Recovery of Iron Values from Bacheli Iron Ore Slimes for Use in the Iron and Steel Industries

Abstract

The recovery of iron values from iron ore slimes presents significant environmental and economic challenges for both researchers and the steel industry, as these slimes cannot be used directly in blast furnaces. Nevertheless, they can be effectively upgraded using suitable beneficiation and metallurgical techniques. In this study, iron values were recovered from Bacheli iron ore slimes containing 57.30% Fe, 14.60% SiO2, and 2.25% Al2O3. A systematic beneficiation strategy comprising hydrocyclone classification followed by wet high-intensity magnetic separation (WHIMS) was adopted to improve the grade of iron. The process yielded a combined concentrate obtained by integrating the rougher and scavenger WHIMS products with an iron grade of 65.15% and a yield of 69.18%. The upgraded concentrate contained 3.86% SiO2 and 1.63% Al2O3. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of this beneficiation route in enriching iron values from slimes, upgrading the feed from 57.3% Fe to 65.15% Fe.