Research of concentratio of waste metallurgical slags of the MMC Norilsk Nickel Polar Division by radioisotope separation

During the extraction, concentration and metallurgical processing of ore raw materials, a significant amount of tailings, slag and poor recycled products are formed, without preliminary processing of which their involvement in production is economically and technologically impractical. In order to reduce the negative impact on the environment and comply with ESG principles, companies conduct research on their secondary use. In the MMC Norilsk Nickel Polar Division, tailings are stored in the tailings ponds of the Talnakh and Norilsk Concentratos, waste slags — in the slag dumps of the Nickel and Copper plants, as well as the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant named after B. I. Kolesnikov. Waste products of the Norilsk Concentrator and the Nickel Plant, accumulated in the second half of the 20th century, are characterized by an increased content of nonferrous and precious metals. A similar situation is with the waste slags of the Copper Plant. The Polar Division is currently conducting research on the depletion of the Talnakh and Norilsk Concentrators’ tailings using flotation, magnetic, and gravity methods to determine optimal modes. The waste slags of the Nadezhda Metallurgical Plant are granulated and used as part of backfill mixtures for mine workings. This fully covers the needs of the mining process. It should be noted that the waste slags of metallurgical production are hazard class V waste, which limits their use in economic activities. The results of pilot tests to determine the possibility of using the lump X-ray radiometric separation method for the waste slags of the Copper and Nickel Plants are presented. The products of this separation are concentrate offered for pyrometallurgical processing and tailings that meet the uniform sanitary, epidemiological, and hygienic requirements, and radiation safety standards.