Application of liquid/solid fluidization technique in beneficiation of fines

Use of liquid/solid fluidization techniques for size classification is a common practice in mineral processing operations. Extending its application in gravity separation for finer feed particles (− 0.5 mm) is not straightforward as these fine size particles tend to remain in a mixed state during fluidization. In this paper an effort is made to explore the possibilities of adopting liquid/solid fluidization technique to beneficiate fine-size feed. The study shows that separation is effective within a limited range of size (ratio) with proper control on superficial water velocity. This study is relevant to beneficiation of low-grade ore which typically liberates at finer size where beneficiation has been a challenge.