Polar Branch of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, Norilsk, Russia

М. А. Pedanov, Chief Engineer of the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant named after B. I. Kolesnikov, e-mail: PedanovMA@nornik.ru
Yu. А. Nikolaeva, Chief Specialist of the Laboratory of Engineering Support of Production of the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant, Center for Engineering Support of Production, e-mail: NikolaevaYuA@nornik.ru
О. Yu. Yanbekova, Head of the Laboratory of Engineering Support of Production of the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant, Center for Engineering Support of Production, e-mail: YanbekovaOYu@nornik.ru
I. V. Zakharova, Leading Industrial Engineer of the Laboratory of Engineering Support of Production of the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant, Center for Engineering Support of Production, e-mail: ZakharovaIVi@nornik.ru

With the development of industry, enterprises have a great anthropogenic impact on the environment. As a result of the activities of the Copper Plant of the Polar branch of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, significant volumes of low-grade tailings and converter slag have accumulated, formed during the knocking-out of slag ladles, which has led to the need to arrange areas for their storage or search for alternative ways to involve them in the production cycle. The low-grade tailings and converter slag of the Copper Plant are characterized by an increased content of nickel and spinel phase and they are lowenergy intermediates, which has a negative impact on the pyrometallurgical production process. Studies on the enrichment of low-grade tailings and converter slag of the Copper plant have been conducted with production of copper and nickel concentrates by nickel slag flotation technology used at the Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant named after B. I. Kolesnikov. The study is aimed at determining the composition of flotation products of low-grade tailings and converter slag of the Copper Plant’s first conversion period. The optimal flotation mode has involved using the potassium butyl xanthate and T-92 with specific flow rates of 950 and 90 g/t. This mode has provided high values of the Cu:Ni ratio and the selectivity index. The distribution of copper into the copper concentrate is 49.1% and 39.8% for converter slag and low-grade tailings, respectively. The implementation of the technological solution will reduce the environmental impact in terms of slag storage and the amount of capital costs for the construction of a slag disposal area. Additionally, it will allow obtaining nonferrous and precious metals in commercial products.

1. On approval of the Strategy for the Development of the Metallurgical Industry of the Russian Federation until 2030 (as amended on October 21, 2024), Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 4260-r of December 28, 2022. Introduced: 28.12.2022. Available at: www.pravo.gov.ru
2. Mirzazhova S. B., Matkarimov S. T., Saidova M. S., Bokhodirova N. K. Technologies of mining and metallurgical waste processing : monograph. Tashkent, 2023. 134 p.
3. Ruismaki R., Danczak A., Klemettinen L., Taskinen P., Lindberg D. et al. Integrated battery scrap recycling and nickel slag cleaning with methane reduction. Minerals. 2020. Vol. 10, Iss. 5. 435. DOI: 10.3390/min10050435
4. Yun Li, Cong Chang et al. Thermodynamic phase conversion process using gypsum wastes as sulfurizing agent. Journal of Sustainable Metallurgy. 2021. Vol. 7, Iss. 4. pp. 1643–1653.
5. Mihok L., Fedicova D. Recycling of demetallized steelmaking slag into charge of basic oxygen converter. Metallurgija. 2000. Vol. 32, Iss. 2. pp. 93–99.
6. Abdullin S. R. Organization of production for processing metallurgical slag of a copper plant by flotation method. Innovatsyonnye aspekty razvitiya nauki i tekhniki. 2021. No. 8. pp. 21–30.
7. Yuehua H. Flotation. The ECPH Encyclopedia of Mining and Metallurgy. Singapore : Springer, 2024. pp. 690–694.
8. Gorlova O. E., Sinyanskaya O. M., Tusupbekova T. Sh., Kolodezhnaya E. V. Flotation of copper smelter slags intensified by impact crushing. Tsvetnye Metally. 2023. No. 1. pp. 7–16.
9. Shen H., Forssberg E. An overview of recovery of metals from slag. Waste Management. 2003. Vol. 23. pp. 933–949. DOI: 10.1016/s0956-053x(02)00164-2
10. Chinova N. B., Konovalova S. G., Levchenko G. N., Mamonov S. V., Zinchenko A. M., Vasilenko S. N., Kirillov A. S. Results of laboratory and pilot tests of ultrafine grinding in slag flotation technologies. Scientific foundations
and practice of processing ores and man-made raw materials : Proceedings of the XXV International scientific and technical conferences. Yekaterinburg, 07–10 April 2020. Yekaterinburg, 2020. pp. 230–234.
11. Başkurt Bekir, Serdengeçti Mete, Özçelik Kaan, Baştürkcü Hüseyin. Recovery Cu ad Ce from copper slag by using flotation and chemical methods. Bulletin Of The Mineral Research and Exploration. 2022. Vol. 169. pp. 17–26. DOI: 10.19111/bulletinofmre.1139294
12. Nuorivaara T., Klemettinen A., Serna R. Improving the flotation reco very of Cu from flash smelting slags by utilizing cellulose-based frother formulations. Minerals Engineering. 2022. Vol. 181. 107522. DOI: 10.1016/j.mineng.2022.107522
13. Štirbanović Z., Urošević D., Đorđević M., Sokolović J., Aksic N., Živadinović N., Milutinović S. Application of thionocarbamates in copper slag flotation. Metals. 2022. Vol. 12. 832. DOI: 10.3390/met12050832
14. Shur B. M., Minakov L. D., Dmitriev I. V., Ryleev E. A., Danilov M. P. et al. Selection of a technology for processing of nickel slag of the Copper plant to terminate the “head” processing stage of the Nickel plant. Tsvetnye Metally. 2007. No. 7. pp. 45–49.
15. Arabadzhi Ya. N., Yuryev A. I., Volyansky I. V., Tozik V. M. Involvement in the processing of waste slag from the Copper plant of OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel as technogenic raw materials. Metallurgiya-Intecheco-2013 : Proceedings of the VI International Conference. Moscow, 26-27 March 2013. Мoscow : INTECHECO, 2013. pp. 133–136.
16. Yuriev A. I., Muraviev V. V., Petrov A. F., Brusnichkina-Kirillova L. Yu. Flotation separation of nickel slag of the Polar Division Copper Plant at Nadezhdinsky Metallurgical Plant with the production of nickel and copper concentrates. Tsvetnye Metally. 2020. No. 6. pp. 38–45.
17. Krupnov L. V., Malakhov P. V., Ozerov S. S., Midyukov D. O. Justification of the choice of technology for processing low-energy raw materials. Metallurgy of non-ferrous, rare and precious metals : Proceedings of the XV International Conference named after Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Gennady Leonidovich Pashkov. Krasnoyarsk, September 06–08, 2022. Krasnoyarsk : ООО “Nauchno-innovatsionniy tsentr”, 2022. pp. 237–242.

18. Krupnov L. V., Rumyantsev D. V., Popov V. A. et al. Technical solutions to improve the operating conditions of Vanyukov furnaces for processing man-made raw materials. Мetallurg. 2024. No. 4. pp. 106–111. DOI: 10.52351/00260827_2024_4_106
19. Krupnov L. V., Midyukov D. О., Malakhov P. V. Ways to cover the raw material demand in the copper-nickel sector. Obogashchenie Rud. 2022. No. 2. pp. 37–41.
20. Krupnov L. V., Tsymbulov L. B., Malakhov P. V., Ozerov S. S. Operation of autogenous smelters at Nornickel’s Polar Division when processing raw materials with low energy potential. Tsvetnye Metally. 2022. No. 2. pp. 40–48
21. Malakhov P. V., Gradyushko S. B., Ozerov S. S., Novozhilova O. S. Study of forms of losses of non-ferrous metals with slags of copper plant`s Vanukov furnaces. Tsvetnye Metally. 2025. No. 6. P. 42–49.
22. Devochkin А. I., Krupnov L. V. et al. Atlas of mineral raw materials, technological industrial products and marketable products of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel. Under the general editorship of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor L. B. Tsymbulov. Saint Petersburg : Politekhpress, 2021. 398 p.
23. Samoylik V. G., Korchevsky A. N. Practicum on ore enrichment: education and practical edition for students of educational institutions of higher professional education. Donetsk : DоnNТU, 2020. 60 p.
24. Krupnov L. V. The mechanism of formation of refractory sludge in suspended melting furnaces and ways to eliminate it : abstract of thesis. … of Candidate of Technical Sciences. Saint Petersburg, 2015. 19 p.