Beneficiation Characteristics of Bellary Hospet Region Low-Grade Iron Ore 47

Beneficiation Characteristics of Bellary Hospet Region

Low-Grade Iron Ore
B. Suresh, K.T. Sharana Gouda, M. Prabhu, U.S. Yadav and D.L. Saralaya
JSW Steel Ltd., Vijayanagar Works, Bellary, Karnataka

ABSTRACT: Mineral resources available in nature being non-renewable necessitate a proper and
thorough planning for balanced mining along with beneficiation of low grade ores. The projected steel
consumption and growth pattern makes the beneficiation of low grade iron ore absolutely essential. Indian
low-grade iron ores are contaminated with alumina and silica. Laboratory and pilot scale beneficiation
studies were undertaken on selective samples of different mine localities. Studies revealed that the valuable
and gangue minerals are in intrinsic association and even at 1 micron size level minerals are in the
interlocked form. The -25 micron fraction deprives the performance of concentration techniques. Present
paper records the laboratory and pilot scale beneficiation studies carried out at JSW Steel on low grade iron
ore samples from Bellay-Hospet region and evaluates the possibility of developing a viable flow sheet for its
beneficiation with desired recovery of pellet grade feed.

1. INTRODUCTION association of alumina with iron bearing mineral

even at –500 mesh making beneficiation process
Indian iron ore is characterized by high iron complex and inefficient for recovering the
content with higher alumina. It occurs in different valuables.Relatively soft nature of the ore
geological formations in India, the most important generates excess fines during mining, handling
deposits belong to the pre-Cambrian age. The and processing.
deposits are well spread in different regions of
the country. The deposit of Bellary/Hospet is
considered to be one of the richest iron ore 2. IRON ORE BENEFICIATION
deposits in India. The ore bearing terrain is just
The objective of beneficiation is to eliminate the
south of the Bellary/Hospet Railway line and
gangue constituents and thereby enrich the
comprises Ramandurga, Kumarswamy,
mineral. The effectiveness of a concentrator
Donimalai, Timmappanagudi and Devadarigudda
depends mainly on liberation characteristics of
sections along the eastern and western ranges of
ore and the particle size range of the feed. Most of
Sandur hills. The principal ore bearing minerals of
the countries in the world are practicing
normative composition averaged over a number
beneficiation of low-grade iron ore.
of deposits of Bellary/Hospet area is hematite
70-75%, goethite/limonite 15-20% and martite
5-15%. The composition range is depicted in Indian Scenario
Table 1. The iron ore beneficiation process has not yet
found importance in India compared to the rest of
Salient Features of Bellary-Hospet Ores the world because of the availability of the rich
iron ore. Except KIOCL, ESSAR and few Goa’n
The beneficiation characteristics of ores depend
plants, all others are washing plants which just
on the mode of their formation which varies from
discards liberated silica, alumina and micro-fines
region to region. The salient beneficiation features
by sizing and cycloning. Now due to shortage,
of the Bellary-Hospet region low-grade ores
India is on the verge of switching over from high-
follow.The high content of alumina, The intrinsic
grade to medium/low-grade ores utilization.
48  Mineral Processing Technology (MPT 2007)
These medium/low-grade ores are contaminated (-500#) whereas Fe is in the range of 60% and
with alumina and silica demanding a full-pledged declines in the finer fraction.
beneficiation plants to make them usable.
70 14
Table 1: Chemistry of Bellary-Hospet region
iron ore 60 12

50 10

Constituents Wt,% 40 8

Fe 55-69
30 6

SiO2 0.2-10
20 4

Al2O3 0.9--15
10 %Fe %Al2O3 2

TiO2 0.2-1.2
0 0
MnO 0.1-2.1 60 100 200 325 500 -500
Size, #
P 0.02-0.16
S 0.005-0.05 Fig. 1: Variation of Al2O3 and Fe content with
CaO 0.05-0.2 size in VMPL ore
MgO 0.03-2.1
H2O 2-12
70 14

60 12
3. BENEFICIATION TECHNIQUES
50 10

The success of mineral beneficiation depends on

40 8
selection of concentration technique and the
knowledge of ore characteristics. It may be noted 30 6
that most of the mineral processing techniques fail
20 4
in the ultra-fine size range. Gravity concentration
techniques become unacceptably inefficient and 10 %Fe %Al2O3 2
even flotation, the most popular concentration
technique today, usually fails when used in the 0
35 60 100 200 325 500 -500
0

ultra-fine size range. Size, #

3.1 Study Carried Out at JSW

Two low-grade iron ore samples from Sandur
Manganese Iron Ore Limited (SMIORE, earlier
TSML) and Vijaynagar Minerals Private Limited
(VMPL) were selected for the investigation. The
samples were ground to -1mm size in laboratory
ball mill with care to keep fines generation
minimum. The size-wise washing was carried out
followed by their chemical analysis in bench-top
XRF. The results are shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2. It
may be noted from the fractional size analysis that
alumina and silica are interlocked. The liberated
alumina is concentrating in finer fraction
Fig. 2: Variation of Al2O3 and Fe content with
size in TSML ore
4. HEAVY MEDIA SEPARATION
To further understand the beneficiation
characteristics of these ores the samples were
subjected to heavy media separation. The sink and
the float both were analyzed. In coarser size
fraction (60-100#) interlocking still existed hence
the iron values were slightly low. Whereas in 200-
325#, the liberation was maximum and the Fe
values were high in the range of 65-66%. In
Beneficiation Characteristics of Bellary Hospet Region Low-Grade Iron Ore 49

-500# fraction the liberated gangue materials -270# sample and the grade decreased from
concentrated hence in finer fraction the Fe values 61.55-60.32%Fe. In case of -325# fraction
were low. recovery increased from 3-29% and the grade
This indicates that grinding the material in decreased from 57-53%Fe. The response of finer
the range of 200-325# will yield a better fraction to WHIMS is poor with higher amount of
liberation. The finer fractions in VMPL and entrapments.
TSML material after classification were subjected
to further classification in two-stage cyclone.
64
Fraction-wise feed and concentrate analysis
62
reveals higher Fe values(Mohan Rao et al 2001)
60
with higher yield in -100+500# fraction. This

Product-grade, %Fe
58
infers the low-grade material shall have to be 56
ground to above mentioned size range with the 54
minimum amount of -500# fraction. 52
50
5. MAGNETIC SEPARATION 48

9KGauss

9KGauss
16KGauss

22KGauss

16KGauss

22KGauss
With a view to understand the response of finer
fractions, the -270 & -325# fraction of ores were
subjected to laboratory WHIMS test at three VMPL-270# VMPL-325#
levels of magnetic intensities (9, 16 and
22KGauss). The results are shown in Figs.3, 4, 5
and Fig. 6. Fig. 4: Product-grade in VMPL ore

60 90
80
50
70
Fe Recovery (%)

40
60
Fe Recovery (%)

30 50
20 40
10 30
20
0
10
22KGauss

22KGauss
9KGauss

16KGauss

9KGauss

16KGauss

0
9KGauss

9KGauss

22KGauss
16KGauss

22KGauss

16KGauss

VMPL-270# VMPL-325#

TSML-270# TSML-325#
Fig. 3: Fe recovery in VMPL ore

Fig. 5: Product-grade in WHIMS test of TSML

In TSML-270# fraction with increase of
ore at different sizes
intensity the recovery increased from 53-87% and
the grade decreased from 63.67-62.55%Fe.. In
-325# fraction ores the recovery increased from
35-73% and the grade decreased from 59.87-
57.64%Fe. The response of finer fraction to
WHIMS is poor with higher amount of
entrapments. In VMPL sample, as intensity
increased the recovery increased from 21-51% in
50  Mineral Processing Technology (MPT 2007)
samples are with Fe-grade 65.38% with the
65
64
recovery of 82.0% from the feed grade 62.5%Fe.
63
62
Product-grade, %Fe

61 7. CONCLUSIONS
60
59
58 • High grade iron ore reserves are depleting,
57
56 utilization of low grade iron ore reserves
55 using beneficiation techniques is a need
54
• The cost competitiveness is needed for
9KGauss

9KGauss
16KGauss

22KGauss

16KGauss

22KGauss
survival in the market and growth. This
makes beneficiation of Indian iron ore
TSML-270# TSML-325# necessary.
• Low grade iron ores beneficiation calls for
investments, water resource and slime
Fig. 6: Product-grade in WHIMS test of management.
TSML ore at different sizes
• Heavy media test results of low-grade ores
indicates that the maximum liberation is in
6. COLUMN FLOTATION the size range -100+325#.
A large number of beneficiation plants in the • The WHIMS test results responds
world are using column flotation technique to positively at an average feed size of -270
produce super concentrate from a finer and -325#.
concentrates where magnetic techniques are not • The results of column flotation with
effective due to higher entrapments. Two case respect to both coarser and finer sizes low
studies were undertaken on cyclone concentrate grade iron ores are positive.
and medium-grade slime samples. The above
mentioned two samples were subjected to column
flotation studies at three levels of reagent dosages. REFERENCE
The best results achieved in cyclone concentrate
1. Mohan Rao, S, Roychoudhary, B Rao,
samples are with Fe-grade 64.4% with the
P V T and Baijal, A D, Tata Search,
recovery of 67.5% from the feed grade 62%Fe.
pp.122- 131(2001).
The best results achieved in medium-grade slime