1302 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
concentration is the multi-gravity separator (MGS), also
known as the Mozley drum. A study by Aslan (2007)
showed that a certain combination of drum speed, tilt
angle and shake amplitude could achieve maximum celes-
tine recoveries of approximately 98%, while slower speeds
and steeper angles achieved maximum concentrated grades
of almost 97%.
Recently, Ariza-Rodríguez et al. (2023) conducted
experiments using a pilot hydrocyclone plant to concentrate
medium-grade celestine ore using a dense media concentra-
tion (DMS) process. Various heavy minerals were tested to
create a dense media with a constant density, which was
then fed into the hydrocyclone system to separate celestine
minerals into two streams based on density. The recovered
celestine concentrate was analysed using XRD, obtain-
ing optimal results using fine ferrosilicon C40 medium
(40 μm). The ferrosilicon particles were then recycled
using magnetic separation, suggesting the potential for a
scalable and sustainable operation.
Flotation has been widely applied in the last decades as
an efficient alternative for concentrating high-grade celes-
tine. The exploration of flotation methodologies for celes-
tine concentration has been a subject of extensive research,
including the selection of collectors, depressants, modifiers,
and practical flotation approaches, to enhance the efficiency
and selectivity of celestine recovery. Bulatovic (2015) sum-
marises different insights on the selection of collectors and
depressants tailored for celestine flotation systems.
Collector choices, such as alkyl sulfosuccinamate
(SAM) and sodium oleate, have demonstrated promising
results in enhancing celestine recovery while selectively
depressing gangue minerals like calcite (Bulatovic, 2015).
López-Valdivieso et al. (2000) found that the anionic col-
lector sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was effective at
recovering celestine in solutions free of carbonate species
but depressed at pH above 10 due to the inhibition of col-
lector adsorption by carbonate species.
Quebracho and sodium silicate have been widely pro-
posed as calcite depressants in celestine flotation systems
(Bulatovic, 2015 Hernáinz Bermúdez de Castro &Gálvez
Borrego, 1996). Zeng et al. (2017) investigated the flotation
separation of celestine from fluorite and calcite using the
depressant citric acid (CA) and collector SDS. They found
that CA selectively inhibited fluorite flotation at pH 9–10
by forming metal-ligand complexes, enabling successful
celestine separation. For a similar celestine-fluorite-calcite
system, Tian et al. (2019) used ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid (EDTA) as a depressant, emphasizing its role in inhib-
iting the dissolution of calcium ions on the fluorite surface
and reducing the negative influence on celestine flotation.
To further illustrate the processing of celestine at an
industrial scale in Europe, two case studies are analysed
here. The first corresponds to the current processing opera-
tions at Canteras Industriales, while the second explores the
operation of Minas de Ezcúzar. Both projects exploit celes-
tine deposits in southern Spain.
Case Study 1: Canteras Industriales—Minas de
Montevive, Granada, Spain
Canteras Industriales operates the largest reserve of celes-
tine in the EU, located in Montevive, Spain. The deposit
is commonly associated with coastal marine carbonate and
evaporite deposits (Ariza-Rodríguez et al., 2022). Currently,
ore processing operations at Canteras Industriales are based
on the traditional mining activities of crushing, milling,
sorting and grading, followed by conveying and loading.
The natural resources currently available are located in
old dumps and the quarry front. Using the installed capac-
ity, is it feasible to recover 80% of the ore from the waste
dump, maintaining an environmental liability of 20%.
Current production is estimated at 350 t/day, with a water
consumption of 12 m3/day for irrigation of the track and
4 m3/day for wetting the material in dry periods.
Figure 6 illustrates the ore processing operations con-
ducted with mobile machinery at Canteras Industriales.
Initially, an excavator extracts celestine ore, loading it onto
a dumper truck for transport to the processing site. The
Run-of-Mine (RoM) ore undergoes comminution pro-
cesses, starting with screening using a mobile grizzly bar
screen, resulting in two fractions: 100 mm and 100 mm.
The 100 mm fraction is further size reduced in a mobile
crusher to achieve a 100 mm size. The combined 100 mm
fraction undergoes additional size classification in the same
mobile screen, resulting in coarse (+20 –100 mm), medium
(+6 –20 mm), and fine (6 mm) size fractions. The coarse
fraction is further reduced using a crushing bucket on the
excavator arm, producing product P2 with a size fraction
of 35 mm. The remaining medium and fine size fractions
are classified as product P1 and tailings, respectively, with
wheel loaders facilitating material transportation between
the mobile crusher and screen, indicating the absence of
fixed conveyors at the processing site. It’s important to
recognize that the site may adopt various process configu-
rations tailored to handle diverse ore grades and achieve
specific size fractions.
The tailings from the comminution process are later
treated in a desliming and dense separation process to
enrich the tailings and produce celestine concentrate. At
first, the tailings are deslimed in a desliming unit to remove
material fractions 200 µm, while a vibrating screen is used
concentration is the multi-gravity separator (MGS), also
known as the Mozley drum. A study by Aslan (2007)
showed that a certain combination of drum speed, tilt
angle and shake amplitude could achieve maximum celes-
tine recoveries of approximately 98%, while slower speeds
and steeper angles achieved maximum concentrated grades
of almost 97%.
Recently, Ariza-Rodríguez et al. (2023) conducted
experiments using a pilot hydrocyclone plant to concentrate
medium-grade celestine ore using a dense media concentra-
tion (DMS) process. Various heavy minerals were tested to
create a dense media with a constant density, which was
then fed into the hydrocyclone system to separate celestine
minerals into two streams based on density. The recovered
celestine concentrate was analysed using XRD, obtain-
ing optimal results using fine ferrosilicon C40 medium
(40 μm). The ferrosilicon particles were then recycled
using magnetic separation, suggesting the potential for a
scalable and sustainable operation.
Flotation has been widely applied in the last decades as
an efficient alternative for concentrating high-grade celes-
tine. The exploration of flotation methodologies for celes-
tine concentration has been a subject of extensive research,
including the selection of collectors, depressants, modifiers,
and practical flotation approaches, to enhance the efficiency
and selectivity of celestine recovery. Bulatovic (2015) sum-
marises different insights on the selection of collectors and
depressants tailored for celestine flotation systems.
Collector choices, such as alkyl sulfosuccinamate
(SAM) and sodium oleate, have demonstrated promising
results in enhancing celestine recovery while selectively
depressing gangue minerals like calcite (Bulatovic, 2015).
López-Valdivieso et al. (2000) found that the anionic col-
lector sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) was effective at
recovering celestine in solutions free of carbonate species
but depressed at pH above 10 due to the inhibition of col-
lector adsorption by carbonate species.
Quebracho and sodium silicate have been widely pro-
posed as calcite depressants in celestine flotation systems
(Bulatovic, 2015 Hernáinz Bermúdez de Castro &Gálvez
Borrego, 1996). Zeng et al. (2017) investigated the flotation
separation of celestine from fluorite and calcite using the
depressant citric acid (CA) and collector SDS. They found
that CA selectively inhibited fluorite flotation at pH 9–10
by forming metal-ligand complexes, enabling successful
celestine separation. For a similar celestine-fluorite-calcite
system, Tian et al. (2019) used ethylenediaminetetraacetic
acid (EDTA) as a depressant, emphasizing its role in inhib-
iting the dissolution of calcium ions on the fluorite surface
and reducing the negative influence on celestine flotation.
To further illustrate the processing of celestine at an
industrial scale in Europe, two case studies are analysed
here. The first corresponds to the current processing opera-
tions at Canteras Industriales, while the second explores the
operation of Minas de Ezcúzar. Both projects exploit celes-
tine deposits in southern Spain.
Case Study 1: Canteras Industriales—Minas de
Montevive, Granada, Spain
Canteras Industriales operates the largest reserve of celes-
tine in the EU, located in Montevive, Spain. The deposit
is commonly associated with coastal marine carbonate and
evaporite deposits (Ariza-Rodríguez et al., 2022). Currently,
ore processing operations at Canteras Industriales are based
on the traditional mining activities of crushing, milling,
sorting and grading, followed by conveying and loading.
The natural resources currently available are located in
old dumps and the quarry front. Using the installed capac-
ity, is it feasible to recover 80% of the ore from the waste
dump, maintaining an environmental liability of 20%.
Current production is estimated at 350 t/day, with a water
consumption of 12 m3/day for irrigation of the track and
4 m3/day for wetting the material in dry periods.
Figure 6 illustrates the ore processing operations con-
ducted with mobile machinery at Canteras Industriales.
Initially, an excavator extracts celestine ore, loading it onto
a dumper truck for transport to the processing site. The
Run-of-Mine (RoM) ore undergoes comminution pro-
cesses, starting with screening using a mobile grizzly bar
screen, resulting in two fractions: 100 mm and 100 mm.
The 100 mm fraction is further size reduced in a mobile
crusher to achieve a 100 mm size. The combined 100 mm
fraction undergoes additional size classification in the same
mobile screen, resulting in coarse (+20 –100 mm), medium
(+6 –20 mm), and fine (6 mm) size fractions. The coarse
fraction is further reduced using a crushing bucket on the
excavator arm, producing product P2 with a size fraction
of 35 mm. The remaining medium and fine size fractions
are classified as product P1 and tailings, respectively, with
wheel loaders facilitating material transportation between
the mobile crusher and screen, indicating the absence of
fixed conveyors at the processing site. It’s important to
recognize that the site may adopt various process configu-
rations tailored to handle diverse ore grades and achieve
specific size fractions.
The tailings from the comminution process are later
treated in a desliming and dense separation process to
enrich the tailings and produce celestine concentrate. At
first, the tailings are deslimed in a desliming unit to remove
material fractions 200 µm, while a vibrating screen is used