Dr. Ashok K.

Sahu

CSIR-Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology

Bhubaneswar
 CSIR-Institute of Minerals & Materials
Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneswar
To develop world class innovative Government
technological solutions for the
sustainable utilization of mineral
resources that accrues maximum IMMT
HRD
industrial benefits for the nation. Industry

As the demand of minerals and metals is increasing sharply

and deposit of high grade is depleting very fast, there will
be acute need to develop the process for beneficiation of
the low grade ores to desired values of minerals.
 Process Technologies
Iron Ore Process Flowsheet
The process flowsheet was developed to utilise high clay and goethitic
associated Indian iron ore. Based on this process flowsheet, number
of beneficiation plants were set up.

Graphite Beneficiation
Advanced process flowsheet was developed to maximise the flaky
graphite and high carbon value from the graphite ore. Simultaneously,
high purity (upto 100% Carbon value) and colloidal graphite
processes were developed.)
Coal Beneficiation
A suitable process flowsheet was developed to achieve 10% ash coal
from 30% feed coal for metallurgical industries.
 Process Technologies
Chromite Ore Beneficiation
The existing process flowsheet was modified to beneficiate the lean
grade ore to maximise the chrome value by addition of gravity,
magnetic separator and flotation.

Phosphate Ore Beneficiation

Advanced process flowsheet was developed to produce high grade
concentrate for edible phosphoric and fertilizer phosphoric acids.
Bauxite Ore Beneficiation
A suitable process flowsheet was developed to reduce the reactive
silica from low grade bauxite ore for utilisation as feed material in
alumina refinery industry.
 Process Optimisation of Existing
Beneficiation Plants
 Iron Ore Beneficiation Plant, Essar Steel Ltd., Kirandul
(Chattishgarh)
 Iron ore beneficiation plant, KIOCL, Mangalore, Karnataka.
 Iron Ore Beneficiation Plant, Jindal Saw Ltd, Bhilwara,
Rajasthan
 Iron Ore Beneficiation Plant, BMM Ispat, Hospet, Karnataka
 Graphite Ore Beneficiation Plant, TAMIN, Sivaganga,
Tamilnadu
 Studies to improve the performance of Chromite Ore
Beneficiation plant of Orissa Mining Corporation,
Kaliapani, Odisha
 Iron ore
fines Rougher
spiral
Cleaner
Water spiral
Primary
ball mill
Vibrating
screen Pump
box

Derrick screen

hydrocyclone
Vibrating
Screw screen

Primary
classifier

Pump Regrindiing
box ball mill
Pump Pump
box box
Pump Desliming
box cyclone

A Typical Rougher
Cleaner
magnetic
Process Intermediate
Secondary
ball mill
separator
magnetic
separator
thickener
Flowsheet Iron Pump
Pump box
Ore box

Intermediate Concentrate
Tailings
thickener Column thickener
thickener
flotation
Tailings
Conc. for
DRI Pellet
Pump
Conditioner Conc. for
BF Pellet
 Process of High Purity Graphite

Column
Storage flotation
bin Storage
tank

Ball mill Dryer

Centrifuge
Slurry pump

Storage Water to recycle

tank

Storage bin
Reactors

Washing Water Storage

tank High purity
graphite
Centrifuge
Low grade
product
Evaporator Centrifuge Conditioner
 Reagent
Crusher Conditioner

Storage bin Rougher cell Scavenger cell

Rod mill
BIN BIN

Ball mill Ball mill

P3
Hydrocyclone

Column
Hydrocyclone
flotation Column
flotation
Ball mill Column
Screen
flotation

Ball mill

Hydrocyclone

Column
Column flotation
flotation
P1
Tailings
Thickener
Ball mill

Conc.
Thickener
Rejects

Rotary drum filter

Process flowsheet for
P2 Graphite ore beneficiation
 Production of Graphene Oxide
High Pure Planetary Ball Mill
Graphite

 Production of graphene oxide in dry process

without using any chemical additives or
producing any waste.

 Mass scale production through dual drive

planetary milling
 Equipment Development

 Air Dense Medium Fluidised Bed Separator

 Improved Column Flotation System
 Pneumo-Flotation Cell
 Vertical Swing Planetary Ball Mill
 Improved Mineral Jig
 Screw Scrubber
 Column Thickener
 Air Dense Medium Fluidised Bed Separator
Air Exhust Air Exhust

 The air dense medium

Bag
Bag
Filter
Filter

Material with Magnetite powder

separation uses a dense Feed Hopper

Motor drive

fluidized medium of air and Rotary Air Lock Valve

fine magnetite particles for

beneficiation of ores/minerals. Fluidised Bed

Light
Heavy Air Distributor
Material
Material
Plenum Chamber Discharge
Discharge
Chute
Chute

 By means of a two phases Rotameters

Air Regulating
Valves
Rotameter

gas-solid pseudo-fluid
Compressed Air Holder
Air Dryer

Air
from
Moisture Removal Compressor

separating medium, the light

and heavy particles stratify in
the fluidized bed according to
their individual density.
 Pilot scale rectangular shape of fluidized
bed system
 Capacity of 500 kg/per hour
 Magnetite powder as media
 Indian high ash coal of size of -25+6 mm
used
 Reduction of the ash content from 40 to
32-33% with 65-70% yield
Improved Flotation Column System
Column flotation is one of the best
unit operation to extract the
metallurgical values from low grade
fines of ores/minerals.

Improved designs :
 Online maintenance of air sparger
 Wash water distribution
 Eddy breakers

 Basic design as well as detailed

design of commercial column
flotation system was given.

 Detailed design of flotation

column has been given for
phosphate , iron ore tailings,
graphite, coal, antimony ore
beneficiation
Improved Flotation Column System

Technology Transferred to
Industries
Pneumo Flotation Cell

 Pneumo cell is
designed on
column flotation
concept.

 Three part short

column connected
in series.

 Three products can

be got from the
same input material
in one stage.
 Planetary Ball Mill for Ultra Fine Grinding

 Solid state reaction Foo

 Preparation of colloidal powder material
Fo
 Mechanical alloying
1
Fc
Fg
O
o
G/2 o

2
 Screw Scrubber

 Screw scrubber is designed to scrub

particles below 10 mm particles
 Separate clays from ores before it is
fed to other machines in down line.
 For some ore it does attrition
 Commercial Design up to 150 TPH
has been transferred to industry.
 Improved Mineral JIG

 It can segregate particles

when feed materials contain
high near gravity materials
more efficiently.
 It can segregate particles
with flaky nature efficiently.
 It can handle fragile ores
effectively.
 It provides different
amplitudes along the length
of the jig.
 Technology Transferred to
Industry
 Column Thickener
(Multi-force system)

 Design of laboratory column thickener

for settling study
Water
 Enhance the settling rate using Feed Feed Water
flocculent as well as application of
magnetic carrier technology
 Design the pilot scale column
thickener with auto control system Magnetic
 Study and optimize the performance field
of column thickener
Magnetic
 Demonstration of column thickener in field
commercial scale with participation of
industries.
Sludge
Sludge
 Future R&D Programme

 Development of process to maximise the iron recovery from

lean grade ores by combination of physical and
pyrometallurgical routes
Ex. Reduction roasting of low grade iron ore followed by
physical beneficiation
 Beneficiation of Indian coal to achieve less than 10% ash
 Production of high purity graphite, colloidal graphite and
graphene in commercial scale
 Development of indigenous equipment for mineral
processing
THANK YOU