Irkutsk National Research Technical University, Irkutsk, Russia:

P. K. Fedotov, Assistant Professor of S. B. Leonov Chair of Mineral Concentration and Environmental Protection
K. V. Fedotov, Head of S. B. Leonov Chair of Mineral Concentration and Environmental Protection
A. E. Burdonov, Assistant Professor of S. B. Leonov Chair of Mineral Concentration and Environmental Protection, e-mail: slimbul@inbox.ru

Institute “Technology of Mineral Raw Materials Concentration”, Irkutsk, Russia:

A. E. Senchenko, Chief Executive Officer

This article aims to present the study and the subsequent analysis of the research conducted on feedstock tin-containing ore deposits in Syrymbet. Based on the research, it was established that the “Syrymbet” ore deposit can be divided into two processing types: ore weathering crust and the primary ore. The ore’s chemical composition consists mainly of silicon oxide (30.3%), aluminum (17.06%), and iron whose share amounts to 27.08% of the total weight of the sample according to an ICP-analysis. The level of iron in the ore, as determined in different studies, varies significantly from 3.7 to 37%. The tested ore deposit is of an oxidized type. It also contains silver and gold up to 4 g/t and 0.15 g/m, respectively. Tungsten is present in a free form. A large mass of tungsten minerals is present in the form of fine aggregates in classes (less than 0.045 mm). The level of tin in cortex weathering ores ranges from 0.44 % to 0.8%. A phase analysis of tin showed that the bulk of its weight (96%) falls on cassiterite, whilst there is also an insignificant share of stannite and other acid-soluble tin compounds. The sizes of cassiterite grains are distributed in the range of 5 microns to 1.0 mm. The level of cassiterite 0.05 mm can be up to 14%. The tin’s main mineral can be found in intergrowths with quartz, hematite, limonite, and is intensely covered with crusts of secondary iron minerals. A part of the cassiterite is fixed in a closed splice with iron minerals and is sometimes concentrated in a magnetic fraction. The cassiterite in the form of aggregates with different saturations is distributed throughout the mass of the sample and is recorded in almost all of the classes. The free or cassiterite-rich grains belong to the subtle 0–10 microns class.

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