Author 1:
Name & Surname: Zimin A. V.
Company: RIVS Science and Production Association (Saint-Petersburg, Russia)
Work Position: General Director
Scientific Degree: Candidate of Engineering Sciences
Contacts: e-mail: rivs@rivs.ru

Author 2:
Name & Surname: Nazarov Yu. P.
Company: RIVS Science and Production Association (Saint-Petersburg, Russia)
Work Position: Director, Production Research Department
Scientific Degree: Candidate of Engineering Sciences
Contacts: e-mail: Y_Nazarov@rivs.ru

Author 3:
Name & Surname: Gezegt Sharav
Company: Erdenet Mining Corporation (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Work Position: Head of Business Development Department
Scientific Degree: Candidate of Engineering Sciences
Contacts: phone: +7(10-976-13-52)73-818

Technogenic mineral formations are actually a nonconventional source of minerals. Various origination and diversity of composition of aged tailings as well as high content of oxidized component give zero favor to customization of engineering designs on treatment of aged tailings at given processing plants due to low production data. Therefore it is preferred to deal with actual tailings, considering drastic alteration of phase composition of aged tailings. Tailings go to dumping after a number of process stages, including aftertreatment, so, it is possible to choose some process units the discharge of which can be used as the feedstock for stand-alone process stages. As a whole, mineral composition and dissociation ability of sulphides are the advantage factors for the development of copper and molybdenum concentrate technologies. Taking into account features of mineral dissociation, the sequence of process stages below seems most rational:
- Separation of molybdenum, copper and pyrite in sodium sulphide medium;
- Regrinding of molybdenum circuit tailings to dissociate intergrown pieces of copper minerals;
- Copper flotation composed of three scavenging operations;
- Pyrite concentrate production from copper flotation tailings.
This approach is implemented in processing of aftertreatment tailings in dressing of Erdenet copper–molybdenum deposit ore (Mongolia). The marketable concentrates produced meet the standard quality requirements.

1. Chanturiya V. A., Shadrunova I. V., Gorlova O. E. Adaptatsiya razdelitelnykh protsessov obogashcheniya poleznykh iskopaemykh k tekhnogennomu syryu: problemy i resheniya (Adaptation of separation processes of mineral concentration to technogenic raw materials: problems and solutions). 2012. No. 5.
2. Baatarkhuu Zh. Tekhnologiya obogashcheniya medno-porfirovykh rud na osnove izucheniya ikh genetiko-morfologicheskikh osobennostey (Technology of concentration of copper-porphyric ores on the basis of research of their genetic-morphological peculiarities). Erdenet, 2006.