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Treatment of Phosphate Ores
SGS Minerals Services has extensive experience in the unit processes used in the beneficiation and chemical treatment of phosphate ores.
Background
Phosphate containing compounds are the major constituents of industrial products such as fertilizers, chemical reagents, pigments etc. They are derived from essentially two types of deposits: the soft friable, sedimentary, “Florida” type and, the harder competent igneous pegmatite or carbonatite-type deposits. Apatite, fluoro-apatite and phosphorite are typical ore minerals.
Phosphate ores are typically beneficiated by dry or wet grinding and desliming. Impurities are removed with magnetic or gravity separation and the resultant product is subjected to froth flotation. The exact conditioning steps and reagents used are critical as these ores are typically very complex and treatment can be quite costly.
Experience Record 1991 – Present
| Client | Deposit | Location | Process | |
| H.E. Neal and Ass. |
St Anne | Quebec | Lab, MIN, FLT, MAG |
|
| Falconbridge Ltd. |
Olden Twp | Ontario | Lab., MIN, GRA, FLT, HLS |
|
| Sherritt Gordon Mines |
Cargill | Ontario | PP., DES, FLT, MAG |
|
| Sherritt Gordon Mines |
Cargill | Ontario | PP., DES, FLT | |
| InterCities Envirotech |
Kambalda | Zimbabwe | Lab., FTN with CFC |
|
| Esso Minerals | Wapity | B.C. | Lab., MIN, DES, FLT, GRA |
|
| Shell Can. Resources |
Martison Lake |
Ontario | Lab., MIN, DES, FLT, MAG |
|
| Camchib Resources |
Martison Lake |
Ontario | Lab., MIN, DES, FLT, GRA, MAG |
|
| Camchib Resources |
Martison Lake |
Ontario | PP., DES, FLT, MAG |
|
| Bearden Potter | Sukulu | Uganda | PP., DES, MAG, FLT |
|
| Met-Chem Canada Inc |
Lalitpur | India | Lab., DES, FLT, HLS |
|
| AFT Inc. | US Agri- Chem |
Florida, USA | FLT | |
| Viridian Inc | Kapuskasing | Ontario | PP., DES, FLT, MAG |
|
| Agrium Inc | Kapuskasing | Ontario | Lab, PSA, MAG |
|
| Agrium Inc | Kapuskasing | Ontario | PP., FLT, COL FLT, MAG, PRO CON |
|
| Niobec | St Honore | Quebec | Lab., FLT | |
| Niobec | St Honore | Quebec | PP., FLT | |
| Ma’aden | Saudi Arabia |
Lab., MIN, FLT, LCH |
||
| St Lawrence Chemicals |
Cargill Lake |
Ontario | Lab., SCR |
Experience with Reagent Formulation for Phosphate Flotation
SGS Minerals Services has developed three different families of collectors to treat various types of phosphate ores.
- Modified fatty acid collectors These are suitable for the Florida-type phosphates. With these collectors, the conventional two-stage flotation is replaced with a single stage flotation. As well, overall recovery is increased from approximately 70% to above 90%.
- Half ester-amphoteric compounds Highly selective collectors for apatite ores containing active gangue such as calcite and dolomite.
- Modified di-esters. For separation of apatite and fluoro-apatite from gangue that includes iron-bearing minerals and aluminosilicates. Concentrate grades of up to 38% P2O5 can be produced.
SGS’s Patents in Field of Phosphate Flotation United States Patent 5,147,528 issued Sept 15, 1992 to Srdjan Bulatovic.
Experience Record 1990 - Present
Chemical Processing of Phosphate Ores
| Client | Deposit | Location | Process | |
| Dexter Mining | Maine | U.S.A. | Lab., MIN, HLS, MAG, LCH | |
| CIDA | Niger | Lab., FLT, DES, LCH | ||
| Tantalum Mining Corp | Tanco Mine | Manitoba | Lab., FLT, LCH, with fluorite | |
| SOQUEM | Sept Isles | Quebec | PP., SAG, FLT, MAG, GRA | |
| SOQUEM | Sept Iles | Quebec | Acidulation tests (H 2 SO 4 ) | |
| Melis Engineering | Hoidas Lake | Saskatchewan | (H 2 SO 4 , HCl, HNO 3 ) |
Code:
COL FLT= Column Flotation, DES = Desliming, FLT = Flotation, GRA = Gravity, GRD = Grinding, HLS = Heavy Liquid Separation, lab = Laboratory test work, LCH = Leaching, MAG = Magnetic separation, MIN = Mineralogy, PP = Pilot Plant Tests, PPT = Precipitation,PRO CON = Process Control, PSA = Particle Size Analysis, ROAST = Roasting, SAG = Semi-autogenous Grinding Testing, SCR= Screening, SX = Solvent Extraction Lab.
