Lithium: dense medium separation where flotation cannot do it alone

Spodumene and petalite ores treated by a combination of dense medium separation, gravity recovery of tantalum and niobium, mica flotation and spodumene flotation.

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Process route

Lithium ores rarely respond to one method. The Zimbabwe programme is the clearest example: petalite would not separate by flotation, so dense medium separation was tested and adopted.

Crushing and screening

Three stage crushing with screening to prepare a size range suited to dense medium separation.

Dense medium separation

Petalite is recovered by DMS, verified in the laboratory with tetrabromoethane heavy liquid and at pilot scale with ferrosilicon medium.

Grinding and classification

The DMS product is ground and classified ahead of the separation circuits.

Gravity and desliming

Tantalum and niobium are recovered by gravity separation, then the pulp is deslimed before flotation.

Mica then spodumene flotation

Mica is floated first, then spodumene, producing the lithium concentrate.

Equipment in this circuit

Manufactured at our own bases and matched to the circuit capacity, not bought package by package.

Jaw crusher

PE series for primary crushing and PEX series for secondary and fine crushing.

Vibrating screen

Circular, linear, dewatering and banana screens for sizing and dewatering.

Ball mill

Wet grid mills for primary grinding and overflow mills for secondary grinding.

Spiral chute

Roughing duty on heavy mineral sands and alluvial deposits.

Flotation cells

SF, JJF, XCF, KYF and BF machines up to 320 m3, plus flotation columns.

Filter press

Plate and frame and membrane presses for concentrate and tailings dewatering.

Reference projects

Figures are those reported for these projects in the Xinhai project and test brochures.

Zimbabwe

2 Mt/a spodumene plant, recovery 59.5% to 69%, concentrate above 5.5%, 364 days to production

EPC+M+O

Canada

Tailings retreatment test, lithium concentrate at 3.83% Li2O and 57.92% recovery

Test work

Common questions

Why use dense medium separation on a lithium ore?

Because some lithium minerals do not separate reliably by flotation. In the Zimbabwe project petalite could not be separated effectively by flotation, so DMS was introduced and confirmed at pilot scale with ferrosilicon medium.

Can lithium be recovered from tailings?

In the right circumstances. A Canadian test programme recovered lithium, rubidium and caesium from tailings assaying 0.46% Cs2O, 1.2% Li2O and 0.5% Rb2O, producing a lithium concentrate at 3.83% Li2O with 57.92% recovery on that sample.

How fast can a lithium plant be built?

The Zimbabwe 2 Mt/a plant went from contract signature to production in 364 days under an EPC+M+O contract. Schedule depends on site access, permitting and scope, so treat that as a reference point rather than a promise.

Send the assay and the tonnage target for your Lithium project.

We start with test work on your sample, then size the circuit around the result. Tell us where the project stands and what you need next.