A tungsten ore processing plant is a facility where raw tungsten ore is processed and refined into high-purity tungsten products. Here’s a brief overview of the process typically involved in such a plant:
Crushing and Grinding: The raw tungsten ore is first crushed and ground to liberate the tungsten minerals from the surrounding rock.
Concentration: Using techniques such as gravity separation, flotation, and magnetic separation, the tungsten ore is concentrated to increase the tungsten content. This steps helps in reducing the volume of material and increases the efficiency of subsequent processing steps.
Ore Dressing: This step involves further refining of the ore concentrate. Techniques such as froth flotation can be used to remove impurities and upgrade the tungsten concentrate.
Chemical Processing: The tungsten concentrate undergoes chemical processing to remove impurities. This usually involves roasting the ore with sodium carbonate to produce sodium tungstate, followed by leaching and purification processes to produce a high-purity tungsten intermediate compound, such as ammonium paratungstate (APT).
Reduction: The APT or other tungsten compounds are reduced to tungsten metal powder using hydrogen at high temperatures. This is achieved in a furnace under controlled conditions.
Benefit and Tailings Management: Throughout the process, waste materials (tailings) are generated. Proper waste management practices are essential to minimize environmental impact.
A tungsten ore processing plant is crucial for producing various forms of tungsten used in industries ranging from electronics to aerospace, due to tungsten's high melting point, hardness, and density.
