Scientific publications

The results of the technological and mineralogical study of genetically different apatite-bearing ores. The arguments presented show that the flotation properties of apatite-bearing ores are chiefly affected by three groups of factors: 1) mineral composition (the paragenesis of minerals, which shows the technological type of ore and the ratio of major ore-forming minerals); 2) textural and structural characteristics (forms of isolation of apatite, the degree of opening of apatite and accompanying mineral intergrowth, the presence of microinclusions in apatite grains and particle-size distribution); 3) the composition and properties of ore-forming apatite (isomorphic impurities in the cation group and defects in the crystalline structure assessed by the number of the paramagnetic centres of F--O-F-). All these factors affect the final indices of flotation, the quality of concentrate and the extraction of phosphorus pentoxide. As the composition and technological properties of apatite-bearing ores are heterogeneous, one should consider the above factors in geological-and-technological mapping, evaluation of expected dressability and solving dressing problems.