Classification Of Four Types Of Cobalt Minerals

Most cobalt minerals are symbiotic with metal minerals such as iron, copper, and nickel, and a single cobalt mineral is relatively rare. Common cobalt-bearing metal deposits include copper-nickel-cobalt deposits, copper-cobalt deposits, iron-cobalt deposits, and cobalt-clay deposits. The following will analyze the common beneficiation process of cobalt ore from the perspective of these four types of deposits.

1. Copper-nickel-cobalt ore beneficiation process

In the copper-nickel-cobalt deposit, the main metal minerals are copper, cobalt, nickel, etc., and the main gangue minerals are quartz, muscovite, biotite, etc. Copper-nickel-cobalt ore is generally processed by a mixed flotation process to obtain a relatively enriched copper-cobalt-nickel mixed concentrate, which can be priced and sold at the same time, and can also be smelted. However, this kind of ore contains more pumice-like gangue minerals, and it is easy to produce secondary slime during the grinding process, which affects the enrichment of copper-nickel-cobalt concentrate. The flocculation desliming-mixed flotation process can be selected. First, the copper-nickel-cobalt concentrate with a relatively high enrichment rate is mixed and flotation, and then the cobalt minerals are separated and extracted by hydrometallurgy.

2. Copper-cobalt ore beneficiation process

The beneficiation process of copper-cobalt ore generally includes two kinds of preferential flotation and mixed flotation, which are mostly determined according to the difference in floatability of copper and cobalt minerals.

The priority flotation process generally first floats copper and then floats cobalt. Using lime as an inhibitor, YK1-11 as a copper collector, and butyl xanthate as a cobalt collector, copper concentrate and cobalt-sulfur concentrate can be obtained respectively.

The mixed flotation process can use butyl xanthate as a collector and BKNL as a regulator for flotation to obtain copper-cobalt mixed coarse concentrate. In the beneficiation, inhibitors such as sodium silicate and lime are added to suppress gangue minerals to obtain copper-cobalt mixed concentrate.

3. Iron-cobalt ore beneficiation process

Iron-cobalt ore can be processed by flotation. The sulfide and magnetite are first separated. A small amount of chalcopyrite, pyrite, and pyrrhotite are then separated by flotation. At the same time, magnetite is separated by magnetic separation to obtain copper concentrate, cobalt-sulfur concentrate, and iron concentrate respectively.

4. Cobalt ore beneficiation process

Cobalt ore can choose a single or joint beneficiation process. Single beneficiation methods include gravity separation, magnetic separation, flotation, acid leaching, etc. Combined beneficiation methods include the roasting-flotation method and the acid leaching-flotation method. Among them, the acid leaching-flotation method is currently the most commonly used beneficiation method for cobalt ore.

The above is the common beneficiation process of cobalt ore beneficiation. The composition of cobalt minerals is complex. When formulating a beneficiation plan, it is necessary to consider the comprehensive recycling of different mineral resources.