Mica flotation analysis in the beneficiation of hard rock lithium ore

Abstract

This thesis explores the selective flotation of mica from hard rock lithium ore, recognizing mica as a valuable by-product in lithium processing. The primary aim is to investigate key flotation parameters that enable efficient mica separation, thereby improving overall beneficiation efficiency while minimising lithium losses. To achieve this, controlled laboratory-scale flotation experiments were conducted to systematically examine the influence of critical variables, pH, collector dosage, and conditioning time, on mica flotation performance.

The findings reveal that flotation performance is strongly influenced by key process variables. This study successfully met its objectives by confirming that operating under alkaline pH conditions, applying a sufficient collector dosage, and reducing conditioning time significantly enhanced the selective recovery of mica while preserving lithium content in the flotation feed. Identifying these effective conditions highlights the potential to improve both the efficiency and selectivity of the beneficiation process. These results provide a solid foundation for future process optimization and support the development of more efficient and sustainable strategies for hard-rock lithium ore processing.