Experimental Study of Combined Magnetic and Air Gravity Concentration of Feldspar Raw Material

I., Isa, U. H. Abubakar and A. Umar

Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Engineering, Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna.

Keywords: feldspar, magnetic separation, air gravity concentration table, Nb-Ta-rich phases, Limica, sustainable mining practice.

Abstract

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of combining magnetic separation and air gravity concentration table for separating Nb-Ta-rich phases and Li-mica from processed feldspar raw material. The results show that the processing method is most effective for a grain size range of 0.2/0.5 mm, resulting in a significant upgrade in the quality of the final product. The economic implications of this research are substantial, with the potential to obtain several tons of valuable separates annually. The study employed a two-stage processing method, consisting of magnetic separation followed by air-gravity concentrating table. The initial material and the end-products of the separation process were subjected to chemical composition analysis using X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results of the analysis showed that the processing method was effective in separating Nb-Ta-rich phases and Li-mica from the feldspar raw material. The findings of this study have significant economic and environmental implications, and can be used to promote the sustainable use of mineral resources.