Very simple method of concentration of iron-free quartz-diopside ores from Slyudyansk deposits

Experimental and calculated characteristics of diopside and diopside-containing ores with a high concentration of quartz and calcite from the Slyudyansk deposits (Southern Baikal Region) are presented. The possibility of effective concentration or separation of ores into quartz and diopside concentrates was demonstrated. The composition of the fractions and efficiency of sizing are, on the one hand, a function of the grinding methods used and, on the other, the starting conditions (i.e. initial ratio of components in the ore and its texture). The technology for concentrating the raw material can include crushing the rocks in a jaw crusher to a size of less than 5 mm; subsequent heat treatment, e.g. in a rotary furnace; sieving or pneumatic grinding; and subsequent sizing and use of the individual fractions. 7 refs.