research on magnesite ore purification

Abstract

Magnesite ore, consisting mainly of magnesite, MgCO3 is a chief mineral source for production of high quality refractory materials based on highly pure MgO. However, the presence of calcium and silicium mineral impurities in the ore adversely affect refractoriness. The removal of silicate minerals is now a routine process but it is not so for calcium minerals impurities. In this work, the new method for the removal of calcium mineral impurities from magnesite ore has been investigated. It is based on extraction of calcium hydroxide from the calcined hydrated ore with the solution of magnesium nitrate. The results show that it is possible to remove up to 65–83 % of calcium oxide (CaO) within five minutes, and up to 88–95 % within an hour. The process itself is complex, but mainly under mass transfer control. It is possible to use waste materials produced as fertilizer in agriculture thus helping in environmental protection.