Review on the Beneficiation of Li, Be, Ta, Nb-Bearing Polymetallic Pegmatite Ores in China
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Geological Aspects of LPPO Deposits in China
3. Methods in Recovering Li2O and BeO Commonly Used in China
3.1. Manual and Color Sorting
3.2. X-ray Transmission Sorting
3.3. Gravity Separation
3.4. Dense Medium Separation
3.5. Magnetic Separation
3.6. Flotation Method
3.6.1. Slime Treatment Method before Flotation
No. | Slime Processing Method | Technological Feature | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Depression method by autogenous sodium silicate at alkaline pulp |
| [55] [57] |
2 | Selective erosion method |
| [58] [51] |
3 | Gravity desliming method | Deslime by a countercurrent gravity column. | [59] |
4 | Ultrasonic washing method |
| [60] |
5 | Ore washing method using surface-cleaning agents |
| [61] |
6 | Flotation desliming method | The slime minerals were floated by a small amount collector. The foam products with a lower grade of lithium than the original ore were directly mixed into tailings to achieve effective desliming. An example of a flotation desliming method is shown in Figure 3. | [9] |
3.6.2. Enhanced Differences in Mineral Surface Properties
3.6.3. Selective Flotation Reagents for Lithium and Beryllium Mineral Separation
3.6.4. Industrial Application Cases of Lithium and Beryllium Separation in China
3.7. The Leaching Method Used in the Extraction of LPPOs
3.8. Brief Analysis of the Economic Efficiency of the Separation Methods
4. Conclusions
- LPPO, with large reserves and a high lithium grade, is an important lithium extraction ore. The beneficiation technologies of LPPO in China include the following: manual or color sorting, X-ray transmission sorting, dense medium separation, gravity separation, magnetic separation, flotation, and leaching.
- At present, the main industrial practice includes manual selection, dense medium beneficiation, and the flotation method. Color sorting and X-ray transmission sorting are promising alternatives to manual sorting, which are still in the research stage.
- When the ore contains magnetic substances, such as hematite, magnetite, lepidolite, tantalum-niobite, and other minerals, the magnetic separation method is used. Magnetic separation is an auxiliary method for improving the quality of lithium concentrate.
- Flotation is the main method for the separation of fine-grained intercalated lithium beryllium minerals. The key to the success of flotation lies in the treatment of argillaceous minerals and the selection of appropriate flotation reagents to expand the floatation difference between spodumene, beryl, and gangue minerals.
- Since beryllium, tantalum, niobium, etc. are all metals with important uses, beryllium, tantalum, and niobium in LPPO should be recovered. The development of lithium-beryllium separation and beneficiation technology is lagging behind and needs to be further strengthened.
- The future research on lithium-beryllium flotation separation will focus on: (1) the research and development of high-efficiency collectors, depressants, and activators; (2) the improvement of the efficiency of the separation process with the help of modern research methods and under the premise of economic sustainability to develop the green separation process.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Mine Region | Deposit or Mining Area | Reserves (10,000 tons) | Average Grade (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Li2O | BeO | Li2O | BeO | ||
Sichuan [31] | Jiajika #134 lithium deposit in Ganzi Prefecture | 41.2 | 6.5 | 1.20 | 0.04 |
Sichuan [32] | Lijiagou deposit in Jinchuan County | 51.2 | 0.2~1.0 | 1.20~1.27 | 0.04~0.045 |
Xinjiang [33] | Keketuohai #3 lithium deposit in Fuyun County | 92.0 | 5.8 | 0.98 | 0.043 |
Xinjiang [12,37] | Dahongliutan lithium deposit in Hetian County | 506.0 | 16.0 | 0.93~3.44 | 0.54~0.63 |
Minerals | Mineral Composition | Li2O Content (%) | Density (g/cm3) | Hardness (MoOS) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Theoretical | Actual | ||||
Spodumene | LiAl [Si2O6] | 8.03 | 4.5–8.0 | 3.20 | 6.5–7.0 |
Lepidolite | KLi1.5Al1.5[Si3AlO10] [FOH]2 | 5.90 | 1.2–5.9 | 2.8–2.90 | 2.0–3.0 |
Amblygonite | LiAl (PO4) (FOH) Li2O3·2LiFP2O5·Li2O | 10.10 | 8.0–9.5 | 3.00–3.20 | 6.0 |
Zinnwaldite | KLiFeAl [Si3AlO10] [FOH]2 | 4.13 | 2.0–3.0 | 2.90–3.20 | 2.0–3.0 |
Petalite | (LiNa) [AlSi4O11] | 4.89 | 2.0–4.0 | 2.39–2.46 | 6.0–6.5 |
Eucryptite | LiAlSiO4 | 11.90 | 11.9 | 2.67 | 6.5 |
Minerals | Mineral Composition | BeO Content (%) Theoretical Value | Density (g/cm3) | Hardness (MoOS) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Beryl | Be3Al2(Si6O18) | 5.03 | 2.60–2.90 | 7.5–8.0 |
Bertrandite | Be4(Si2O7) (OH)2 | 15.13 | 2.60 | 6.0 |
Xrizoberyl | Al2BeO4 | 7.09 | 3.50–3.80 | 8.5 |
Phenacite | BeO2(SiO4) | 6.77 | 3.00 | 7.5 |
Gelvin | Mn8(BeSiO4)6S2 | 4.86 | 3.30 | 6.0–6.6 |
Getgelvin | Zn8 (BeSiO4)6S2 | 4.54 | 3.66 | - |
Danolit | Fe8(BeSiO4) S2 | 1.47 | 3.40 | 5.5–6.0 |
Minerals | Mineral Composition | Density (g/cm3) | Hardness (MoOS) |
---|---|---|---|
Tantalite | (Fe, Mn) Ta2O6 | 6.25–7.90 | 6.5 |
Columbite | (Fe, Mn) Nb2O6 | 5.00 | 6.0 |
Ferrotapiolite | (Fe, Mn) (Ta, Nb)2O6 | 5.00–7.90 | 6.0–6.5 |
Quartz | SiO2 | 2.65 | 7.0 |
Plagioclase | Na [AlSi3O8]-Ca [Al2Si2O8] | 2.61–2.76 | 6.0–6.5 |
Albite | Na2O·Al2O3·6SiO2 | 2.62 | 6.0–6.5 |
Muscovite | KAl2[AlSi3O10] [OH]2 | 2.77–2.88 | 2.5–4.0 |
No. | Beneficiation Methods | Main Technological Features and Application Cases |
---|---|---|
1 | Manual sorting | Suitable particle size of 10~25 mm. In Keketohai Mine of Xinjiang, manual sorting was used, as for raw ore, Li2O 1.5%~1.8%, a concentrate with an Li2O grade of 5%~6% and a recovery rate of 20%~30%, was obtained. |
2 | Color sorting | Suitable particle size of 2~10 mm. A sample was separated by a color selector. The color difference was obvious between the color sorting concentrate and color sorting tailing. Most of the dark gangue minerals were found in the color sorting tailing. A concentrate with an Li2O grade of 6.18% was obtained, and the Li2O recovery was 89.23%. |
3 | X-ray transmission sorting | Suitable particle size of −60 + 10 mm. The processing capacity is 50–70 tons per machine per hour. It is one of the most promising methods for replacing manual sorting. |
4 | Gravity separation | LPPO contains tantalite, columbite, or ferrotapiolite; thus, gravity beneficiation can separate the denser tantalite, columbite, or ferrotapiolite from spodumene and gangue. |
5 | Dense media separation | Suitable particle size of −10 mm + 0.5 mm. A dense medium with a density of 2.95~3.0 g/cm3 was used for an LPPO sample from Sichuan, obtaining a concentrate with an Li2O grade of 7.06% by a two-stage process of “one coarse and one fine” dense medium separation. Spodumene concentrate has a total recovery of 87.47%. |
6 | Magnetic separation | Magnetic separation is mainly used for the purification of spodumene and beryl concentrate. The high-quality concentrate product was obtained by magnetic separation to remove the impurity minerals with iron. |
7 | Flotation | Suitable particle size of −0.074 + 0.038 mm. LPPO flotation can be divided into direct flotation and reverse flotation. For example, a raw ore with Li2O grade of 0.895% and BeO grade of 0.054% from Keketohai Mine of Xinjiang was crushed and ground; and then gravity separation was conducted, followed by direct flotation. A lithium concentrate with Li2O grade of 6.01% and a recovery of 84.6%, and a beryllium concentrate with BeO grade 8.82% and a recovery of 60.2% were finally obtained. |
8 | Leaching | Leaching pretreatment: stable α-spodumene is heated into β-spodumene with higher activity at 1050 °C. A sulfuric acid leaching process under a leaching temperature of 250–280 °C and a leaching time of 15–60 min is the most commonly used process in industry. For example, Tian Qianqiu, in 2021, calcined a spodumene sample at 1050 °C for 30 min and then roasted it with sulfuric acid at 250 °C for 30 min. Finally, the leaching rate of Li2O reached 96.93% at room temperature, with a liquid–solid ratio of 1.85 for 15 min. |
Code or Name of the Flotation Reagent | Polar Group or Molecular Structure | Application | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
OA (Oleic acid) | CH3(CH2)7CH=CH(CH2)7 COOH | Collectors for spodumene | [65,68] |
OPS (Oxidized Paraffin Soap) | C=O, C–OH Mixed fatty acids | Collectors for spodumene or beryl | [69,70] |
TO (Tal oil) | C=O, C–OH Fatty Acids and Rosin Acids | Collectors for spodumene or beryl | [71] |
NAS (Naphthenic acid soap) | C=O, C–OH Naphthenic acid with five carbons | Collectors for spodumene or beryl | [72,73] |
Name or Code of the Flotation Reagent | Polar Group or Molecular Formula | Application | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
YOA-15 | –COOH, –NH2 | New type of mixed collector for spodumene and beryl. | [74] |
YZB-17 | –CONHOH, –C–OH | Mixed collector for spodumene or beryl flotation. | [75] |
HL-1 | -COOH | A mixture of OA, OPS, and NAS; mixed collector for the separation of spodumene from albite. | [76] |
NaOL/DTAC | -COOH and C15H34ClN | Dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DTAC); when the mole ratio of NaOL:DTAC is 9:1, spodumene and albite could be separated effectively. | [77] |
NaOL/TTPC | -COOH and C26H56ClP | Tributyl tetradecyl phosphonium chloride (TTPC); a mixed collector for the separation of spodumene from albite. | [78] |
HPA/DIDA | (HPA)–C–O–C, –NH2 (DIDA)–COOH | New mixed collector of spodumene under natural pH conditions. | [63] |
Name or Code of the Flotation Reagent | Polar Group or Molecular Structure | Application | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
Soda | Na2CO3 | Depressant of spodumene and beryl activated by Ca2+. | [79] |
Sodium sulfide | Na2S | Depressant of spodumene activated by Fe3+. When oleic acid was used as the collector, Na2S was added before the collector, which had a strong inhibitory effect on spodumene. | [80] |
“Three bases” regulators | NaOH-Na2CO3-CaCl2 | Extensive combination of regulators: NaOH or Na2CO3 as pH regulators or inhibitors and CaCl2 as an activator of spodumene. | [81,82] |
Lignosulfonate | C20H24Na2O10S2 | Special inhibitor for spodumene; used to separate spodumene and beryl. | [83] |
Disodium EDTA | C10H14N2Na2O8·2H2O | Depressant for spodumene; used to separate spodumene and beryl. | [67] |
Hexametaphosphate | (NaPO3)6 | Depressant for spodumene; used to separate spodumene and beryl. | [74] |
No. | Flotation Process | Ore Dressing Plant | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Preferential flotation of part of a spodumene—mixed flotation of spodumene and beryl—flotation separation between spodumene and beryl. | Keketuohai, Xinjiang | [87] |
2 | Preferential flotation of beryl—flotation of spodumene. (Figure 8) | Keketuohai, Xinjiang | [9] |
3 | Preferential flotation of spodumene—flotation of beryl. | Keketuohai, Xinjiang | [56,88] |
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Li, S.; Liu, J.; Han, Y.; Zhang, S. Review on the Beneficiation of Li, Be, Ta, Nb-Bearing Polymetallic Pegmatite Ores in China. Minerals 2023, 13, 865. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070865
Li S, Liu J, Han Y, Zhang S. Review on the Beneficiation of Li, Be, Ta, Nb-Bearing Polymetallic Pegmatite Ores in China. Minerals. 2023; 13(7):865. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070865
Chicago/Turabian StyleLi, Siyang, Jie Liu, Yuexin Han, and Shumin Zhang. 2023. "Review on the Beneficiation of Li, Be, Ta, Nb-Bearing Polymetallic Pegmatite Ores in China" Minerals 13, no. 7: 865. https://doi.org/10.3390/min13070865