Abstract

The fine ilmenite material finer than 0.045mm at the Pang Zhi Hua Ilmenite Processing Plant was discarded for the lack of efficient processing equipment and method. The total recovery of ilmenite in the plant had been only about 17-20%. To increase the ilmenite recovery, numerous laboratory, pilot and commercial tests were conducted in 1995-1996. Finally, a magnetic separation-flotation flowsheet was chosen for the commercial test, in which the fine fraction was fed into 125 mm diameter cyclones for desliming. The underflow of the cyclones was then fed into the magnetic separation-flotation flowsheet. A SLon- 1500 vertical ring and pulsating high gradient magnetic separator was applied as a rougher and was followed by flotation as a cleaner. The overall results of the magnetic separationflotation flowsheet in the commercial test were: feed 11.03% TiO₂, concentrate 47.36% TiO₂, recovery 44.79% TiO₂. The flowsheet of the commercial test has been used as a production process since 1997. The recovery accounted for about 12% TiO₂ of the feed into the ilmenite processing plant.