Mineralogy and Physical Upgrading of Fergusonite-Y and Hf-Zircon in The Mineralized Pegmatite of Abu Dob Granite, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt.

Document Type : Original research papers

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Physical Dressing Department, Nuclear Materials Authority, Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

Fergusonite-Y occurs at the mineralized pegmatite injected in Abu Dob granitic pluton, Central Eastern Desert of Egypt as dark brown, anhedral clusters of distinguishable megascopic crystals up to tens of millimeters. The mineral is intimately intergrown with Hf-Zircon. Heavy minerals mineralogy for the studied samples revealed that both fergusonite-Y and Hf-Zircon could reach 28% by weight of the original rock sample. Beside these minerals, some kasolite, titanite and allanite-Ce minerals occur in much lower amount. Allanite-Ce was found as numerous inclusions of variable size and pattern in titanite. Detailed microscopic examination, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) were used to identify and describe the studied minerals.
Physical upgrading of these minerals was carried out using gravitative and magnetic separation techniques. Gravitative separation proved rather good potentialities to attain a good concentrate of both fergusonite-Y and Hf-Zircon with an acceptable recovery. By applying the laboratory Carpco high intensity lift-type magnetic separator for the tabling concentrates, it was possible to attain a good separation between fergusonite-Y as magnetic concentrate and Hf-Zircon as non-magnetic concentrate. Due to the economic importance of the studied minerals and their metal values as they are used in several industrial applications, it is recommended to subject both of the final concentrates to proper hydrometallurgical treatment to extract their metal content.

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