Research on the mineral processing of a complex oxide copper-cobalt ore in Congo(Kinshasa)

The copper and cobalt minerals are very complex in a cobalt cupric oxide ore in Congo which containe copper 3.12% and the cobalt content is 0.15%.The dressing is difficult.For the utilization of the resources, the development of mineral processing technology “sulfide ore and oxidized ore flotation step by step-sulfide rough concentrate mill again-oxidation of rough concentrate essence of scavenging throwing the tail” has realized the efficient recovery of copper and cobalt.By closed-circuit test process, the product of sulfide concentrate containing copper 71.13% and cobalt 0.16% is achieved while the recovery of copper and cobalt are 46.47% and 2.38%; for the oxidation concentrate product, the copper content is 31.66% and the cobalt content is 1.32% while the copper and cobalt recovery are 38.23% and 36.24% respectively; the total recovery rate of copper and cobalt reached 84.70% and 38.62% respectively.Cobalt is mainly lost in the tailings in the form of minerals such as quartz, dolomite, chlorite, goethite/hematite and psilomelane which contained cobalt.