Gravity Separation And Leaching Beneficiation Study On Azara Nassarawa Barite Mineral Ore
The comparative study for the recovery of Azara barite mineral ore found in Nassarawa State, Nigeria using jigging and tabling gravity separations and leaching (with HCl and H2SO4 Acids) processes of concentrates was investigated. The microstructural, chemical composition and physical properties of the as-mined sample of Azara barite mineral ore were analysed. The sample was then concentrated using the gravity separation and leaching processes. The microstructural and chemical composition analyses of the products of concentration were carried out to establish the effectiveness and efficiency of the methods for the recovery of Azara barite mineral ore. Xray Diffraction (XRD), Xray Fluorescence (XRF), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) tests; were used to carry out the morphology and chemical analysis of the Azara barite ore. From the results, the Azara barite ore contains approximately 36.2% barium (Ba) based on XRF and 50.5% barium (Ba) based on EDS tests with a specific gravity of 3.85. A random sieve size of -355+250?m was selected for jigging and tabling of the Azara barite ore. The EDS result of the products of jiggling and tabling shows that jigging had a recovery of 69.8% Barium with an average specific gravity of 4.28 while tabling had a recovery of 69.5% Barium with an average specific gravity of 4.18. Leaching of the barite ore was done using 0.5 and 1.0 molar concentration solution of HCl and H2SO4. The results of the leaching process show that the super concentrates have average specific gravities of between 2.36 to 4.46 for different temperatures and molar concentrations of HCl and H2SO4. The best specific gravities obtained are 4.29, 4.39 and 4.46 at 30 minutes with 0.5 and 1.0 molar concentration of HCl and H2SO4 respectively. Therefore, the results of this research work have established that the Azara barite ore found in Nassarawa state, Nigeria is suitable for oil and gas applications.
