Generally speaking, Lead Oxide is one of the significant compounds with an oxidation state of +4. It appears as a dark brown solid, which remains insoluble in water. PbO2 mainly exists in two different crystalline forms. It is known to have a wide application in the electrochemistry field, mainly as a positive plate of lead-acid batteries.
As mentioned, the lead ii oxide is available in two significant polymorphs. These are alpha and beta, which will occur naturally as rare minerals plattnerite and scrutinyite.
Flowsheet for the Lead Oxide Gravity Flotation Process
The flow sheet is primarily designed to operate the crushing and washing sections continuously. It is mainly done by eliminating some troublesome factors involved in handling, crushing and storing sticky ores of this kind.
1. Extensive washing and disintegration are used to free the minerals from the primary slimes way ahead of the preliminary screening.
2. The real merit here is to separate primarily slimes from ore, remove any freed coarse minerals by tables or jibs, and then avoid further sliming with a proper grinding mill with quick removal of fines before and after every stage.
3. Here, jigging is used on -3/8″ material or washed ore to help recover a more significant percentage of fin and coarse freed minerals.
4. The washed oversized feed is then handpicked for removing either waste material or the high-grade ore before the crushing.
Lead oxide ore washing and crushing
The oxidised ores are known to give trouble from the time when the ore enters the mill ore bin until the tailings get to reach the tailings pond. The ore is then removed from the primary bin using an oversize apron feeder of the heavy-duty type.
1. Louvers must be made available on the front or sides of the ore bin to help the operator poke it down into the apron feeder to prevent bridging.
2. The feeder remains positive to plough through gummy ore for constant feed to washing scrubber trommel section.
3. The trommel has a separate washing sector to distinguish and then pulp the fine materials using lifter bars, baffles and spray water.
4. There is no easy task as disintegration remains major and needs a heavy-duty trommel mechanism.
5. Later, the washed material gets screened in the first and second screen sections.
6. There is a 1-inch material discharged to the picking belt, which will feed a Jaw Crusher later.
7. Any free mineral will be removed from the picking belt, a low-cost factor. So, that helps in the complete washing of the ore.
8. The later 3/8″ fraction goes by gravitational help to the mineral jig to produce the final jig concentrate from the slimy mill product.
The Pb Oxide Enrichment Process in Brief
The Pb Oxide Enrichment Process is necessary these days for creating an adequate nuclear fuel out of the mined mineral. It increases the present percentage of the metal, which undergoes fission with the thermal neutrons.
Slicing up lead oxide ore
The primary method of extracting the lead is the pyrometallurgical method, where the ore is either roasted or melted. In simple terms, the ore will be converted to oxide, and then the oxide will get reduced with coke within a blast furnace. Get along with experts to learn more.