Rohgutcharakterisierung und aufbereitungstechnische Untersuchungen an Roherzen aus der Grube Clara der Firma Sachtleben Bergbau GmbH & Co. KG

As mining progresses into deeper areas of the Clara mine operated by Sachtleben Bergbau GmbH & Co. KG at the Wolfach site, an increased occurrence of copper and silver-bearing mineralization is to be expected according to current knowledge. To date, these have mainly been found in the southern part of the barite deposit and have been extracted and processed separately. Due to the increased occurrence of this mineralization, the previous campaign-like plant operation for sulfide flotation using the existing processing plant has to be critically examined, which was done in the course of a multi-year research project together with the Chair of Mineral Processing at the Montanuniversität Leoben.

In particular, the research-relevant question of whether it is necessary to expand the existing processing plant with a separate sulfide ore processing plant based on the changed deposit conditions was to be investigated. The research activities were based on raw ores from different deposit areas, obtained during an extensive sampling campaign.

The raw ores were analyzed according to the Leoben property class analysis with regard to their mineralogy, intergrowth, and processability. Based on this extensive comminution and flotation tests were conducted. The research-relevant parts of the relevant activities were carried out as part of the dissertation of the first-named author.

This contribution provides insights into the complex and intense intergrowth relationships of the identified copper and silver carriers, demonstrating that, despite the different comminution resistances of the valuable minerals, flotation concentrates with more than 90% recovery and high selectivity can be produced.