Crystalline graphite has natural floatability, so Xingkuang Group mainly uses flotation method to separate graphite ore. Flake graphite has good floatability, therefore, flotation is mostly used for sorting. For graphite ores with multiple types of gangue, a combined process of gravity separation and flotation can also be used.

Application area 

The graphite ore selection process is mainly applicable to various graphite ores with different crystal shapes, as well as graphite ores accompanied by silicate minerals such as mica or pyrite.

Process Introduction

Multi stage grinding and multi-stage flotation

To protect the graphite flakes from damage, Xingkuang Group often adopts a multi-stage grinding process. After multiple rounds of grinding and selection, the quality of the concentrate meets the requirements. In multi-stage flotation processes, commonly used foaming agents include No.2 oil, No.4 oil, ether alcohol, butyl ether oil, etc; Collectors include kerosene, diesel, heavy oil, sulfonic acid esters, sulfuric acid esters, phenols, carboxylic acids, etc.

Combined process of re-election and flotation

For graphite ores with heavy minerals, the Xingkuang Group's combined process of gravity separation and flotation can be used for separation. That is, heavy minerals are first separated by gravity separation, and then the gravity tailings (light minerals) are treated by flotation.

Representative case: A graphite mine in Africa

The graphite ore type is mainly graphite granulite, followed by graphite schist. The beneficial mineral composition of graphite ore is mainly medium scale crystalline graphite. After comprehensive analysis of the properties of the raw ore, Xingkuang Group has added one sweep and one selection to the original graphite beneficiation process in order to ensure the quality of the concentrate. After nine stages of grinding, the raw ore undergoes one coarse selection, one sweep selection, and nine selections. Through pre beneficiation tests on the graphite ore, it was found that the ore has good selectivity. Therefore, the flotation process of single flotation and conventional multi-stage grinding and multi-stage selection is technically feasible, with a simple flotation reagent system and advanced and reliable beneficiation indicators. Afterwards, a graphite concentrate with a yield of up to 14.20%, a fixed carbon content of 92.30%, and a recovery rate of 87.91% was obtained, which created significant economic and social benefits for the enterprise and received high praise from its partners.