Characterization and beneficiation potential for valuable heavy minerals from Wadi Ibib stream sediments, southern coast of the Red sea, Egypt

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Nuclear Materials Authority, Maadi, Cairo, Egypt.

10.22059/ijmge.2024.367652.595118

Abstract

Economic heavy minerals (EHMs) in the Quaternary Stream Sediments of Wadi Ibib were characterized mineralogically and chemically via optical microscopy, grain size distribution analysis, heavy liquid separation, x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Information gathered from characterization studies confirmed that the heavy mineral content (specific gravity more than 2.89) in Ibib samples ranged between 8.18 and 17.52% by mass, with an average of about 12.56% mass. EDXRF data analyses also manifested that the content of ilmenite in Ibib sample reaches 0.2%, zircon 0.08%, rutile 0.07%, leucoxene 0.06%, almandine garnet 0.022%, cassiterite 0.007%, xenotime 0.006%, monazite 0.0008%, and magnetite is about 0.29%, with high proportion of heavy silicates.
With regard to raising the grade of the EHMs, heavy mineral concentrate was obtained through a rougher step on Wilfley Shaking Table No. 13, and then it was followed by two scavenging steps for highest recovery obtaining. The gravimetric concentration steps succeeded in raising the heavy mineral assay from 12.17% to 53.41% with recovery of 80.42% in a yield of 20.38%. Finally, magnetic separation operations were conducted via low- and high-intensity magnetic separators at different intensities in an attempt to separate and obtain clean concentrates of EHMs to be ready for use in various modern technology industries.

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References

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International Journal of Mining and Geo-Engineering

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 26 September 2024

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