Concentration of Graphite from Black Mountain Ore using Electrostatic Separation, Air Separation and Flotation
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Authors
Adeyemo, Adewumi Joseph
Date
2024-09-13
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Graphite , Dry Method , Black Mountain , Air Separator , Electrostatic , Flotation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Flotation, a wet method that involves appropriate quantity of water with reagents, is a common technique for graphite beneficiation. However, due to environmental concerns—such as limited access to fresh water in arid environments or depletion of water bodies from consumption and pollution from tailing —alternative approaches are sought. The primary objective of this project was to limit water and reagent consumption during graphite flotation. Consequently, dry beneficiation methods like air separation, electrostatic separation, and magnetic separation were explored as integral parts of the flotation process for Black Mountain graphite ore located near Matawatchan, Ontario, Canada. Emphasis was placed on integrating air separation and magnetic separation, as the separation results obtained from this combination are promising. The air separator was specially designed with button magnets incorporated into its feed chamber allowing minerals like quartz to be successfully removed by the fluidizing action of air, while some paramagnetic minerals were removed by the button magnet. A full factorial design of experiment (DOE) with two levels and four factors was employed to optimize the air separation process. The increase in grade from 3.05% to 80% C with a 13% recovery for particles sized -850/+600 µm and from 4.23% to 88% C with a 40% recovery for particles sized -600/+420 µm suggests that the integration of the air separator with a button magnet holds promising potential for the recovery of large graphite flakes from the Black Mountain graphite ore.
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
Attribution 4.0 International