Minerals Beneficiation - Flotation of a Canadian Kyanite

KYANITE schists in the Sudbury area have been generally described by Haw,' who has also given particuLar information on preliminary treatment of three large samples from Dryden township, Ontario.' Kyanite, garnet, biotite, quartz, and feldspar comprise the main ingredients of this ore. Kyanite is the valuable mineral. About 5½ tons of —35 +200 mesh product, made by dry rod milling, screening, and separation on the Exolon magnetic separator, were available for treatment by flotation. Magnetic separation had effectively reduced garnet and biotite so that flotation feed consisted essentially of kyanite, quartz, and feldspar, the kyanite content averaging 32 pct and representing about 86 pct of the kyanite in the original ore. Earlier work on kyanite at the Mines Branch, Ottawa, s-c employed an acid circuit, but to avoid production difficulties in the use of acids and at the same time take advantage of the fact that industrial minerals respond somewhat to soap flotation, it was decided first to investigate the higher pH levels. Exploratory tests using —65 +200 mesh feed ended with production of 96.6 pct kyanite concentrate rep-