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IRON OBTANTION FROM TAILINGS THROUGH GRAVIMETRIC SEPARATION METHODS
Igor Diniz1; Amanda Mendes, Sra1; Luciana Mascarenhas1; Leonardo Granato1; Vinícius Park2; Wilson José Guerra3; Paulo Assis1
1Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil; 2Ouro Preto, Brazil; 3Gorceix Foundation, Ouro Preto, Brazil

PAPER: 156/Mineral/Regular (Oral) OS
SCHEDULED: 14:00/Wed. 19 Nov. 2025/Orchid

ABSTRACT:

This study aims to quantify the amount of iron recoverable from iron ore tailings through physical separation methods applied both individually and in combined sequences. The separation techniques employed include the Humphrey spiral concentrator, magnetic drum separator, and shaking table, all widely used for fine mineral processing. The experiments were designed to evaluate the iron content recovered using each method separately and all six possible combinations of the three techniques in different sequences. For each configuration, tailings samples were processed, and the resulting concentrate was analyzed to determine iron recovery efficiency, yield, and grade. The results showed that while individual methods such as the shaking table or magnetic separation yielded moderate iron recoveries, sequential processing— particularly combinations starting with gravity concentration (Humphrey spiral) followed by magnetic separation—produced significantly higher iron recovery rates. The study demonstrates that proper sequencing of physical separation techniques can substantially enhance the beneficiation potential of iron ore tailings, contributing to resource recovery and environmental demage mitigation.

REFERENCES:
[1] SEIFELNASSR, Ahmed A.S.; MOSLIM, Eltahir M.; ABOUZEID, Abdel-Zaher M. Concentration of a Sudanese low-grade iron ore. International Journal of Mineral Processing, v. 122, p. 59–62, 10 jul. 2013.