M. Mettler
Colorado School of Mines,
United States
Keywords: Critical Minerals, Extraction, Flotation
Summary:
The research project focuses on the extraction of nickel, cobalt, platinum, and palladium from the Eagle mine tailings. These minerals are thought to be found locked in solid solution with pyrrhotite, a non-stoichiometric iron sulfide. The end goal of the research is to find a way to extract pyrrhotite from the gangue in a way that can be done economically on a commercial scale. So far, the research has focused on four distinct areas: literature review, characterization, physical beneficiation, and surface chemistry. Magnetic separation and Froth flotation have been tested, with flotation being the most effective. Different reagent schemes, acid types, pH values, gas flow rates, and other variables have been tested. In addition to physical beneficiation, there are fundamental findings on the zeta potential and contact angle of pyrrhotite that have been discovered.