Characterization of low grade PGE ores of Boula-Nuasahi Area, Odisha, India and implication on beneficiation

The Boula area contains important PGE mineralization in India, confined to a narrow breccia zone. Ferrochromite and Base Metal Sulfides (BMS) are two important hosts for this mineralization. PGE minerals are very small in size and occur as inclusions/exsolutions in chromite and silicates and/or at the contact of chromite and silicates, as well as in BMS. The size of PGE minerals varies from <1 mu to 50 mu and the grade of mineralization is around 1.877 ppm. Due to very low grade and diverse mineral associations coupled with very fine size, pre-concentration of PGE minerals is a very difficult and challenging task. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.