“Kinross Far East” LLC, “Chukotka Mining and Geological Company” JSC, Anadyr, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug

V. A. Petrukhin, Chief Technologist

Production Association of Concentration Plants, Polar Division of “Norilsk Nickel” MMC, Norilsk, Russia

O. A. Nikitina, Chief Specialist (Сenter of Engineering Maintenance of Production)
A. A. Rezvanova, Leading Processing Engineer of Engineering Maintenance of Production)
V. A. Kosenko, Deputy Chief Engineer on Realization of Concentration Projects: +7 (3919) 41-61-65

Decreasing of irretrievable losses of non-ferrous and accompanying noble metals with final tailings is one of ways of increasing of technical and economic concentration indices of rich and cuprous ores charge of Talnakh Concentrator. Rock tailings and low-nickel pyrrhotine are the components of final tailings. Researches of behavior of noble metals‘ minerals were held during the processing. These researches have shown that clear accumulation of nickel, copper, platinum group metals, gold and silver in the particles with the coarseness of less than 0.019 mm, are defined in these rock tailings and low-nickel pyrrhotine. It is difficult to float the particles with such coarseness. At the same time, it is not, practically, possible to extract these particles in the gravitation concentration process. That’s why, there was considered the possibility of usage of magnetic separation, reflotation and various combined schemes for processing of final products of Talnakh Concentrator. The searching laboratory researches for flotation and various combined concentration methods were carried out for the purpose of increasing of complexity of usage of raw materials and target extraction of valuable components into the final products. The combined methods include the physical methods, directed on re-extraction of non-ferrous and noble metals from final products of concentration plant. Researches revealed the low efficiency of usage of magnetic separation method in the time of reconcentration of final products of concentration plant. Usage of combined methods (flotation methods along with magnetic methods) did not also get the positive result. Thereby, it is unreasonable to apply the combined concentration methods for the purpose of increasing of completeness of extraction of non-ferrous and noble metals during the processing of charge of rich and cuprous ores at Talnakh Concentrator. Application of only flotation reconcentration method is the most efficient.

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