LLC “Baikal Mining Company”, Udokan, Russia:

D. A. Lapshin, Сhief Technologist of Directorate of Design Department, e-mail: d.lapshin@metalloinvest.com

M. F. Prostakishin, Leading Industrial Engineer of Experimental-Industrial Complex

Variability test works on flotation and hydrometallurgical flowsheet were carried out on 157 representative samples with the copper grade from 0.10% to 6.43% and oxidation grade from 1% to 96%. Increasing of oxidation degree decreased the copper recovery and increased the values' variability. No definite dependence was observed on copper recovery into bulk concentrate from the copper content in ore in the whole oxidation range. A slight correlation was between these parameters in narrower oxidation ranges (0–30; 30–70; 70–100 %). The results of analysis of oxide and sulphide copper content in tailings showed that higher oxidation leads to less sulphide copper losses and more oxide copper losses in tailings. A steady positive correlation dependence was between copper and silver recovery. Silver recovery index was lower than copper recovery index by 3–10%, in average. Sulphuric acid consumption for rock dissolving was in linear dependency from the calcium content in ore. On the basis of obtained data, it is possible to forecast certain process parameters for Udokan ore processing, using flotation and hydrometallurgical process flowsheet, depending on the head ore quality. It was confirmed that the developed flotation and hydrometallurgy flowsheet allows to carry out the processing of a wide range of various composition Udokan ores, obtaining high recovery values.

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