Characterization and Beneficiation of Iron Ore Tailings by Selective Flocculation

In the present paper, an attempt has been made to beneficiate iron ore tailings by selective flocculation using guar gum and starch as flocculants along with sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) as the dispersant. The mineralogical studies carried out initially indicated the presence of hematite and goethite as major iron bearing mineral phases along with quartz and kaolinite as major gangue minerals. The selective flocculation process showed that the Fe grade could be enhanced from 58.24 to 65.32 % Fe using starch as flocculant with a recovery of 62.08 %. However, 63.2 % Fe with a recovery of 68.04 % was obtained using guar gum as the flocculant. The efficacy of the studies were analysed using separation efficiency which indicated higher separation efficiency with the tests employing starch as the flocculant along with SHMP.