Recuperação de concentrados de titânio e fosfato a partir dos rejeitos magnéticos de alto campo das usinas de fosfato do complexo alcalino-carbonatítico de Catalão I

Abstract

With the rich and heterogeneous mineral assembly presented by the Catalão I Alkaline- Carbonatite Complex, mining of apatite on site generates treatment/beneficiation waste (tailings) that provide interesting opportunities for economic utilization of new mineral commodities for the local activity. Specifically, high magnetic field tailings (MAC) from phosphate plants present opportunities to be processed through alternative routes, producing concentrates of ilmenite and apatite minerals. In this study, alternative routes were developed involving grinding, magnetic separation, silica and titanium flotation, resulting in ilmenite concentrates ranging from 32.52% to 40.27% TiO2 grade with global metallurgical TiO2 recoveries ranging from 53.72% to 63.31%. In addition, apatite concentrates showed an average grade of 31.87% P2O5 with global metallurgical P2O5 recoveries of 60.82%. Preliminary hydrometallurgical tests were also performed, which resulted in final products with TiO2 grades of around 77% but with low global metallurgical recoveries in the tests performed. Finally, financial evaluations were conducted on the premise of recovering such tailings and producing ilmenite and apatite concentrates for commercialization in the market. These estimates provided revenue and profit values around 52.6 and 40.3 million Brazilian reais annually, respectively, for the mining company in the study. This presents a possibility for generating greater added value for the activities carried out by the mining company and for the society of Goiás as a whole.