Characterization and Up-gradation of Manganese and Barite mineral ores

Three samples of manganese Mn-1, Mn-2, Mn-3 and three samples of barite, barite-1, barite-77 and barite-81 were collected from the active mines of Ghora Gali, Kacchi, Beer and Kohala of Hazara division, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan. All the samples were ground and sieved to 100 and 200 mesh US standards with 149 and 74 μm openings respectively. For upgradation/beneficiation, the ore samples were subjected to hydrometallurgical (Acid treatment) and physical beneficiation for optimum upgradation. For mineralogical and elemental analysis the samples were characterized before and after the beneficiation using X-rays diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), reflected light microscopy and polarized light (plane and cross) microscopy. XRD revealed the presence of ferroaxinite, welinite and pyrolusite phases in as-mined Mn-ores. In addition to Mn, as-mined ores contained Fe, Ca, Al and P. The major mineral phase identified in as-mined barite ore was barium strontium sulfate while major gangue minerals were strontium sulfate (celestine) along with silica inter-grown into most of the barite