National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Moscow, Russia:
V. A. Ignatkina, Professor at the Department of Beneficiation and Processing of Mineral and Man-Made Raw Materials, Doctor of Technical Sciences, e-mail: woda@mail.ru
А. А. Kayumov, Postgraduate Student at the Department of Beneficiation and Processing of Mineral and Man-Made Raw Materials

Centre for Sustainable Processing of Mineral Raw Materials, National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Moscow, Russia:

A. R. Makavetskas, Lead Engineer

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V. A. Bocharov, Professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences

Sulfide minerals of lead-bearing ores of several Russian deposits are characterized by fine mineral associations of valuable components, uneven grain size, and fine intergrowths. The research shows the textural and structural characteristics of sulfide minerals and the qualitative-quantitative distribution of sulfide minerals’ associations during the process of polymetallic ore grinding. The analysis of the intergrowths composition in the ore dressing products with the Mineral Liberation Analyser (MLA) has established a quantitative distribution of mineral phases by size class, qualitative-quantitative distribution of chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena intergrowths (40% — in the class +0,074 mm; 30% — in the class –0,074+0,044 mm); sphalerite contains the most of the rich intergrowths. These classes contain 50% of chalcopyrite intergrowths and 10% of galena intergrowths. The distribution row for closed intergrowths in 0,074+0,044 mm class is: chalcopyrite > galena > sphalerite. The same row applies to open intergrowths. The distribution of free surface fractions by size classes: closed intergrowths (almost closed): galena > sphalerite > chalcopyrite; almost open intergrowths: galena > chalcopyrite > sphalerite; open intergrowths: chalcopyrite > galena > sphalerite.
The research establishes that the qualitative intergrowths composition is retained during grinding of the open grain part.
This research was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Project No. 17-05-00890).

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