Wolframite is an important tungsten ore, which contains high concentration of tungsten element. Tungsten is an important industrial metal widely used in the manufacturing of tungsten wires, alloys, electrodes, and other fields. Therefore, the beneficiation method of Wolframite is very important for the mining and utilization of tungsten. This article will introduce the beneficiation method of Wolframite to help readers better understand the mining and utilization of Wolframite.
1、 Properties of Wolframite
Wolframite is a Sulfide mineral, mainly composed of calcium tungstate and iron tungstate. Its color is black, in the form of blocks or columns, and its hardness reaches 5.5-6.5. The density of Wolframite is 6.1-7.5g/cm ³， The melting point is 3410 ℃, which is a high melting point metal. Wolframite widely exists in nature, mainly distributed in China, the United States, Australia and other countries.
2、 Beneficiation method of Wolframite
The beneficiation methods of Wolframite mainly include gravity separation, flotation, magnetic separation and other processes. Different beneficiation methods are applicable to different Wolframite ores, and the specific selection needs to be carried out according to the ore properties and process requirements.
1. Reselection method
Gravity concentration is one of the most commonly used Wolframite beneficiation methods. This method separates ores based on their weight differences, usually using the heavy medium method or the heavy liquid method. This method is suitable for Wolframite ores with large tungsten mineral particles and high tungsten content.
The operating steps of the reselection method are as follows:
(1) Crush Wolframite ore into small particles.
(2) Add the ore to the heavy medium, stir and separate it to separate the tungsten mineral from the waste rock.
(3) Dry and grind the separated tungsten minerals to obtain tungsten concentrate.
2. Flotation method
Flotation method is a mineral processing method that separates tungsten minerals from waste rocks through bubbles. This method is suitable for Wolframite ores with small tungsten mineral particles and low tungsten content.
The operation steps of the flotation method are as follows:
(1) Crush Wolframite ore into small particles.
(2) Add the ore to the flotation cell and an appropriate amount of reagent to combine tungsten minerals with bubbles and float up to the liquid level.
(3) Collect and process the floating tungsten minerals to obtain tungsten concentrate.
3. Magnetic separation method
Magnetic separation method is a mineral processing method that separates tungsten minerals from waste rocks through magnetism. This method is applicable to the case where the magnetic properties of tungsten minerals in Wolframite ores are quite different from those of waste rocks.
The operating steps of magnetic separation method are as follows:
(1) Crush Wolframite ore into small particles.
(2) Add the ore to the magnetic separator and separate the tungsten mineral and waste rock through magnetic separation.
(3) Dry and grind the separated tungsten minerals to obtain tungsten concentrate.
3、 Summary
The beneficiation method of Wolframite is an important link of tungsten mining and utilization. Different beneficiation methods are applicable to different Wolframite ores, which need to be selected according to ore properties and process requirements. At present, gravity separation, flotation and magnetic separation are the most commonly used Wolframite beneficiation methods. I hope this article will be helpful for readers to understand the beneficiation methods of Wolframite.
