Prospects for Return of Valuable Components Lost in Tailings of Light Metals Ore Processing

• Published in: Metallurgist (New York) Vol. 67; no. 1-2; pp. 96 - 103
• Main Authors: Golik, V. I., Klyuev, R. V., Martyushev, N. V., Zyukin, D. A., Karlina, A. I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-05-2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Beneficiation; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Extractive metallurgy; Iron compounds; Leaching; Light metals; Materials Science; Metallic Materials; Metallurgy; Mineral resources; New technology; Nonferrous metal industry; Nonferrous metals; Raw materials; Reagents; Tailings; Technology application; treatment processes; environmental problems; waste storages; mechanochemical activation; non-ferrous metal industry; metal losses; hydrometallurgy; low-waste technologies
• ISSN: 0026-0894; 1573-8892
• DOI: 10.1007/s11015-023-01493-5

The formulated problem of the raw-material base of non-ferrous metallurgy comprises the recovery of valuable components lost in concentration tailings by mechanochemical technology. The wastes of non-ferrous metallurgy sub-branches form exploitable resources, which, in addition to economic damage from incomplete metal extraction, cause environmental problems. The primary technologies for processing complex ores, which fail to provide waste-free concentration, cause an imbalance between raw material extraction and processing indicators since all the applied methods do not provide waste-free concentration processes. It is possible to increase the extraction of metals up to the background level by treating them with chemical reagent solutions at the time of formation of active mineral surfaces. There is also a tendency to involve metal leaching technologies in the exploitation of waste storages. The possibility of improving recovery rates during ore concentration provides a combination of traditional technologies with new technologies by supplementing the traditional technological chain with activator devices. The combination of traditional and new low-waste technologies will strengthen mineral safety through the rational use of the existing mineral resource base.