Mining Institute, Kola Science Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Apatity, Russia:

M. S. Khokhulya, Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, m.hohulya@ksc.ru
A. V. Fomin, Researcher
S. A. Alekseeva, Researcher
I. V. Karpov, Leading Technologist

Secondary treatment of storage mill tailings is an urgent and promising task, for the quality of produced ore is constantly decreasing while the resources of operating mines and preps are progressively reducing. It is also a paramount objective to mitigate anthropogenic impact on the environment. Mining and processing waste in Russia features a huge mineral resource potential. An important advantage is that the cost of commercial products manufactured from industry waste is significantly lower than in case of minerals extracted by traditional mining methods, since minerals have to pass an energy-intensive grinding process. In this respect, it is of practical relevance to set upon the secondary treatment of iron bearing waste accumulated at Olkon JSC as a result of ferruginous quartzite processing. The article presents the results of laboratory tests on beneficiation of stored waste from the main tailings pond at Olkon JSC with subsequent production of hematite concentrate. The composition of the representative tailings sample is studied. The principal ore mineral containing 8.8% of total iron and 3.7% of hematite iron has been found to be hematite, which is due to the imperfection of the existing technology for separation of hematite concentrate using diaphragm jig machines that fail to ensure efficient separation of fine mineral fractions. The authors have developed a gravitational technology for processing storage waste by screw separation and table concentration. The article justifies introduction of screening and grinding operations for the gravity concentration middlings with the aim of selective dissociation of ore mineral grains. The recommended technology ensures production of hematite concentrate with an iron content of more than 62% at the end-to-end recovery of hematite iron of about 76%. The results confirm exploitability of mining and processing waste and prove producibility of highquality hematite concentrate from ore mill tailings in terms of a certain mining and processing company.

1. Mikhaylov B. K. (Ed.). Man-made Mineral Resources. Moscow : Nauchnyi mir, 2012. 234 p.
2. Deryagin A. A., Kotova V. M., Nikolskiy A. L. The assessment of prospects of technogenic deposits development. Marksheyderiya i nedropolzovanie. 2001. No. 1(1). pp. 15–18.
3. Golik V. I., Polukhin O. N. The concept of extraction of metals from iron ore tailings. Problems of underground mining in the Kursk Magnetic Anomaly. Moscow : Gornaya kniga, 2013. pp. 23–39.
4. Argimbaev K. R., Korneev A. V., Kholodnyakov G. A. Substantiation of the possibility of involvement in processing of the iron-containing tails with the subsequent clotting of the obtaine d concentrates. Journal of Mining Institute. 2013. Vol. 206. pp. 120–124.
5. Kretov S. I., Gubin S. L., Ignatova T. V., Sentemova V. A., Beznogova Yu. S. Testing of technology for hematite concentrates production from the Mikhailovsky mining complex concentrator tailings. Obogashchenie Rud. 2007. No. 6. pp. 20–24.
6. Beloborodov V. I., Zakharova I. B., Andronov G. P., Filimonova N. M., Barmin I. S. Experience of beneficiation of technogenic phosphorus-bearing raw materials at Kovdor mining processing plant. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2010. No. 9. pp. 96–97.
7. Yushina T. I., Krylov I. O., Valavin V. S., Sysa P. A. Producibility of iron-bearing materials from industrial waste of Kamysh-Burun Iron Ore Plant using ROMELT process. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2017. No. 6. pp. 53–57. DOI: 10.17580/gzh.2017.06.10
8. Tselyuk D. I., Zhukova V. E., Ozhogina E. G., Yakushina O. A., Tselyuk I. N. Mineralogo-tekhnologichesky features tails of wet magnetic separation of the iron ores and prospect of extraction of iron from them. Zhurnal Sibirskogo federalnogo universiteta. Ser. Tekhnika i tekhnologii. 2013. Vol. 6, No. 4. pp. 412–424.
9. Dauce P. D., de Castro G. B., Lima M. M. F., Lima R. M. F. Characterisation and magnetic concentration of an iron ore tailings. Journal of Materials Research and Technology. 2019. Vol. 8, Iss. 1. pp. 1052–1059.
10. Hanumantha Rao K., Narasimhan K. S. Selective flocculation applied to Barsuan iron ore tailings. International Journal of Mineral Processing. 1985. Vol. 14, Iss. 1. pp. 67–75.
11. Wang Yuhua, Ren Jianwei. The flotation of quartz from iron minerals with a combined quaternary ammonium salt. International Journal of Mineral Processing. 2005. Vol. 77, Iss. 2. pp. 116– 122.
12. Song S., Lu S., Lopez-Valdivieso A. Magnetic separation of hematite and limonite fines as hydrophobic flocs from ir on ores. Minerals Engineering. 2002. Vol. 15, Iss. 6. pp. 415 –422.
13. Chao Li, Henghu Sun, Jing Bai, Longtu Li. Innovative methodology for comprehensive utilization of iron ore tailings: Part 1. The recovery of iron from iron ore tailings using magnetic separation after magnetizing roasting. Journal of Hazardous Materials. 2010. Vol. 174, Iss. 1-3. pp. 71–77.
14. Güngör K., Atalay M. Ü., Sivrikaya O. Production of magnetite concentrate from iron ore tailings. Proceedings of XIV Balkan Mineral Processing Congress. Tuzla : Off-Set Tuzla, 2011. Vol. 1. pp. 331–337.
15. Fontes W. C., Franco de Carvalho J. M., Andrade L. C. R., Segadães A. M., Peixoto R. A. F. Assessment of the use potential of iron ore tailings in the manufacture of ceramic tiles: From tailings-dams to «brown porcelain». Construction and Building Materials. 2019. Vol. 206. pp. 111–121.
16. Chang Tang, Keqing Li, Wen Ni, Duncheng Fan. Recovering Iron from Iron Ore Tailings and Preparing Concrete Composite Admixtures. Minerals. 2019. Vol. 9, Iss. 4. 232. DOI: 10.3390/min9040232
17. Li Weishi, Lei Guoyuan, Xu Ya, Huang Qifei. The properties and form ation mechanisms of eco-friendly brick building materials fabricated from low-silicon iron ore tailings. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018. Vol. 204. pp. 685–692.
18. Galvão J. L. B., Andrade H. D., Brigolini G. J., Peixoto R. A. F., Mendes J. C. Reuse of iron ore tailings from tailings dams as pigment for sustainable paints. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018. Vol. 200. pp. 412–422.
19. Darezereshki E., Darban A. K., Abdollahy M., Ahma djamshidi A. Synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles from iron ore tailings using a novel reduction-precipitation method. Journal of Alloys and Compounds. 2018. Vol. 749. pp. 336–343.
20. Lotsmanov V. A., Dmitrienko A. N., Kiseleva T. M., Markov A. Yu. Experience of crush-and- mill tailings processing at Olenegorsk Mining and Processing Plant. Gornaya promyshlennost. 2003. No. 3(45). pp. 42–46.
21. Khokhulya M. S., Opalev A. S., Rukhlenko E. D., Fomin A. V. Production of magnetite- hematite concentrate from ferruginous quartzites and warehoused tailings based on mineralogy and technology studies. GIAB. 2017. No. 4. pp. 259–271.
22. Khokhulya M. S., Fomin A. V., Karpov I. V., Kontorina T. A. Justification of mixed dressing technology for storage mill tailings at Olkon Mining and Processing Works. Current problems of integral processing of complex ores and technogenic raw materials (Plaksin’s Lectures-2017) : Proceedings of the international conference. Krasnoyarsk : Sibirskiy fereralnyi universitet, 2017. pp. 336–339.
23. Prokopyev S. A., Pelevin A. E., Napolskikh S. A., Gelbing R. A. Staged screw separation of magnetite concentrate. Obogashchenie Rud. 2018. No. 4. pp. 28–33. DOI: 10.17580/or.2018.04.06
24. Pelevin A. E. Production of hematite concentrate from hematite-magnetite ore. GIAB. 2020. No. 3-1. pp. 422–430.