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Tantalum-Niobium Separating Beneficiation Plant
Tantalum and niobium are rare metals of high melting point with their good natures like great ductility, low vapor pressure, strong corrosion resistance and big thermal conductivity. They are widely used in industries of electron, atomaic energy, astronavigation, steel, and chemical.
Tantalite forms a series with the mineral columbite. In fact the two are often grouped together as a semi-singular mineral called columbite-tantalite in many mineral guides. A series is where two or more elements can occupy the same places within a crystal structure and their respective percentages can then vary. The two minerals of this series have similar properties since they have the same structure and similar chemistries (tantalum and niobium are very similar elements). Tantalite is the more tantalum rich end member and columbite is the more niobium rich end member. Niobium had been called columbium hence the name columbite.
Tantalite's greatest difference from columbite is its much greater specific gravity, 8.0+ compared to columbite's 5.2. Other properties that vary slightly are color, transparency and streak. Both minerals can be found more or less together in granitic pegmatites rich in lithium and phosphorus minerals with columbite concentrated at the edges of the pegmatite and tantalite enriched in the core.
The content of tantalum and niobium is higher in some African countries like Nigeria and South Africa. These two kinds of minerals have been recovered from alluvial sand in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand and the content is not so high. Russia has been researching and producing tantalum and niobium concentrate, and the concentrate product has been increasing.Here Forui will share some separation flow chart to get high grade concentrate of tantalum and niobium from columbite-tantalite ore.
columbite-tantalite concentrates by gravity Separation
tantalite columbite beneficiation plant in Nigeria
Columbite-tantalite ore is usually multi-metal minerals of tantalum, niobium, tin, tungsten, lithium, beryllium etc. It is usually complex about composition with its low content, big density, and crisp nature. The main method to separate tantalum-niobium is gravity separation, magnetic separation, floatation separation, and chemical treatment while in most situation combination flow sheet will be adopted. Usually, the whole columbite-tantalite processing line covers rough separation and fine selection.
tantalite columbite beneficiation plant in Rwanda
1. Columbite-tantalite ore rough separation-gravity separation
Columbite-tantalite ore rough separation is usually gravity separation while some times magnetic separation or floatation separation can be adopted together with gravity separation. However, gravity separation is the most common and economic method to enrich tantalum and niobium minerals.
Log washer used for washing clay associate columbite-tantalite ore
For tantalite niobite ore of coarse granules, jig separator or spiral log washer is usually to do rough separation and shaking table is used as the second separation. For tantalum niobite ore of fine granules, shaking table or spiral chute can be used for rough separation while shaking table works for further selection. This flow sheet is environment-friendly with its small investment, low cost, and excellent efficiency, but little recovery rate for the tantalum niobite mud. 2. Columbite-tantalite ore fine selection-electric separation & floatation separation
Jigging Machine used for enriching Columbite-tantalite ore
The columbite-tantalite ore is crisp, so during crushing and milling, there will be very much fine powder, so after jig gravity separation, floatation separation will be used to get fine powder concentrate to improve recovery. Before floatation, swirler or centrifugal separator will be needed to deslime.
There will be two ways floatation for columbite-tantalite ore beneficiation.
a. During floatation, alkyl sulfonated succinate will be used as collector, sodium silicate and oxalic acid as regulators to make PH of 2 to 3. For the concentrate from this floatation separation, shaking table-belt sluice can be used for further fine selection.
b. Floatation separation is done in circumstance of PH6 with collector of PVPA and regulators of fluorine sodium and silicate nitrate, and then belt sluice will be adopted for further fine selection.
This flow sheet can help to gain great separation efficiency, but the recovery will be low and the chemical consumption is huge to make production cost high. Mineral of tantalum and niobium is usually magnetic, so magnetic separation can be also involved during beneficiation flow sheet.
The targeted flow sheet can be different for different columbite-tantalite ores. Here Forui can supply test if samples can be available. Specific flow sheet can be designed with plant details according to the test. And your VISIT to FORUI is always highly welcome.
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