LLC “Gipronikel” Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia:

S. S. Ozerov, Junior Researcher of Laboratory of Metallurgy, e-mail: SSOze@nikel.spb.su
A. B. Portov, Senior Researcher of Laboratory of Metallurgy
L. B. Tsymbulov, Head of Laboratory of Metallurgy

JSC “Kola MMC”, Murmansk Oblast, Zapolyarny, Russia:

A. K. Mashyanov, Chief Production Modernization Manager

Nowadays, Kola MMC started the industrial exploitation of the site of briquetting of bulk copper-nickel concentrate. Process flowsheet foresees the primary dehydration of the concentrate pulp on press-filters, supply of binder (liquid lignosulfonate) and its mixing with the concentrate, drying of obtained mixture, secondary introduction of lignosulfonate and briquette formation on rolling briquette-press. Currently, technical lignosulfonate, used as binder, started to be not the cheap and accessible production wastes, but the highlydemand technical materials, which makes a negative effect on economic part of the production stage. The urgent issue of the briquetting site is the optimization of the consumption of rated materials (binder consumption, in particular). Searches of alternative types of binders are carried out. The investigations were carried out on the rolling press B050 (K. R. Komarek Inc.). Water solutions of polyvinyl alcohols (various grades and manufacturers) were used as binder during the rolling briquetting of bulk copper-nickel concentrate. A key factor, defining the efficiency of using the polyvinyl alcohol as binder, is the polymerization grade: the higher it is, the lower is the consumption of polyvinyl alcohol, required for the qualitative briquettes obtaining. From the other hand, increasing the grade of polymerization of polyvinyl alcohol leads to its viscosity. This, in combination with its low concentration in solution can create certain problems in operation of industrial equipment for the charge preparation to briquetting.

1. Elishevich A. T. Briketirovanie poleznykh iskopaemykh (Briquetting of minerals). Moscow : Nedra, 1989. 300 p.
2. Ravich B. M. Briketirovanie v tsvetnoy i chernoy metallurgii (Briquetting in non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy). Moscow : Metallurgiya, 1975. 231 p.
3. Menkovskiy M. A., Ravich B. M., Okladnikov V. P. Svyazuyushchie veshchestva v protsessakh okuskovyvaniya gornykh porod (Binders in the processes of sintering of rocks). Moscow : Nedra, 1977. 183 p.
4. Yohe G. R. Binding materials used in making pellets and briquets. Industrial minerals notes. No. 19. Urbana, Illinois : Illinois state geological survey, 1964. 46 p.
5. Haas L. A., Aldinger J. A., Zahl R. K. Effectiveness of organic binders for iron ore pelletization. Report of investigations (United States. Bureau of Mines) No. 9230. Pittsburgh, PA : US Department of the Interior. Bureau of Mines, 1989. 21 p.
6. Sivrikaya O., Arol A. I. Alternative binders to bentonite for iron ore pelletizing — part II: effects on metallurgical and chemical properties. HOLOS. 2014. Vol. 3, No. 30. pp. 104–111.
7. Eisele T. C., Kawatra S. K. A Review of binders in iron ore pelletization. Mineral processing and extractive metallurgy review. 2003. Vol. 24, No. 1. pp. 1–90.
8. Chabert F., Dunstan D. E., Franks G. V. Cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol as a binder for gelcasting and green machining. Journal of the American Ceramic Society. 2008. Vol. 91, No. 10. pp. 3138–3146.

9. Ekka P. Effect of binders and plasticisers on alumina processing : A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of bachelor of technology. Odisha, India : Department of Ceramic Engineering of National Institute of Technology Rourkela, 2011. 39 p.
10. Hirsch U. Briquetting of metallurgical residues to be returned to the material cycle. Maschinenfabrik Köppern. Available at: http://www.koepperninternational.com/fileadmin/_migrated/content_uploads/Briquetting_of_Metallurgical_Residues.pdf.
11. Mashyanov A. K., Igumnov A. N., Lebedev D. A. Osvoenie tekhnologii briketirovaniya Cu – Ni-kontsentrata obogatitelnoy fabriki (Mastering of briquetting technology of Cu – Ni concentrate of concentration plant). Tsvetnye Metally = Non-ferrous metals. 2013. No. 10. pp. 46–50.
12. Mashyanov A. K. Razrabotka tekhnologii briketirovaniya sulfidnogo vysokomagnezialnogo medno-nikelevogo syrya : dissertatsiya ... kandidata tekhnicheskikh nauk (Development of technology of briquetting of sulfide highmagnesial copper-nickel raw materials : Dissertation ... of Candidate of Engineering Sciences). Saint Petersburg : National Mineral Resources University, 2011. 159 p.
13. Ozerov S. S., Portov A. B., Tsemekhman L. Sh., Mashyanov A. K. Vybor optimalnogo svyazuyushchego dlya briketirovaniya sulfidnykh medno-nikelevykh kontsentratov (Choice of optimal binder for briquetting of sulfide copper-nickel concentrates). Saint Petersburg : Institute “Gipronickel”. Saint Petersburg, 2015. 58 p. Deposited in Russian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (VINITI RAS) 31.03.2015, No. 68-V2015.
14. GOST 24765–81. Okatyshi zhelezorudnye. Metod opredeleniya prochnosti na szhatie (State Standard 24765–81. Iron pellets. Method for the determination of compression strength). Introduced : July 01, 1981. (in Russian)