Murmansk Arctic University (Apatity, Russia)

Tereshchenko S. V., Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor

Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Aleksandrova T. N., Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Mineral Processing Department, Aleksandrova_TN@pers.spmi.ru
Glumova A. D., Post-Graduate Student

An analysis of the decline in P₂O₅ content and the level of its fluctuations observed during the mining of low-grade apatite ores of the Khibiny massif is presented. The negative impact of ore quality variability on the beneficiation performance indicators is demonstrated. It is shown that processing of low-grade ores leads to an increase in the yield of finely ground tailings. An analysis of processing flowsheets aimed at stabilizing the feed quality to the concentrator plant through the application of ore blending and pre-concentration as ore preparation operations is carried out. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are outlined. The study establishes the technological superiority of pre-concentration over conventional ore blending. The application of this method enables the separation of barren and weakly mineralized rocks prior to the grinding stage, ensuring a reduction in the yield of fine-grained tailings by at least 20% while maintaining high recovery of valuable components.

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23. Turtygina N. A. Simulation of intermixing in ore drawing process. Mining Informational and Analytical Bulletin. 2021. Iss. 1. pp. 146–159.
24. Tereshchenko S. V., Shibaeva D. N., Alekseeva S. A. X-ray luminescence separation of Khibiny low-grade apatite ore. Journal of Mining Science. 2019. Vol. 55, Iss. 1. pp. 124–133.
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34. Tereshchenko S. V., Marchevskaya V. V., Chernousenko E. V., Rukhlenko E. D., Pavlishina D. N., Smolnyakov A. A. Complex ore pretreatment in technology of low grade apatite-nepheline ore concentration. Mining Informational and Analytical Bulletin. 2016. Iss. 3. pp. 220–227.
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