STUDY OF THE MATERIAL COMPOSITION AND ENRICHMENT OF OXIDIZED LEAD-ZINC ORE OF THE ZHAIREM DEPOSIT

This article presents the results of studies of the material composition and enrichment of oxidized lead-zinc ore from the Zhairem deposit. This study is aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the properties of oxidized lead-zinc ore from the Zhairem deposit and developing recommendations for its rational use. Due to the steady growth in lead and zinc consumption in various industries, there has recently been a significant increase in demand for lead-zinc ore mining and processing. About 80% of lead is used in the production of lead-acid batteries, while about 50% of zinc is used in steel electroplating and over 30% is used in the production of zinc alloys, including brass and bronze. Explored but not yet developed deposits in the Republic of Kazakhstan create potential for increasing the extraction and processing of this ore. The following results were obtained in the study of the possibilities of rational use of ore. During the enrichment of the studied ore in a heavy liquid, it was established that at a medium density of 2.40–2.45 g/cm³, a heavy fraction is formed with a yield of 90.84%, containing 1.56% lead and 6.12% zinc, with the extraction of these metals being 99.4% and 99.7%, respectively. The light fraction released under these conditions constitutes 21.92% of the mass of the original material and is characterized by a lead content of 0.16% and zinc of 0.22%, with an extraction of 2.65% and 0.97%. When enriched in a heavy suspension with a density of 2.20–2.25 g/cm³, the following products were obtained: a heavy fraction with a yield of 71.80%, containing 1.93% lead and 7.40% zinc (extraction of 96.4% and 98.7%), as well as a light fraction with a yield of 28.16%, containing 0.18% lead and 0.24% zinc (extraction of 3.55% and 1.28%, respectively). The results of the research indicate the high efficiency of the use of the enrichment method in heavy media for the selective extraction of zinc and lead from the ore under study