Optimizing the removal of iron oxide from Egyptian feldspar ore

Abstract

The demand for feldspar as a raw material for various industrial applications continuously increases. Feldspar is a primary raw material in manufacturing ceramics, glass, fillers, welding electrodes, and enamel. Feldspar is often associated with iron oxide, which decreases its economic value and hinders its industrial application. The present work aimed at reducing iron oxide content in Egyptian feldspar ore from the Wadi Zerabi locality. Ball milling was used for preparing feldspar feed of size -250+45µm. Carpco dry high-intensity magnetic separation followed by acid leaching processes were carried out in order to decrease the iron contamination and increase the feldspar content. A Box-Behnken statistical design was used to optimize the magnetic separation results. From a feldspar feed containing 1.40% Fe2O3, a non-magnetic concentrate of 0.25% Fe2O3 was obtained. The Fe2O3 removal reached up to 82% with a high yield as the % weight of non-magnetic feldspar reached up to 97.5%. The leaching process further reduced the iron oxide content down to 0.19 %. Also, the feldspar whiteness was improved from 65.17% in the original ore to 85.60% in the leached product.