JSC Kola MMC, Zapolyarny, Russia

О. I. Kulagina, Engineer (Category I), Mineral Processing Research Laboratory, e-mail: BobylevaOI@kolagmk.ru
Е. V. Uzhastina, Engineer (Category I), Mineral Processing Research Laboratory, e-mail: UzhastinaEV@kolagmk.ru

Currently, there is a global trend towards the deterioration of the ore resource base quality of most enterprises of the mining and processing complex. This circumstance does not eliminate the requirement to comply with the quality specifications for both finished ore concentrates and processing tailings. To ensure the required volume and quality of ore raw materials, enterprises are increasingly conducting mining operations at deeper horizons. PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel is not an exception to this trend. At the Glubokaya mine of the Skalisty mine complex of the Polar branch of Norilsk Nickel, the depth of the ventilation and skip shafts exceeds 2050 m, while the ore body occurs at an elevation of –1650 m. At the Severny mine of JSC Kola MMC, development and extraction activities have commenced at the –440 m level with a haulage horizon at –730 m. In the future, JSC Kola MMC plans to extend mining operations to deeper levels down to –1400 m. Ore processing technologies have to be adapted to raw materials of the worst quality: ores characterized by a complex mineral composition, fine inclusions of useful components, their low content and similar technological characteristics of minerals. JSC Kola MMC constantly monitors the quality of ore raw materials and processing products to determine the reasons for deviations from regulated indicators, in particular feedstock and tailings. The results of mineralogical studies of feedstock and tailings are presented, according to which it is determined that the main losses of valuable minerals from the tailings of the JSC Kola MMC processing plant are associated with their very thin inclusions in the composition of multiphase intergrowths and with free-form sludge particles, the size of which does not exceed 10 microns.

1. Krupnov L. V., Midyukov D. O., Datsiev M. S., Ilin V. B. Change in mineral resource supplies in production of heavy nonferrous metals in terms of copper and nickel. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2024. No. 3. pp. 10–16.
2. Krupnov L. V., Midyukov D. O., Malakhov P. V. Ways to cover the raw material demand in the copper-nickel sector. Obogashchenie Rud. 2022. No. 2. pp. 37–41.
3. Keays R., Lightfoot P. Mafic intrusions in the footwall of the Sudbury Igneous Complex: Origin of the Sudbury impact melt sheet and its associated ore deposits. Ore Geology Reviews. 2020. Vol. 120. 103435. DOI: 10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103435
4. Naldrett A. J. Magmatic sulfide deposits. Geology, geochemistry and exploration. Berlin : Springer 2004. 727 p.
5. Akulova T. A., Lebedok A. V., Ananko I. A., Pavlov А. A. Prospects for the application of jet flotation with intensive pressure mixing of three-phase pulp in the conditions of the Medvezhy Ruchey Norilsk concentrator. Tsvetnye Metally. 2025. No. 6. pp. 19–23.
6. Amelunxen P., Akerstrom B. Froth flotation’s newest machines: how much better are they? Mining Metallurgy and Exploration. 2024. Vol. 41, Iss. 6. pp. 3439–3449. DOI: 10.1007/s42461-024-01127-7
7. Zakharova I. V., Yanbekova O. Yu., Velyuzhinets G. A., Dzansolov I. V. Research of concentration of waste metallurgical slags of the MMC Norilsk Nickel Polar Division by radioisotope separation. Tsvetnye Metally. 2025. No. 6. pp. 24–30.
8. Mashingaidze M. M., Murova D. T., Bukasa P. M., Sigauke T. Enhanced froth flotation recovery of nickel sulphides from concentrator tailings. Academia Engineering. 2025. Vol. 2, No. 2. DOI: 10.20935/acadeng7747
9. Moyo Nkosilamandla, Boitshepo Marakalala, Tshepo Gaogane, Gwiranai Danha, Tirivaviri A. Mamvura. Assessing the viability of magnetic separator tailings as a secondary source of nickel, cobalt and copper: a case study for Tati Nickel Mining Company. Journal of Engineering and Applied Science. 2025. Vol. 72, Iss. 1. 75. DOI: 10.1186/s44147-025-00663-3
10. Elsayed Oraby, Huan Li, Zixian Deng, Jacques Eksteen. Selective extraction of Ni and Co from a pyrrhotite-rich flotation slime using an alkaline glycine-based leach system. Minerals Engineering. 2023. Vol. 203. 108330. DOI: 10.1016/j.mineng.2023.108330
11. Krupnov L. V., Malakhov P. V., Ozerov S. S., Pakhomov R. A. Analyzing Russian cobalt metallurgy and ways to raise recovery. Tsvetnye Metally. 2023. No. 7. pp. 25–33.
12. Meshram Pratima, Dr. Abhilash, Banshi Dhar Pandey. Advanced review on extraction of nickel from primary and secondary sources. Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy Review. 2018. Vol. 40, Iss. 3. pp. 157–193. DOI: 10.1080/08827508.2018.1514300
13.Datsiev M. S., Petrunova-Lesnikova L. S., Dzardanov B. K., Sisina A. N. Research of application of magnetic separation method for purifying of lownickel pyrrhotite and its combinations with flotation concentration. Tsvetnye Metally. 2025. No. 6. pp. 5–11.
14. Orsoev D. A. Copper-nickel deposits of the Kola nickel-bearing province (Murmansk Region, Russia). Izvestiya Sibirskogo otdeleniya RAEN. Geologiya, poiski i razvedka rudnykh mestorozhdeniy. 2011. No. 1. pp. 47–57.
15. Rakaev A. I., Neradovsky Yu. N., Chernousenko E. V., Morozova T. A. Mineralogical and technological studies of poor serpentinite coppernickel ores of the Pechenga ore field. Vestnik MGTU. Trudy Murmanskogo gosudarstvennogo tekhnicheskogo universiteta. 2009. Vol. 12, No. 4. pp. 632–637.
16. Chernousenko E. V., Neradovsky Yu. N., Kameneva Yu. S. et al. Improving the efficiency of flotation enrichment of hard-to-enrich copper-nickel sulfide ores of the Pechenga ore field. Fiziko-tekhnicheskie problemy razrabotki poleznykh iskopaemykh. 2018. No. 6. pp. 173–179. DOI: 10.15372/FTPRPI20180617
17. Vaughan D. J. Sulfide mineralogy and geochemistry: Changing perspectives on key Earth materials. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 2006. Vol. 70, Iss. 18. A669. DOI: 10.1016/j.gca.2006.06.1251
18. Kopylov V. V. et al. The efficient practice of processing refractory ores at Kola MMC’s concentrator plant. Tsvetnye Metally. 2020. No. 3. pp. 15–21.