Chromite ore is an important raw material for the production of various alloys, including stainless steel and ferrochrome-nickel alloys. The chromite ore beneficiation process is designed to improve the grades of chromite ore and maximize its recovery.
The purpose of chromite ore beneficiation is to upgrade the raw ore and achieve its economic value. A process adopted to enhance the chromite ore grade includes crushing, grinding, gravity separation, dust concentration, floatation and magnetic separation.
Crushing is to reduce the size of the ore particles and liberate the gangue minerals, thereby increasing the grade of the ore processors. After crushing the ore is sieved by means of a coarse-grain sieve and then conveyed to the fine-grain sieve.
The grinding process will further reduce the size of the ore particles, and in the meantime liberate the chromium minerals from the gangue particles. Fine grinding can be achieved in a number of ways, such as ball mill, rod mill and autogenous mill.
Gravity separation is used to separate the chromium minerals with different density from the impurities. The purpose of the gravity separation is to liberate the chromium minerals from the gangue minerals so that it can be cleaned up.
Dust concentration is a process to separate the silicate gangue from the chromium minerals. It is done by subjecting the crushed chromite ore to the electric field to separate the fine particles of chromite ore from the gangue particles.
Flotation is used to separate the chromite ore from the gangue minerals. In the flotation process, the finely crushed ore is mixed with the suitable chemical reagents and agitated in an aerated medium that produces froths.
Magnetic separation is used for removing magnetic impurities from the ore. It uses a magnet which is magnetized to extract the chromite minerals from the ore. Magnetism of different minerals varies and hence helps in separating them from the ore.
The chromite ore beneficiation process can produce different grades of chromite ore concentrates depending on the ore size, chemical composition and mechanical properties of the ore particles. It is also used to separate the ultra-fine particles from the ore particles.
The process of chromite ore beneficiation involves several steps. These include crushing, grinding, gravity separation, dust concentration, floatation and magnetic separation. The beneficiated ore can then be used in the production of different alloys. Chromite ore beneficiation can improve the grade of chromite ore and maximize its recovery.
