INTEGRATED WASTELESS METHOD FOR PROCESSING MANGANESE ORES Russian patent published in 1997 - IPC

FIELD: mining industry. SUBSTANCE: invention focuses on low-grade manganese ores and technogenous deposits of manganese ores. Method includes transporting ores, rapidly analyzing them by nuclear-physics technique, averaging quality of ores, nuclear-physics sorting and piece-by-piece separation by means of rapid separator utilizing X-ray fluorescent radiation, bacterial heap leaching of silica utilizing silicate bacteria, and leaching manganese with thion bacteria T.ferrooxidans. To improve quality of manganese, reduce silica to manganese ratio in ore to 0.2-0.4, and increase 1.9-2.3 times manganese content, mineral mass is separated utilizing X-ray radiometric sorting and separation technique into five products: enriched products, intermediate products 1, 2, and 3, and refuse tails. Intermediate products 1 and 2 are processed utilizing activity of silicate bacteria, and intermediate products 3 with heterotrophic microorganisms Achrombacter or thion bacteria. To avoid manganese loss with fine slimes of oxidized or carbonate manganese ores, operations of collecting manganese ores and slime with size less than 10 mm and processing them in mixture with intermediate product 3 are included. The same is with non-enriched fractions less than 25 mm. When processing intermediate product 3, solution is supplemented by ammonium sulfate and , to intensify oxidation of manganese ores, living biomass products are added. Filtrate containing ammonium sulfate and nitrate is collected in special containers to be used as fertilizer. EFFECT: facilitated manganese recovery. 11 cl, 1 dwg, 2 tbl