Journals →  Tsvetnye Metally →  2025 →  #1 →  Back

BENEFICIATION
ArticleName Application of the technology of rare earth elements gravity separation from the ore of the Kundybay deposit
DOI 10.17580/tsm.2025.01.01
ArticleAuthor Morozov Yu. P., Morozov V. V., Valtseva А. I., Akkazina N. Т.
ArticleAuthorData

Ural State Mining University, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Yu. P. Morozov, Professor of Department of Mineral Processing, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, e-mail: tails2002@inbox.ru

 

National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), Moscow, Russia
V. V. Morozov, Professor of Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, e-mail: dchmggu@mail.ru

 

Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin, Yekaterinburg, Russia
А. I. Valtseva, Senior Lecturer, Candidate of Technical Sciences, e-mail: a.i.valtseva@urfu.ru


Satbayev University, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
N. Т. Akkazina, Lecturer of the Department of Metallurgy and Mineral Processing, Master of Technical Sciences, e-mail: n.akkazina@satbayev.university

Abstract

Currently, the demand for rare earth elements (REE) has increased significantly due to the expansion of volumes and applications in various industries. The annual increase in consumption of specific elements of rare earths is up to 25% per year. To solve the problem of increasing REE production, it is necessary to involve difficult-to-enrich raw materials in processing, which include the weathering mantle of the Kundybay deposit (Kazakhstan). A special feature of this deposit is the increased proportion (54%) of yttrium oxides, medium and heavy lanthanides. As a result of the conducted research, the granulometric and fractional composition of the ore was determined, which made it possible to determine the distribution of REE by the grain-size class of the ore under study. An analysis of the results showed that 29.35% of REE were contained in the grain-size classes more than 0.02 mm, and 70.65% of REE were in fine class –0.02+0.01 mm, –0.01+0.005 mm and less than 0.005 mm. Large classes were characterized by the presence of grains of minerals of low specific gravity with a reduced REE concentration, which determined the possibility of removing depleted fractions by gravity methods. To assess the possibility of using gravity technology for the enrichment of rare earth ore from the weathering mantle of the Kundybay deposit, a fractional analysis of the machine classes of crushed ore with a size of –2.50+0.315 mm and –0.315+0.10 mm was performed. The results of fractional analysis showed that REE were concentrated in minerals of increased density (more than 2850 kg/m3). Based on the results obtained, the possibility of extracting REE from both its slurry and sand fractions has been determined. For the studied ore of the Kundybay deposit, the use of a combined scheme is proposed, including gravitational enrichment of granular classes and subsequent hydro- and pyrometallurgical processing of enriched granular and slurry classes. Based on the conducted experimental and enlarged technological studies, the use of a bowl centrifugal separator in the process of gravitational enrichment is justified, which allows to intensify the extraction of minerals concentrating rare earth elements from relatively small ore classes. The application of the developed scheme using combined gravity enrichment technology with a combination of screw and bowl centrifugal separators ensures an increase in the content of ΣREE in gravity concentrate from 640 to 1054 g/t with the extraction of ΣREE into concentrate and industrial products of more than 70%. An additional economic effect is achieved by removing final tailings from the enrichment scheme and reducing by 30% the yield of products sent for hydrometallurgical processing.

keywords Rare earth elements, weathering mantle, fractional analysis, grainsize classes, gravitational enrichment, separation, concentrate, leaching
References

1. Kondratev V. B. Overview of the global rare earth metals market. Gornaya promyshlennost. 2017. No. 4. pp. 48–54.
2. Sergeev I. B., Ponomarenko T. V. Incentives for creation the competitive rare-earth industry in Russia in the context of global market competition. Journal of Mining Institute. 2015. Vol. 211. pp. 104–116.
3. Dushyantha N., Batapola N., Ilankoon I. M. S. K., Rohitha S. et al. The story of rare earth elements (REEs): Occurrences, global distribution, genesis, geology, mineralogy and global production. Ore Geol. Rev. 2020. Vol. 122. DOI: 10.1016/j.oregeorev.2020.103521
4. Balaram V. Rare earth elements – A review of applications, occurrence, exploration, analysis, recycling and environmental impact. Geoscience Frontiers. 2019. Vol. 10, Iss. 4. pp. 1285–1303.
5. Drobniak A., Mortalez M. Rare earth elements – a brief overview. Indiana Journal of Earth Sciences. 2022. No. 4. DOI: 10.14434/ijes.v4i1.33628
6. Felipe E. C., Batista K. A., Ladeira A. C. Recovery of rare earth elements from acid mine drainage by ion exchange. Environ.Technol. 2021. Vol. 42. pp. 2721–2732.
7. Royer-Lavallee A., Neculita C. M., Coudert L. Removal and potential recovery of rare earth elements from mine water. J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 2020. Vol. 89. pp. 47–57.
8. Yushina T. I., Petrov I. M., Grishaev S. I., Chernyi S. A. International rare earth metals market and processing technologies: State-of-the-art and future prospects. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2015. No. 2. pp. 59–63.
9. Peregudov V. V., Baranov V. V., Shautenov M. R. About the rare earths of Kazakhstan. Resursovosproizvodyashchie, maloothodnye i prirodoohrannye tekhnologii osvoeniya nedr: Proceedings of the XI International conference. Ust-Kamenogorsk, 2012. Vol. 1. pp. 209–211.
10. Tusupbaev N. K., Tanekeeva M. Sh., Semushkina L. V., Turysbekov D. K., Eshpanova G. T. Prospects for the extraction of rare earth metals from the ore of the weathering crust of the Kundybay deposit. Tsvetnaya metallurgiya. 2015. No. 2. pp. 72–74.
11. Lokshin E. P., Kalinnikov V. T., Tareeva O. A. Extracting rare-earth metals from middlings and wastes of khibiny apatite concentrate process. Tsvetnye Metally. 2012. No. 6. pp. 75–80.
12. Wang L., Wang P., Chen W. Q., Wang Q. Q., Lu H. S. Environmental impacts of scandium oxide production from rare earths tailings of Bayan Obo mine. J. Clean. Prod. 2020. Vol. 270. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122464
13. Kameneva Yu. S., Chernousenko E. V., Vishnyakova I. N. Study of loparite sludge concentrating by flotation. Mining informational and analytical bulletin (scientific and technical journal). 2017. No. 5. pp. 292–298.
14. Kozin V. Z. Ore enrichment testing: textbook. Yekaterinburg : Izd-vo UGGU, 2008. 314 p.
15. Senchenko A. E., Fedotov K. V., Fedotov P. K., Burdonov A. E. Technological assessment of ore dressing by gravity methods. Izvestiya TulGU. Nauki o Zemle. 2020. Iss. 4. pp. 262–280.
16. Shautenov M. R., Peregudov V. V. Centrifugal Concentrator. IX CIS Congress of the Mineral Processing Engineers: Proceedings. Vol. 1. Мoscow : MISiS, 2013. pp. 665–667.
17. Surimbaev B. N., Kanaly E. S., Bolotova L. S., Shalgymbaev S. T. Assessment of gravitational dressing of gold ore — GRG. Mining Science and Technology. 2020. No. 5. pp. 92–103.
18. Omirserikov M. Sh., Stepanenko N. I., Dyusembaeva K. Sh., Isaeva L. D. Ore-bearing weathering mantle of Kundybay rare earth deposit (North Kazakhstan). Gornyi Zhurnal. 2017. No. 2. pp. 33–38.
19. Omirserikov M. Sh., Isaeva L. D., Dyusembaeva K. Sh., Kembaev M. K., Asubaeva S. K. Rare earths in the weathering mantle of the Kundybay deposit (North Kazakhstan). Vestnik VKGTU. 2016. No. 3. pp. 36–44.
20. Bykhovskiy L. Z., Arkhipova N. A. Strategic rare metal supply in Russia: Current state and future prospects. Gornyi Zhurnal. 2017. No. 7. pp. 4–10.

Language of full-text russian
Full content Buy
Back