Zircon Separation Using a Spiral Panning Table: Particle Size Analysis and Yield Efficiency

Presenter Information

Ashley Edwards
Brittany Fagin

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Ballroom C/D

Start Date

15-5-2014

End Date

15-5-2014

Keywords

Mineral separation, Zircon, Yield efficiency

Abstract

Mineral separations concentrate the mineral zircon necessary to date rocks; current methods are expensive, time-consuming, toxic, with unknown yield-efficiencies. Samples of the Mt. Stuart Batholith (near Leavenworth, WA), were separated with a spiral-panning table to concentrate denser minerals before magnetic, and heavy-liquid separations. Particle size analysis of panner-lights compared to unprocessed and control samples determined sizes lost during processing. Panner#1 (fast feed-rate, 58g/min, slow rotation, 9rpm), recovered 0.0037g zircon from 5.21g of panner-heavies; Panner-lights lost 5.3 percent of grains <180μm. Panner#2 (slow feed-rate, 12g/min, slow rotation) recovered 0.0061g zircon from 34.4g of heavies; lights lost 8.4 percent of grains <180μm. Panner#4 (slow feed-rate, 9g/min, slow rotation) used a surfactant to cut surface tension, recovered 0.0069g zircon from 17.5g of heavies; lights lost 13 percent of grains <180μm. Panner#5 (fast rotation, 25rpm, fast feed-rate, 36g/min), and recovered the most zircon (0.0132g) from 41.2g of heavies. Faster rotation increased zircon yield by concentrating more heavies. Panner#6 (fast rotation, 25rpm, fast feed-rate), changed nozzle position to avoid directly spraying the panner’s center. This trial recovered 132.7g of heavies (zircons not yet recovered); lights lost 4.03 percent of the grains <80μm, no loss of grains from 80-230μm. Panner trials recovering more heavies yielded more zircon. However, a control sample hand washed without the panner recovered much more zircon, (0.067g, considered the maximum amount of recoverable zircons). In thin section, ~30 percent of zircons were <20μm, mostly lost during panning, explaining the higher yield for the control.

Poster Number

45

Faculty Mentor(s)

Mattinson, Chris

Additional Mentoring Department

Geological Sciences

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May 15th, 8:30 AM May 15th, 11:00 AM

Zircon Separation Using a Spiral Panning Table: Particle Size Analysis and Yield Efficiency

SURC Ballroom C/D

Mineral separations concentrate the mineral zircon necessary to date rocks; current methods are expensive, time-consuming, toxic, with unknown yield-efficiencies. Samples of the Mt. Stuart Batholith (near Leavenworth, WA), were separated with a spiral-panning table to concentrate denser minerals before magnetic, and heavy-liquid separations. Particle size analysis of panner-lights compared to unprocessed and control samples determined sizes lost during processing. Panner#1 (fast feed-rate, 58g/min, slow rotation, 9rpm), recovered 0.0037g zircon from 5.21g of panner-heavies; Panner-lights lost 5.3 percent of grains <180μm. Panner#2 (slow feed-rate, 12g/min, slow rotation) recovered 0.0061g zircon from 34.4g of heavies; lights lost 8.4 percent of grains <180μm. Panner#4 (slow feed-rate, 9g/min, slow rotation) used a surfactant to cut surface tension, recovered 0.0069g zircon from 17.5g of heavies; lights lost 13 percent of grains <180μm. Panner#5 (fast rotation, 25rpm, fast feed-rate, 36g/min), and recovered the most zircon (0.0132g) from 41.2g of heavies. Faster rotation increased zircon yield by concentrating more heavies. Panner#6 (fast rotation, 25rpm, fast feed-rate), changed nozzle position to avoid directly spraying the panner’s center. This trial recovered 132.7g of heavies (zircons not yet recovered); lights lost 4.03 percent of the grains <80μm, no loss of grains from 80-230μm. Panner trials recovering more heavies yielded more zircon. However, a control sample hand washed without the panner recovered much more zircon, (0.067g, considered the maximum amount of recoverable zircons). In thin section, ~30 percent of zircons were <20μm, mostly lost during panning, explaining the higher yield for the control.