Beach placer is a common mineral resource widely used in fields such as construction, roads, bridges, etc. However, there are some problems in the mining and beneficiation process of coastal placers, such as uneven particle size of ore and high impurity content. Therefore, how to effectively carry out beach placer ore beneficiation has become an important issue.
This article will introduce several common methods for beneficiation of coastal placers to help readers better understand the knowledge in this field.
1、 Physical beneficiation method
Physical beneficiation method is a method of separating ores by utilizing their physical properties. In the beneficiation of coastal placers, commonly used physical beneficiation methods include gravity separation, washing, and magnetic separation.
1. Reselection method
gravity concentration method is a method of separation by using the difference of ore density. In the beneficiation of coastal placers, commonly used gravity separation equipment includes gravity concentrators, centrifugal concentrators, etc. The advantages of gravity separation method are simple equipment, convenient operation, and good beneficiation effect, but the disadvantage is that it has high requirements for ore particle size.
2. Washing method
Washing method is a method of separation using water flow. In the beneficiation of coastal placers, commonly used washing equipment includes water wheel sand washing machines, spiral sand washing machines, etc. The advantages of washing method are simple equipment, convenient operation, and good beneficiation effect, but the disadvantages are high requirements for water sources and high waste of water resources.
3. Magnetic separation method
Magnetic separation is a method of separating ores by utilizing their magnetic differences. In the beneficiation of coastal placers, commonly used magnetic separation equipment includes wet magnetic separators, dry magnetic separators, etc. The advantages of magnetic separation method are simple equipment, convenient operation, and good beneficiation effect, but the disadvantage is that it requires high magnetic properties of the ore.
2、 Chemical beneficiation method
Chemical beneficiation is a method of separating ores by utilizing their chemical properties. In the beneficiation of coastal placers, commonly used chemical beneficiation methods include flotation, sedimentation, etc.
1. Flotation method
Flotation method is a method of separation that utilizes the affinity between ore and flotation agent. In the beneficiation of coastal placers, commonly used flotation agents include xanthate, acetonitrile, etc. The advantages of flotation method are simple equipment, convenient operation, and good beneficiation effect, but the disadvantage is that the flotation agent is expensive.
2. Settlement method
Sedimentation method is a method of separation that utilizes the affinity between ore and settling agent. In the beneficiation of coastal placers, commonly used settling agents include polymers, calcium carbonate, etc. The advantages of sedimentation method are simple equipment, convenient operation, and good beneficiation effect, but the disadvantage is that the sedimentation agent is expensive.
3、 Biological beneficiation method
Biological beneficiation method is a method of using microorganisms for ore separation. In coastal placer mineral processing, the commonly used biological mineral processing methods include microbial leaching method, microbial precipitation method, etc.
1. Microbial leaching method
Microbial leaching method is a method of dissolving ores with acid generated by microbial metabolism. Sulfate reducing bacteria and Iron(II) oxide bacteria are commonly used in coastal placer beneficiation. The advantages of microbial leaching method are environmental protection and low energy consumption, but the disadvantages are complex operation and unstable beneficiation effect.
2. Microbial precipitation method
The 
microbial precipitation method is a method of using microorganisms to precipitate minerals. Sulfate reducing bacteria and Iron(II) oxide bacteria are commonly used in coastal placer beneficiation. The advantages of microbial precipitation method are environmental protection and low energy consumption, but the disadvantages are complex operation and unstable beneficiation effect.
In summary, there are three methods for beneficiation of coastal placers: physical beneficiation, chemical beneficiation, and biological beneficiation. Different beneficiation methods are suitable for different ore types and beneficiation requirements. In practical applications, it is necessary to select appropriate beneficiation methods based on specific situations and optimize them in conjunction with actual operations.
