Geometallurgical assessment: beneficiation of rare earth minerals as a possible by-product from the Vergenoeg Fluorite Mine, South Africa


Geometallurgical assessment: beneficiation of rare earth minerals as a possible by-product from the Vergenoeg Fluorite Mine, South Africa

Birtel, S.; Kern, M.; Höfig, T.; Krause, J.; Gutzmer, J.

A systematic geometallurgical study of the rare earth mineralogy and beneficiation potential as by-product was carried out at the Vergenoeg Fluorite Mine, South Africa. For this purpose, a representative suite of samples was collected from a mining block prior to blasting. After mining, this material was tracked through the beneficiation plant by sampling all crucial steps. Whole rock geochemical analyses, quantitative mineralogical and microstructural analyses (by MLA), complemented by mineral chemistry data for relevant REE minerals, were obtained for undisturbed and processed samples. These data were used to assess the deportment of REE and to track the route of REE minerals within the beneficiation process.
Microcrystalline xenotime and monazite were found to be the two most abundant REE minerals, with all other REE minerals of only very minor quantitative importance. Process samples from the flotation circuit illustrate that the material from the cleaner circuit (B) tailing, being usually considered as waste, is strongly enriched in both monazite and xenotime. The REE minerals are well liberated, thus leading to the conclusion that it may be feasible to produce REE minerals as a future by-product by only slight modification of the current flow sheet.

Keywords: REE; MLA; mineral processing; geometallurgy

  • Contribution to proceedings
    13th SGA biennial Meeting in Nancy, France, 24.-27.08.2015, Nancy, France
    Proceedings of the 13th SGA biennial Meeting, Vol 4, Nancy, 1383-1386
  • Poster
    13th SGA biennial Meeting in Nancy, France, 24.-27.08.2015, Nancy, France

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Publ.-Id: 21876