Wolframite Beneficiation Solutions

Stage 1: Crushing & Pre-Enrichment

Raw ore undergoes primary and secondary crushing (Jaw & Cone Crushers) to reduce the rock to -30mm. To save massive amounts of downstream grinding energy, the crushed ore is fed into Coarse Mineral Jigs or Heavy Media Cyclones. This pre-enrichment stage instantly discards large volumes of barren waste rock and recovers coarse tungsten nuggets before they enter the mill.

Stage 2: Stage Grinding & Classification

The pre-enriched ore enters a Rod Mill or Ball Mill operating in a strict closed-circuit with a Spiral Classifier. This setup ensures the ore is ground just enough to achieve mineral dissociation without over-grinding the brittle wolframite into unrecoverable mud (slimes).

Stage 3: Gravity Roughing

The classified slurry is routed to high-capacity Trapezoidal Jigs and Spiral Chutes to recover the bulk of the medium and fine-grained tungsten. The jig tailings are then passed over Shaking Tables for precision sweeping. This stage produces a highly enriched "gross heavy sand."

Stage 4: Selection & Complex Separation

The gross sand from the gravity circuit usually contains sulfides, cassiterite (tin), and scheelite. We purify this using a combination of technologies:

• Desulfurization: The concentrate is run through a Flotation Machine to suppress the tungsten and float off the sulfur (pyrite/arsenopyrite).
• Magnetic Separation: A High-Intensity Magnetic Separator exploits the weak magnetism of wolframite to pull it away from non-magnetic cassiterite and scheelite.
• Table Flotation: A specialized combination of flotation and shaking tables further cleans the concentrate to achieve the national standard WO₃ ≥ 65% grade.

Stage 5: Fine Slime Recovery (The Key to High Yields)

Despite careful grinding, some -0.074mm fine wolframite slimes are inevitably produced. These slimes are deslimed in a thickener and processed using Centrifugal Concentrators and Belt Chutes. The recovered ultrafine tungsten is then finally purified using benzohydroxamic acid flotation or high-gradient magnetic separation.

• Raw Ore Grade Intake: 0.2% - 0.8% WO₃
• Final Concentrate Grade: ≥ 65% WO₃ (Meets National Standard First Grade).
• Whole-Process Recovery Rate: 90% - 92% (Significantly higher than single-flotation processes).
• Associated Element Recovery: Tin (Sn) 80-85%, Sulfur (S) >85%.

Q1: How do you separate Wolframite from Cassiterite (Tin)?

A: This is a common metallurgical challenge because both minerals are incredibly heavy and often form together. Gravity separation cannot tell them apart. To solve this, we utilize a High-Intensity Magnetic Separator. Wolframite is weakly magnetic, while cassiterite is entirely non-magnetic. Passing the heavy concentrate through a strong magnetic field easily and cleanly separates the two valuable metals.

Q2: Why is "Fine Slime Recovery" so critical for Wolframite?

A: Wolframite is exceptionally brittle. Even with the best stage-grinding practices, about 10-20% of the ore will shatter into microscopic dust (-0.074mm) called "slimes." Standard jigs and shaking tables cannot recover particles this small. By integrating Centrifugal Concentrators and specialized slime flotation into the tail-end of the circuit, we recover this microscopic tungsten, boosting the total plant revenue by up to 20%.

End-to-End EPC Tungsten Mining Solutions

This combined gravity-magnetic-flotation flowsheet is the most reliable and economically proven route for processing Wolframite globally. GravityMineral provides Full-Cycle Turnkey EPC Services:

• Test Research: Detailed ore selectivity testing to ensure scientific flowsheet design.
• Equipment Manufacturing: Supply of all heavy-duty crushers, mills, and multi-stage separators.
• Commissioning & Training: Global on-site deployment to guarantee target recovery rates and train your staff.

Contact our metallurgical experts today for a customized plant layout and equipment quotation.