CMI Project 1.1.15: Physio-chemical beneficiation of cobalt-bearing Iron Creek ores

Corby Anderson, Colorado School of Mines
Corby Anderson, Colorado School of Mines

Corby Anderson at Colorado School of Mines leads the CMI project "Physio-chemical beneficiation of cobalt-bearing Iron Creek ores"

The project focuses on improving the beneficiation of cobalt-bearing pyrite ore originating from the Iron Creek cobalt-copper deposit in central Idaho. Expectations are that the process improvements from this research will have applicability to other cobalt discoveries in the same general area, thus providing a more robust domestic source of cobalt. Specific process improvements are expected to build from physical and chemical separations potentially employing differential magnetic separation, enhanced gravity separation, coarse ore sortation, and flotation - all augmented with possible phase change chemistry.