Beneficiation Study on Low-Grade Graphite Ore of Shounter Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan

Abstract

A low-grade graphite ore originating from Kael area, Shounter Valley, Azad Kashmir, assaying 8.90% graphite content was upgraded by froth flotation technique to produce a commercial grade graphite concentrate. Mineral phases present in the ore were identified by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The variables of flotation process such as particle size of the feed, pH of the pulp, % solids of the pulp, speed of impeller, type and quantity of collecting and frothing agents, conditioning time and froth collecting time were optimized to get maximum grade and recovery of graphite mineral. The pH of the pulp was adjusted with sodium carbonate. Kerosene oil was used as collector while pine oil as frother respectively. Sodium silicate was employed as depressant. The grade of the final graphite concentrate produced was 85.80% C with overall recovery of 86.00%. Its surface morphology was studied using SEM-EDX technique while grain size by laser particle size analyzer.