Mineralogical Characteristics of Hematitic Iron Ore: A Geometallurgical Study on Ore from Eastern India

Abstract

After being subjected to geometallurgical evaluation, the iron ores from Singhbhum Bonai-Keonjhar region, eastern India, have been designated as dense martite microplaty hematite high-strength ore (dM-mH-hs ore), massive dense martite microplaty hematite high-strength ore (mdM-mH-hs ore), schistose microplaty hematite low-strength ore (smH-ls ore), microplaty hematite powdery ore (mH-p ore), vitreous goethitic ore (vG ore), and ochreous goethitic ore (oG ore) end members, with varied strengths attributed to the microporosity levels. The first four variants form typical high-grade run-of-mines (ROMs) (hard, soft and powdery iron ore variants, e.g., ROM-HIO, ROM-SSIO, and ROM-PBD, respectively) with better amenability to beneficiation. In contrast, oG and vG ore end members form ROM lateritic iron ore (ROM-LIO) with poor amenability to beneficiation, having relatively higher concentrates of alumina (~3–6 wt%) due to the complex mineral chemistry of goethite and altered hematite. Banded hematite jasper (BHJ) is a very low-grade siliceous end member. In a mining operation, the ROMs may have the attributes of several combinations of the above-stated end members and ROM variants. The designated end members present in the ROMs determine their liberation, mineralogical processes, geometallurgical characteristics, amenability to beneficiation, product grade and recovery.