs, short process, low energy consumption, and no environmental pollution, but also requires low equipment investment. This invention can provide guidance for the production of similar mines. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 This is a process flow diagram of one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0047] Taking spodumene from a certain region in Sichuan as an example, the raw ore contains 13.69% spodumene (1.19% Li₂O), 32% quartz, 38% feldspar, and 12% mica. The remainder includes chlorite, pyroxene, sphene, tantalum, and niobium minerals. A single-stage ball mill is used to grind the ore to a particle size of -0.074mm, with 65% of the particles being -0.074mm. The grinding stage employs a combination of hydrocyclones and high-frequency fine screens. The hydrocyclone parameters are as follows: the first-stage hydrocyclone has a diameter of 250mm, with inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet sizes of φ121mm, φ152mm, and φ114mm respectively; the second-stage hydrocyclone has a diameter of 100mm, with inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet sizes of φ70mm, φ70mm, and φ47mm respectively. The high-frequency vibrating screen parameters are: screen size of 0.3mm. The resulting qualified particle size is -0.074mm, accounting for 72%. After grinding, the slurry enters a first-stage hydrocyclone for desliming. The hydrocyclone diameter is 250 mm, and the feed pressure is 0.15 MPa. The overflow from the first-stage hydrocyclone enters a second-stage hydrocyclone with a diameter of 100 mm and a feed pressure of 0.2 MPa. The underflow from both the first and second-stage hydrocyclones enters the flotation system. The feed concentration for the first-stage hydrocyclone is 36%, and for the second-stage hydrocyclone it is 9%. The second-stage hydrocyclone requires makeup water to meet production requirements. The yield of deslimed ore is 10%, and the loss rate of spodumene in the ore slime is 10%.

[0048] After the slime was removed by hydrocyclone, muscovite, biotite amphibole, and sphene were removed by flotation without the addition of separate reagents. A shallow-cell flotation machine was used for separation. The yield of the removed material was 6%, and the spodumene loss rate was 5%.

[0049] After flotation and impurity removal, the slurry enters a high-intensity stirring system. Sodium carbonate is added in the first and second stages of stirring at a total amount of 2000 g / t for 60 min. Sodium hydroxide is added in the third stage of stirring at a amount of 150 g / t for 30 min. Magnesium chloride is added in the fourth stage of stirring at a amount of 250 g / t for 30 min. Collector is added in the fifth stage of stirring for 30 min.

[0050] After stirring, the slurry enters the flotation system. The flotation adopts a two-stage roughing, one-stage scavenging, and three-stage cleaning process. For the specific process, please refer to patent number CN202010625313.1. During the flotation process, sodium carbonate is appropriately added in the roughing and scavenging process at a rate of 20-50 g / t. The flotation time is controlled to be greater than 60 min. Finally, a spodumene concentrate with a recovery rate of 78% and a grade of 5.5% can be obtained.

[0051] The above embodiments should be understood as being used only to illustrate the present invention more clearly, and not to limit the scope of the present invention. After reading the present invention, any modifications of the present embodiments by those skilled in the art will fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for beneficiating spodumene ore, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, spodumene ore is ground; S2. Pulping the spodumene ore obtained from grinding in S1; In S3 and S2, qualified particle size slurries are deslimed using a first-stage hydrocyclone and a second-stage hydrocyclone. S4. The underflow from the first-stage hydrocyclone and the second-stage hydrocyclone enters the shallow-tank flotation machine for separation to remove muscovite, biotite, amphibole and sphene, and obtain the flotation-removed slurry; The slurries after flotation and impurity removal in S5 and S4 are then subjected to first-stage and second-stage stirring, respectively, with sodium carbonate added. The third-stage stirring is then carried out with the addition of sodium hydroxide. Magnesium chloride, an activator, is added during the fourth-stage stirring, and a collector is added during the fifth-stage stirring to obtain the stirred slurry. After being stirred in S6 and S5, the slurry enters the flotation system for flotation to obtain spodumene concentrate. In S5, the amount of sodium carbonate added is 1500-2000 g / t, the amount of sodium hydroxide added is 100-200 g / t, the amount of magnesium chloride added is 200-300 g / t, and the amount of collector added is 1500-2000 g / t. The mixing time for the first and second stages is 30-60 minutes, the mixing time for the third stage is 20-30 minutes, the mixing time for the fourth stage is 20-30 minutes, and the mixing time for the fifth stage is 20-30 minutes.

2. The beneficiation method for spodumene ore according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S3, the diameter of the first-stage hydrocyclone is 250mm, and the feeding pressure is 0.1-0.15Mpa. The overflow from the first-stage hydrocyclone flows into the second-stage hydrocyclone, which has a diameter of 100mm and a feeding pressure of 0.15-0.2Mpa.

3. The beneficiation method for spodumene ore according to claim 2, characterized in that, In S3, the feed concentration of the first-stage hydrocyclone is 30-40%, and the feed concentration of the second-stage hydrocyclone is 5-12%.

4. The beneficiation method for spodumene ore according to claim 1, characterized in that, The yield of sludge removed in the desliming step of S3 is 8-10%, and the loss rate of spodumene in the removed sludge is 8-13%.

5. The beneficiation method for spodumene ore according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S6, flotation is carried out using two roughing, one scavenging, and three cleaning processes.

6. The beneficiation method for spodumene ore according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spodumene ore comprises 5-15% spodumene, 20-40% feldspar, and 20-40% quartz.

7. The beneficiation method for spodumene ore according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parameters of the hydrocyclone in S2 are as follows: the diameter of the first-stage hydrocyclone is 200~250mm, and the sizes of the inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet are φ120~125mm, φ150~155mm, and φ110~115mm, respectively; the diameter of the second-stage hydrocyclone is 100~110mm, and the sizes of the inlet, overflow, and underflow outlet are φ70~80mm, φ70~80mm, and φ40~50mm, respectively.

8. The beneficiation method for spodumene ore according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parameters for the S2 medium-high frequency vibrating screen are a screen size of 0.15mm-2mm.

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