Effectiveness Of Gravity Concentration For The Beneficiation Of Itakpe (Nigeria) Iron Ore Achieved Through Jigging Operation.

P. A. OLUBAMBI, J. H. POTGIETER

Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering,Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria.
School of Process and Materials Engineering,University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2005.41003                

Abstract

This study investigates the¹ effectiveness of gravity concentration for the beneficiation of Itakpe (Nigeria) iron ore achieved through jigging operations. Iron ore obtained from Itapke Iron Ore Mining Project, Kogi State, Nigeria which contains a very high amount of quartz as revealed by x-ray diffraction was crushed using the laboratory dodge crusher and ground in a laboratory ball mill. Particle size analysis was carried out over the range of +4750μm and -75μm in 12 different mesh sizes, and the ore was jigged in a Laboratory Denver Mineral Jig. The operating variables used to determine the recovery effectiveness of jigging include; particle size, dilution ratio and bedding thickness. Recovery of iron ore was assessed by determining the percentages of Fe in the underflow and overflow using the Atomic Absorption spectrometry (AAS) method. Optimum iron ore recovery of 71% was achieved when the jig was operated at medium stroke and speed, with a feed slurry of average dilution and at a particle size of 600μm.

Keywords

Iron ore; Jigging; Particle size; Dilution ratio; Bedding thickness

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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