Separation behavior of Falcon concentrator for the recovery of ultrafine scheelite particles from the gold mine tailings

The utilization of mining and industrial wastes is gaining importance worldwide as it is a potential resource of many valuable minerals. The present study is focused on the separation of the fine and ultra-fine size scheelite particles present in the gold mine tailings using a Falcon advanced gravity concentrator. The manuscript reveals the mechanism of separation, segregation of particles, a saturation of the concentrate bed, and the role of different process parameters in the scheelite recovery. The experimental results indicate that the formation of the concentrate bed inside the Falcon bowl constitutes mainly coarse particles in the initial interval, which are later replaced by fine heavy particles. The saturation studies, carried out using different amounts of feed, indicate that the bowl can operate with 830g of feed sample, called the critical mass, beyond which erosion of particles occurs. Considering the Falcon concentrator efficiency is greatly influenced by operating variables such as bowl speed, wash water rate, and feed rates, statistical tools have been used to evaluate the influence of the different variables on yield, enrichment ratio, and recovery of WO3 values. The results indicate that only bowl speed and wash water have a significant effect on the separation efficiency. The optimum results for all the three responses were obtained as 17.16% yield, 4.66 as enrichment ratio, 67.5% of recovery at a rotational speed of 70 Hz, and wash water rate of 4 L/min where feed rate was fixed at 1 kg/min.

Automated summary

The study focuses on the separation of fine and ultra-fine scheelite particles in gold mine tailings using a Falcon advanced gravity concentrator. Experimental results show that the concentrate bed inside the Falcon bowl initially consists of coarse particles and later replaced by fine heavy particles. Statistical tools reveal that bowl speed and wash water rate significantly affect the separation efficiency, with optimum results achieved at a rotational speed of 70 Hz and a wash water rate of 4 L/min.