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EFFECT OF USING DIFFERENT GRINDING MEDIA ON THE FLOTATION

PERFORMANCE OF A PLATINUM GROUP ORE

Z.G. Song1,2 , K.C. Corin1, J.G. Wiese1, *C.T. O'Connor1

1 Centre for Minerals Research, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Cape Town, Cape
Town, South Africa

2 State Key Laboratory of Mineral Processing, Beijing General Research Institute of Mining and
Metallurgy, Beijing, China

(*Corresponding author: [email protected])

ABSTRACT
In the present study the effect of using different grinding media, viz, ceramic balls, forged steel
balls, 15% Cr steel balls, stainless steel and mixture of stainless steel and 15% Cr steel balls (50:50) on the
flotation performance of a Platinum Group Mineral (PGM) UG2 ore was investigated. Test work was
conducted using a laboratory scale horizontal tumbling mill and a batch flotation cell. Power draw to
achieve a specific P80 was determined for each media type. Changes in flotation behaviour were evaluated
in terms of particle size distribution, water recovery, solid recovery and valuable mineral recovery. pH, Eh
and DO levels were also measured. Grinding products of five different media produced similar solids and
water recovery, which is indicative of the froth characteristics, but the grades and recoveries of PGE and
chromite were different. The product obtained when using ceramic media showed the best flotation
performance, producing the highest PGE recovery and the lowest Cr2O3 recovery. The products obtained
when using stainless steel balls (SS) produced the lowest PGE recovery and highest Cr 2 O 3 grade and
recovery. The paper proposes possible reasons to explain these observations which may have significant
importance for the operation of a PGM concentrator.

Keywords: PGM; Grinding media; Flotation; Chromite.

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INTRODUCTION

The UG2 chromitite ore body is a complex, highly disseminated platinum containing ore from the
Bushveld Complex in South Africa, with typical platinum group mineral (PGM) grain sizes below 15 μm.
A detailed survey of global platinum group element (PGE) resources in 2010 reported that 70.9% of the
world’s PGE resources are within the Bushveld Complex, of which UG2 ore contributes about 60% (Mudd,
2012). There are seven Platinum Group Metals in this ore body, i.e. Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, Gold,
Ruthenium, Iridium and Osmium. The first four are the primary metals and head grade is normally defined
as the total of these and referred to as 4E. Typically, head grades vary between 2 and 9 g/t (4E-PGE) with
the majority between 4 and 5 g/t (Hay & Roy, 2010; Rule & Schouwstra, 2011; Mudd, 2012). UG2 ore
contains up to 75% chromite by mass, which is interlocked with silicates, mainly orthopyroxene and
plagioclase. The large fraction of chromite in the ore introduces additional challenges in the comminution
and flotation circuits as well as in the downstream smelting stage.

The challenge in the comminution of UG2 ore is owing to the higher density of the chromite (SG~
5) relative to the silicates (SG ~2.6-3) which leads to inefficiencies in classification, causing a high
circulating load of fine chromite particles. This leads to the loss of PGMs locked in coarse silicate particles
that report to the cyclone overflow, a reduction in the mill’s throughput capacity and greater energy
consumption due to overgrinding of the chromite (Mainza et al., 2004). The challenge for the flotation
circuit is to minimize the chromite recovery in the concentrate because of the problems it causes in the
smelter (Hay & Roy 2010). Chromite is dense and naturally hydrophilic, so it is generally recovered to the
concentrate through entrainment especially the fine particle sizes (-45 μm).

Recently Khonthu (2012) investigated the flotation behaviour of UG2 ore milled using a
laboratory horizontal ball mill and a laboratory scale M4 IsaMill. The IsaMill produced finer PGM ore
particles than the ball mill and this resulted in higher Cr2O3 entrainment during flotation. This study also
suggested that the different milling procedures may produce particles of different shapes and hence
different flotation behavior. The shapes were estimated using apparent viscosity measurements since it has
been shown that the apparent viscosity decreases in the order of rods > plates > cubes/grains > spheres for
the same phase volume of particles (Barnes, 2000). Solomon (2010) and Chapman (2011) studied the
effects of using HPGR and ball milling in treating PGM ores and found that the ball mill product appeared
to result in a better flotation response compared to the HPGR.

The present study complements this series of studies and investigates the use of different milling
media in the treatment of UG2 ore using a laboratory scale tumbling ball mill. Flotation performance was
used essentially as a diagnostic indicator of the effects of using the different media.

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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES

Sample preparation and particle characterisation

The ROM UG2 ore sample was crushed using a cone crusher, and screened to produce ball mill
feed with 100% passing 1.7 mm. A 30.5 cm × 30.5 cm laboratory scale cylindrical ball mill was used for
the grinding experiments. 4 kg ore was used for grinding and flotation tests. Grinding was performed in the
absence of reagents, at 67% solids using respectively; ceramic balls, forged steel balls, 15% Cr steel balls,
stainless steel balls and a 50:50 mixture of stainless steel and 15% Cr steel balls. The particle size
distributions of the feed and mill product were determined using wet sieving. The grinding time was
determined to achieve a d80 = 75 µm. Details of the media used and grinding time required is shown in
Table 1.
Table 1 - Details of conditions used in the grinding tests

Grinding time to
Media Volume Media size
Media material obtain d 80 = 75 µm Nomenclature
(ml) (mm)
(min)
Ceramic 3420 10~30 67 CE
15%Chrome steel 2120 30 53 CS
Forged steel 2120 34 56 FS
Stainless steel 2120 36~42 56.5 SS
Stainless steel + Chrome steel
2120 36-42;30 56.5 SS+CS
(50:50)

Apparent viscosities of each sample were determined using an AR 1500 rheometer with a standard
4 panel vane rotor geometry. These tests were carried out using volume percentage solids in the range
between 10 and 45% at increments of 5% and were performed on particles which were less than 25 µm in
size. The temperature of the instrument was set at 23 °C and the test solutions were prepared using
synthetic plant water.

Batch flotation tests

Batch flotation tests were performed on samples prepared using various grinding conditions, at 36%
solids, in an 8 L laboratory bottom driven batch flotation cell. In the flotation tests, the impeller speed was
set at 1200 rpm and the air flow rate was maintained at 7 L/min throughout the test. Froth height was
maintained constant at 2 cm by regular addition of water. 50 g/t sodium isobutyl xanthate (SIBX) was used
as a collector and 50 g/t DOW 200 was used as a frother. Four concentrates were collected at 15 second
intervals for 2, 4, 6 and 8 minutes, i.e. total flotation time of 20 minutes. Solids and water masses were
measured for each concentrate as well as the total mass of water added to maintain constant froth height.

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Solids-water recoveries were used to ascertain the repeatability of the flotation tests and to study the froth
properties. The samples generated during the batch flotation tests were analyzed for 4E and chromite. pH,
Eh and DO were measured in the flotation cell using 556 Multi-Probe System. The system was calibrated
regularly. The measurement was made after the ore had been transferred to the flotation cell and the pulp
conditioned for 5 minutes, before any reagents were added. All flotation tests were carried out in triplicate.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Size distribution and power draw of different grinding media

Figure 1 shows the size distribution of the sample after grinding under different conditions. Table
2 shows the proportions of -75 μm, -25 μm and -10 μm fractions obtained when using the different
grinding media. It can be seen that using the stainless steel balls (SS), alone or with 15% chrome steel (CS),
and ceramic balls (CE) produced slightly greater amounts of fines (-10 μm to -25 μm). Otherwise, overall
the differences were not significant.

14

12

10
Passing，%

0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600
Particle size, μm
CE FS CS SS+CS SS
Figure 1 - Particle size distribution of products obtained when using different media

Table 2 - Particle size distribution of samples after milling using different media and specific energy
required to achieve a d 80 of 75µm

Media -75 μm,% -25 μm,% -10 μm,% %-10 μm in -25 μm Specific energy, kWh/t
CE 79.78 35.85 22.90 63.90 11.55
FS 80.41 37.32 22.60 60.55 17.58
SS 79.48 38.14 24.79 65.00 19.96
CS 79.52 37.39 22.98 61.47 18.20

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SS+CS 79.34 38.70 25.39 65.61 17.53

The specific energy consumptions based on power draws of the different grinding media are also
listed in Table 2. It can be seen that there were significant differences. The ceramic balls (CE) had the
lowest specific energy consumption of 11.55 kWh/t to achieve similar particle size distributions compared
to using the other media.

DO, Eh and pH

pH, Eh and Do levels and relative viscosities of the different grinding products are shown in Table
3. The pH was natural and always between 8.7 and 8.8. Using stainless steel balls (SS and SS+CS) and
ceramic balls (CE) resulted in relatively higher Eh values, viz. 170 mV, 172 mV and 133 mV respectively,
which is indicative of a more cathodic environment. The DO levels in the case of SS, SS+CS and CE were
6.4 ppm, 5.9 ppm and 5.9 ppm respectively. The higher Eh values are consistent with higher DO levels
because less O 2 is consumed. Oxygen is consumed when it is reduced to OH- (½ O 2 + H 2 O + 2e → 2OH-)
but that reaction presupposes an equivalent oxidation reaction. In the case of mild or forged steel the
oxidation of Fe (s) follows the reaction: Fe x (s) → Fe (1-x) (s) + Fe2+ (aq) + 2e. As expected forged steel balls
(FS) and 15% chrome steel balls (CS) produced lower DO and Eh levels, which indicated a more reducing
environment. The DO levels when using SS+CS was lower than in the case of SS and this indicated that 15%
chrome steel balls were more reducing than stainless steel balls. The apparent viscosity data provides an
indication that particles in the samples produced after milling using ceramic media had slightly higher
aspect ratios than in the case of the other media. It appeared that the particles produced after using 15%
chrome steel may have the lowest aspect ratio.

Table 3 - Eh, pH, DO and relative viscosities of mill product when using different media types

Media pH Eh, mV DO, ppm Relative viscosity, Pa.s

CE 8.73 133.55 5.9 0.26

CS 8.67 106.5 5 0.12
FS 8.80 106.8 5 0.15
SS 8.70 170.3 6.4 0.22
SS+CS (50:50) 8.68 172.9 5.9 0.23

Flotation performance

Figure 2 shows the solids and water recovery obtained after flotation for grinding products of
different media. The solids and water recovery of the five grinding products were almost the same, with
solids recovery of 200 g and water recovery of 1600 g.

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250

200

Solid Recovery, g
150

100

50

0
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Water Recovery, g
CE CS FS SS 50%SS+50%CS

Figure 2 - Solids-water recoveries obtained after the flotation of samples produced using different milling
media

The grades and recoveries of Cr 2 O 3 and PGE (4E) of the flotation tests with different media
products are shown in Table 4.

Table 4 - Flotation results of samples produced using different milling media

Conc. Grade Recovery, %

Media
Cr 2 O 3 ,% PGE (4E),ppm Cr 2 O 3 PGE (4E)

CE 3.77 58.36 1.22 84.94

CS 3.82 56.91 1.21 83.52
FS 3.98 56.85 1.29 77.99
SS 4.97 55.26 1.55 75.98
SS+CS 4.16 58.03 1.31 78.07

The sample obtained after grinding with ceramic media produced the highest grades and
recoveries for the PGEs. This was accompanied by the lowest Cr 2 O 3 recovery, viz. 84.94% and 1.22%
respectively. On the other hand, the sample obtained after grinding with stainless steel balls (SS) produced
the lowest PGE recovery and grade and the highest Cr 2 O 3 grade and recovery. Compared to the results of
SS, the combined use of stainless balls and 15% chrome balls (SS+CS) produced the best flotation
performance, yielding higher PGE recoveries and grades and lower chromite grades and recoveries. All of
the results are shown graphically in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

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1.8 6
1.6
1.4
1.2

Recovery, %

Grade, %
1
3
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0 0
CE CS FS SS SS+CS
Media type
Recovery Grade

Figure 3 - Cr 2 O 3 grade and recovery of different media products

90 90

60 60
Recovery, %

Grade, %
30 30

0 0
CE CS FS SS SS+CS
Media type
Grade Recovery

Figure 4 - PGE grade and recovery of different media products

The results in the case of chromite are of particular interest. It is well known that chromite is
naturally hydrophilic and its recovery is almost entirely due to entrainment. This recovery would increase
as the proportion of fines increases. Due to its high density chromite in the >25 µm fraction seldom reports
to the concentrate (Alvarez- Silva, et al, 2014) and hence it would be expected that there would be a good
correlation between the amount of chromite in the <25 µm fraction and chromite recovery. The results in
Table 2 and Table 4 confirm this since the CE media produced almost the least amount of <10 µm material
and the lowest chromite recovery while, for example, the opposite was the case for stainless steel media.

It is interesting to compare specifically the flotation performance when the ore was milled using
CE media compared to SS media. As mentioned at the outset flotation was used in this study as a
diagnostic indicator of the effects of using different media. In the first instance it is clear that the flotation
results showed that higher PGE grades and recoveries were obtained when ceramic balls (CE) were used to
grind the ore compared to SS. Moreover lower chromite grades and recoveries were obtained in the former
case. In the case of using CE as the grinding media, Table 2 showed that the CE media produced less <10

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µm fraction material than in the case of SS and this fact has been used to explain the chromite flotation
results since chromite is recovered through entrainment and hence producing excess fines will result in
higher chromite recoveries. Table 3 also showed that when using SS the DO levels and the Eh of the pulp
was greater than when using CE media. This implies that there is a greater degree of O 2 reduction and
equivalently of oxidation reactions when using CE media. Since the oxidation cannot be ascribed to the
media which is inert it implies that the lower DO levels may be indicative of an enhanced oxidation of the
xanthate collector to dixanthogen which then increases the hydrophobicity of the PGMs resulting in an
increase in recoveries. Since the solids recovered are almost the same in every case the grade differences,
which are not very great, are probably simply due to a greater selectivity in terms of recoveries of PGMs at
constant gangue recoveries. In addition the higher recoveries of chromite, as in the case of SS media, will
further contribute to a decrease in grades. It is also important to note the differences between using forged
steel and stainless steel. The forged steel was better with respect to PGE and chromite flotation
performance. The lower DO and Eh values in the case of the forged steel are also hence indicative of the
possibility that the differences may be due to the electrochemical reactions referred to above thus
enhancing the flotation of the PGMs.

Figure 5 shows the particle size distribution of the flotation concentrates obtained after the
flotation of ore milled with SS and CE respectively. It can be seen that there was a higher percentage of
<10 μm fraction in concentrate in the case of SS milled material. It is thus possible that reduced recovery
of PGEs in the case of SS media is due to the greater amount of fines (<10 µm fraction) being present and
the problem of fines flotation may become important. However previous studies have shown that it is not
problematic to recover PGMs in <10 µm fractions (Corin et al., 2012) and this therefore is probably not a
cause of the lower recoveries.

60

50

40
Passing, %

30

20

10

0
0 30 60 90 120
Particle size, μm
SS CE
Figure 5 - Particle size distribution of SS and CE floatation concentrates

It has been recently shown that entrainment is a strong function of shape of particles with particles
of higher aspect ratio being more readily entrained (O’Connor et al, 2014). It is interesting to note that the
particles with the lowest aspect ratio (CS samples) also had the lowest chromite recovery and this may

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suggest that using different media also impacts on particle shape and hence recovery. It is also known
that high aspect ratio particles are more amenable to flotation (Vizcarra et al., 2011) and this is consistent
with the CE results. However at present these must be regarded as speculative findings.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has investigated the effect of using different milling media on the ultimate flotation
performance of a UG2 ore milled in a laboratory tumbling mill. The results showed that the different media
required different energy inputs to obtain the same grind. They also resulted in different chemical
conditions in the mill product in terms of parameters such as pH, Eh, DO and relative viscosities. Flotation
tests were carried out on each mill product in order to investigate whether using different media
significantly affected the recoveries and grades of the PGMs and the chromite since these are key factors in
the treatment of such ores. Using stainless steel (SS and SS+CS) and ceramic (CE) media resulted in higher
Eh and DO values compared to the use of forged steel (FS) and 15% chrome steel (CS). The five different
media produced virtually the same solids and water recovery. There were however significant differences
in the recoveries and grades of the PGMs (as indicated by PGE assays) and of chromite. Grinding the ore
using ceramic media produced the highest PGE recoveries and the lowest Cr 2 O 3 recovery while the grades
and recoveries after using stainless steel (SS) were the lowest in the case of PGEs and the highest in the
case of Cr 2 O 3 . The possible effect of galvanic interactions on these results has been proposed to
contribute to the differences observed. Stainless steel produced higher fines content and this may explain
the higher chromite recovery. Using ceramic media also required the least amount of specific energy to
achieve a grind of d80 < 75 µm.

REFERENCES

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comminution procedures on the flotation of Platinum-Group Minerals. Minerals Engineering 24 (8),
731-736.
Corin, K.C., Bezuidenhout,J.C., O’Connor, C.T. The role of dithiophosphate as a co-collector in the
flotation of a platinum group mineral ore; Minerals Engineering 36–38 (2012) 100–104
Hay, M. P., Roy, R., 2010. A case study of optimising UG2 flotation performance. Part 1: Bench, pilot and
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Mudd, G. M., 2012. Key trends in the resource sustainability of platinum group elements. Ore Geology
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