The Three Major Stages of Fluorite Beneficiation

Jiangxi-300TPD-Fluorite-Flotation-Plant

Fluorite is a critical non-metallic mineral widely used in metallurgy, chemical engineering, building materials and other fields, serving as an indispensable raw material in industrial production. Rational and efficient mineral processing technology is crucial to improving fluorite recovery rate and concentrate quality. This paper focuses on the research of fluorite beneficiation technology, optimizes the process flow and equipment configuration based on the characteristics of run-of-mine ore, and strengthens the resource utilization of tailings, providing technical support for the efficient development of fluorite resources and green production.

1. Introduction to Run-of-Mine Ore

• Fluorite, also known as fluorspar, is mainly composed of calcium fluoride (CaF₂) and is an important industrial non-metallic mineral. It mostly occurs as white, green or purple massive ore with low hardness and brittle texture. Ore is graded by grade; generally, ore with CaF₂ content above 20% is economically processable. Countries with abundant reserves include Mexico, South Africa, Mongolia and others.

2. Beneficiation Processes

(1) Crushing and Grinding

(2) Flotation

(3) Gravity Separation

(4) Magnetic Separation

1. Crushing Equipment

• Jaw Crusher

• Cone Crusher

• Impact Crusher

2. Grinding Equipment

• Ball Mill

• Rod Mill

3. Classifying Equipment

• Spiral Classifier

• Hydrocyclone

4. Flotation Equipment

• Mechanical Agitation Flotation Cell

5. Dewatering Equipment

• Thickener

• Filter Press

6. Auxiliary Equipment

• Magnetic Separator

• Agitation Tank

• Belt Conveyor

1. Tailings Disposal

(1) Dewatering and Dry Stacking

• Tailings slurry is first concentrated in a thickener and then dewatered by a filter press. The dewatered tailings are stored in dry stacks in tailings ponds.

(2) Recleaning and Recovery

• Residual fluorite or valuable gangue minerals (such as quartz and calcite) in tailings are recovered by recleaning using flotation machines, flotation columns or gravity separation equipment.

2. Environmental Protection and Recycling

• A tailings water treatment system is established to adjust pH value, remove suspended solids and fluoride.

Fluorite, also known as fluorspar, is mainly composed of calcium fluoride and is an important industrial mineral. Run-of-mine ore usually contains impurities such as quartz and calcite, and ore with CaF₂ content above 20% is processable. Global reserves are mainly concentrated in Mexico, China, South Africa and other countries. Fluorite is mainly beneficiated by flotation: after crushing, grinding and classification, the ore is purified by flotation machines and then dewatered to obtain qualified concentrate. Tailings are concentrated, filter-pressed and dry-stacked, and can be recovered or used as building materials. Tailings water is recycled after treatment, balancing resource utilization and environmental requirements.