Ultrafine tantalum recovery strategies

The Bernic Lake mine of the Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada is the largest producer of tantalum concentrate, high purity spodumene, as well as cesium and rubidium ores, in North America. Tantalum is one of the “high-tech” materials, and some of its applications are briefly discussed. um recoveries have consistently been in excess of 70%, from ores grading less than 0.1% Ta2O5. The primary target for increased recovery is in the ultra fine size ranges. This paper discusses ultrafine recovery strategies which have been attempted, including flotation and “slime” gravity concentration devices such as Bartles-Mozley Separators and Crossbelt Concentrators. Testwork has now been carried out on the new generation of fine gravity devices; centrifugal separators. Data from four such devices — Mozley Multigravity Separator, Kelsey Jig, Falcon concentrator and Knelson Concentrator — have been compared with the existing technology, which has resulted in modifications to the fine tantalum recovery circuit.