Influence of microwave treatment on grinding and dissociation characteristics of vanadium titano-magnetite

The effect of microwave treatment on the grinding and dissociation characteristics of vanadium titano-magnetite (VTM) ore were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen absorption measurements, particle size distribution measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic analysis, and magnetic separation. SEM analysis showed that microfractures appeared in the microwave-treated VTM, which is attributed to the microwaves’ selective heating characteristic and the differential expansion between minerals and gangues. Nitrogen absorption showed that the microfractures were more pronounced when the microwave heating time was increased. Particle size distribution analysis showed that microwave treatment could improve the grindability of the VTM, thus increasing the weight percent of the fine-ground product. The increase in grindability was more significant with prolonged heating time. Moreover, the particle size distribution of the fine-ground product changed only slightly after the microwave treatment. XRD analysis showed that the crystallinity of the microwave-treated VTM increased with increasing microwave heating time. The magnetic separation tests revealed that the separation efficiency increased as a result of the intergranular fractures generated by microwave treatment. The Fe grade of the magnetic fraction of microwave-treated VTM was 1.72% higher than that of the raw ore. We concluded that the microwave treatment was beneficial, especially for the mineral processing characteristics.