STALE TAILINGS OF COPPER-CRUSTED ORES FLOTATION WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF GOLD AND SILVER SELECTIVE EXTRACTION: RESOURCE POTENTIAL ANALYSIS
Authors:   Magnitogorsk State Technical University named after G. I. Nosov, Medyanik N. , Leontieva E. ,   UralEnergoresurs LLC, Mishurina O. ,   Magnitogorsk State Technical University named after G. I. Nosov, Mullina E. ,   Magnitogorsk State Technical University named after G. I. Nosov
Published: October 2021

The article analyzes the possibility and efficiency of processing stale tailings of flotation plants of the copper pyrite complex. The resource potential, material composition and technological capabilities of processing a number of technogenic objects are considered. The interrelation and influence of mineralogical and technological factors on the choice of tailings processing technology are analyzed. The results of chemical, mineral and phase analysis of stale flotation tailings of the studied pyrite ores are presented. According to the complex studies’ results, it is established that the stale flotation tailings of copper pyrite ores belong to a refractory type of geo-resources due to the high content of pyrite and low, at the level of ppm, gold and silver content, which are present mainly in the “resistant” minerals - chalcogenides, sulphides, their intergrowths. The article presents a factor analysis and conditions for the elemental composition of tailings formation: mineralogical, technological and environmental. The territorial accessibility and technological capability of the investigated technogenic formations are analyzed. In the course of experimental studies, the elemental composition of stale tailings has been revealed - the main components of which are: iron, sulfur, silicon and aluminum. According to the results of X-ray phase analysis, it has been found that the main ore mineral of the tailings is pyrite. At the same time, it is noted that the main share of gold in the stale flotation tailings is presented in the form of sulphides in the form of finely dispersed and isomorphic inclusions. The heterogeneous morphometric and mineral composition of sulphide aggregates, their difficult opening and high dispersion characterize stale tailings as a raw material that is difficult to float. The revealed features of the material composition of stale tails indicate the impossibility of extracting valuable components (gold and silver) from this resource using existing traditional technologies. It has been proved that it is possible to effectively extract precious metals from this category of raw materials only after their deep opening by chemical processing. The relevance of the research lies in the need to process gold-containing man-made waste in order to significantly expand the raw material base of mining enterprises, as well as to improve the ecological situation of the city-forming mining enterprises of the South Urals. The aim of the research is to study the material composition of stale tailings and develop a technology for selective extraction of gold and silver. The object of research is the stale flotation tailings of copper-pyrite enterprises of the Southern Urals. The subject is the mineral composition, the content of useful components of lying tailings and the technology of gold and silver selective extraction from them. Material and research methods. During the experiments, a set of physicochemical and chemical methods of analysis has been used: thermodynamic analysis, synchronous thermal analysis using a combined thermal analyzer of the Netzsch STA 449 F3 Jupiter brand, UV spectroscopy with an automated data processing system), qualitative chemical and assay analyzes