Features of the mineral and chemical composition of hematite ores from one of the deposits of Orissa, India

Abstract The crushed material of three samples was studied in detail. They represent three different hematite ore grades from one of the deposits in the state of Orissa (India). The samples were taken from different areas of the ore stockpile of the state mining enterprise. Mineralogical, chemical, and particle size analyses were carried out, and ore moisture content was determined. It was found that all the studied ore samples are characterized by goethite-hematite composition with low content of magnetite, kaolinite quartz, hydrochloride, chalcedony, etc. Among the indicators by which the studied differences differ are the following: the amount of iron hydroxides (goethite, dispersed goethite, lepidocrocite) and hematite (martite, iron mica, dispersed hematite); different particle size distribution; moisture content. Among the recommendations for the development of the technology for processing the studied iron ore, the authors propose: the ore preparation process should include drying of the source material and crushing to a size of less than 1 mm; the beneficiation scheme should be based on the separation of hematite aggregates (martite and iron mica), goethite and non-metallic minerals; it is advisable to choose ‘dry’ gravity and ‘dry’ magnetic separation of ore and non-metallic minerals as the main beneficiation methods.