PROCESSING OF LOW-GRADE GRAPHITE ORES OF ORISSA, INDIA

Low grade graphite samples containing 12.2-13.1% fixed carbon from Raj unagfena, Orissa, India have been investigated for characterisation an d amenability to beneficiation. The graphite is of the well crystallis ed flaky variety, and is associated with orthoclase, quartz, plagiocla se, biotite, garnet, sillimanite, kaolinite as dominant gangue mineral s. The textures, microstructures and liberation of graphite and their implications in beneficiation are described in this paper. The optimum liberation size of the graphite was determined to be below 210 mu m; Beneficiation studies indicated that a concentrate with 79% fixed carb on, at a recovery 80.1% can be achieved by cleaning the rougher concen trate five times in a conventional flotation cell. Almost similar grad e and recovery can be obtained in two stages by column flotation. Copy right (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.