Institute of Comprehensive Exploitation of Mineral Resources, Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russia):

Chanturia V. A., Academician of Russian Academy of Sciences, e-mail: vchan@mail.ru

Dvoychenkova G. P., Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, e-mail: dvoigp@mail.ru

Minenko V. G., Leading Researcher, Candidate of Engineering Sciences, e-mail: vladi200@mail.ru

Timofeev A. S., Junior Researcher, e-mail: timofeev_ac@mail.ru

“Severalmaz” JSC (Arkhangelsk, Russia):

Samofapov Yu. L., Chief Dresser, e-mail: yusamofalov@severalmaz.ru

Discharges of the tailing dump of the processing plant No. 1 (Lomonosov Ore Dressing and Processing Enterprise, “Severalmaz” JSC) are characterized by a high content of sludges (up to 200 g/ dm3). The sludges are presented by the montmorillonite group minerals, which have a high water sorption capacity and ability to increase the size (volume) by more than 10-20 times. The presence of clay minerals in the tailing dump waters complicates the organization of water circulation at the processing plant No. 1, which leads to the increasing necessity of the tailing dump area to avoid the overflow. In addition, the plant`s circulating water has the large amount of clay particles with the 5 μm size. The high sedimentation stability of these particles and their water adsorption capacity significantly reduce the processing efficiency of diamondiferous materials. During the last 15 years, neither of the tested traditional methods (gravity, filtration, reagent, etc.) have made it possible to solve the water clarification problem at the enterprises of «Severalmaz» JSC. The negative charge of the montmorillonite group minerals suppose the possibility of their «sticking» on the positively charged electrode (anode) during the electrochemical treatment process. It was realized in the experiments. Thus, this paper researches the process of effective and environmentally safe extraction of montmorillonite group minerals from the tailing dump discharges and circulating waters of the processing plant No. 1, using the innovative electrochemical method. An experimental unit of electrochemical separator was constructed for the separation of montmorillonite group minerals from the tailing dump discharges and circulating water. The developed electrochemical separator makes it possible to extract up to 82 % of the montmorillonite group minerals into the underflow, concentrated on the positively charged surface. These minerals are mainly presented by saponite. Taking into account the foregoing, it can be possible to obtain up to 76 % of the clarified discharge with up to 0,5 g/dm³ of the solid phase content.

This research work was held with the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation, within the project No. 2010-218-01-001 “Creation of complex innovation environmentally safe technology of extraction and processing of diamondiferous ores in the Far North”, which is being held with the participation of North-Eastern Federal University named after M. K. Ammosov and “ALROSA” JSC.

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