Review on development of low-grade scheelite recovery from molybdenum tailings in Luanchuan, China: A case study of Luoyang Yulu Mining Company

Luanchuan area is one of the regions with the largest scale of scheelite beneficiation and the largest output of scheelite concentrate in the world. After years of innovation and progress, the beneficiation technology of low-grade scheelite associated with molybdenum tailings in Luanchuan area is becoming more and more perfect. In this study, the development process of low-grade scheelite recycling technology in Luanchuan area was reviewed, including raw ore properties, beneficiation process, flotation equipment and flotation reagents. Meanwhile, taking Luoyang Yulu Mining Co., Ltd. as an example, the effects of various technical transformations such as the optimization of the beneficiation process, the column-machine combined process, and the high-efficiency flotation reagents were elucidated in detail. However, the recycling technology of low-grade scheelite of Luanchuan area is still possible to be improved. As a result, coupled with the latest research progress, the development direction of low-grade scheelite beneficiation in Luanchuan area was also prospected. It is of great significance to further improve the recovery efficiency of low-grade scheelite resources in Luanchuan area and this can provide technical reference for other scheelite plants.

Review of tungsten resource reserves,tungsten concentrate production and tungsten beneficiation technology in China

Tungsten is a strategic metal that is widely used in various fields such as electron communication,aeronautics and astronautics,materials and chemical engineering,due to its special properties.China has the largest reserves of tungsten resources and the largest output of tungsten concentrate in the world,and plays a decisive role in the world tungsten market.In this work,firstly,the reserves and distribution characteristics of tungsten resources in China were summarized,and the production situation of tungsten concentrate in China was reviewed.Based on the gross domestic product per capita(GDP/capita),five different annual GDP growth rates were used to estimate China’s tungsten concentrate production in the future.The estimation results suggested that if China’s economy continues to grow at the current rate,the accumulative production of tungsten concentrate will exceed current reserves by approximately 2032.Then,from the aspects of process flow,beneficiation equipment and flotation reagents,the beneficiation technology development of different types of tungsten ore in China was also reviewed,including wolframite,scheelite and tungsten-bearing slime.Finally,taking several representative tungsten mines in China as examples,the classic beneficiation technology of different types of tungsten ores was elucidated in detail.Meanwhile,the development direction of tungsten beneficiation technology in the future was put forward,which was of great significance to maintain the superiority of tungsten resources in China.

Utilization of wastewater from zeolite production in synthesis of flotation reagents

The application of waste alkali liquids as a substitute of sodium hydroxide for the saponification to improve the collection performance of fatty acids was investigated by saponification reaction test and flotation test.The results of the saponification reaction test indicated that the optimal conditions for the saponification were stirring rate of 55 r/min,initial temperature of 40℃ and stirring time of 45 min.Meanwhile,the laboratory scale and industrial scale flotation experiments showed that the fatty acid salt synthesized by wastewater achieved an index comparable to fatty acid sodium synthesized by sodium hydroxide.As a consequence,it was feasible to replace sodium hydroxide with the wastewater from zeolite production for fatty acid saponification.The cross-border utilization of waste alkali liquids not only reduced environmental pollution,but also produced excellent economic benefits.