Tungsten Ores

Scheeelite (CaWO₄) is the principal tungsten mineral in domestic ores, but other important tungsten minerals include wolframite (Fe, Mn) WO₄, ferberite (FeWO₄), and hubnerite (MnWO₄). All of these minerals may be floated in a soda ash alkaline pulp with fatty acid type collectors.

Because of the high specific gravity of the tungsten minerals, they are amenable to gravity concentration methods. However, the fine dissemination of the ore minerals in the gangue usually makes fine grinding necessary, and requires at least some flotation concentration for the recovery of the finer sizes. The trend has been toward all-flotation recovery with gravity processes being used only as a means of upgrading a part of the concentrates.

If the ore contains pyrite or other sulfides, a preliminary sulfide flotation stage is usually employed ahead of both tabling and flotation of the tungsten. The low cost and high collecting power of xanthates makes them the favored collector for this sulfide float. Soda ash or sulfuric acid is usually added for pH control. Acid is frequently preferred for those ores containing pyrrhotite. However, its use with calcite gangue ores will result in the formation of calcium sulfate, which may float with and dilute the subsequent tungsten flotation concentrate.



 

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