Separation of colemanite from tailings using the pilot scale flotation column

The tailing discharged in mineral processing plants is not only an economical loss, but also an environmental problem in mining industry. For example, fine grained tailing of Emet Boron Concentrator in Kutahya/Turkey is discharged to the slurry pond. However, the B₂O₃ content of the tailing is about 26%, and therefore, it can be accepted as a valuable boron source after the determination of suitable method/methods to recycle these tailings. In this context, this study was aimed to utilize a column flotation technique to recycle the colemanite tailings after scrubbing-classification process. The effect of some operational parameters such as bias factor and superficial gas velocity was investigated on column flotation of colemanite in terms of recovery and grade. According to the results, a concentrate having nearly 45% B₂O₃ with a recovery of 99% was obtained from the tailings sample with 26% B₂O₃ using the flotation column. Finally, a colemanite concentrate of 43.12% B₂O₃ was produced with a recovery of 93.46% using scrubbing-classification followed by flotation processes.