PhosAgro and Russian Academy of Science aims to improve refractory ores processing

PhosAgro and Kolsky Science Center of the Russian Academy of Science (hereinafter — KSC RAS) have agreed to jointly implement a project to improve the efficiency of processing refractory apatite-nepheline ores.

KSC RAS held a meeting where PhosAgro and KSC RAS management discussed further researches into the processing of refractory apatite-nepheline ores.

In August 2020, KSC RAS and Apatit (part of PhosAgro) signed an agreement on long-term cooperation in scientific, technical, innovation, and educational spheres. The parties have now announced their intention to expand and intensify scientific and technical cooperation in various areas of improving the technology for the integrated beneficiation of apatite-nepheline ores.

“We have faced certain challenges related to the difficult beneficiation of the ores that we currently extract and process. That made us look at the problem from a slightly different perspective and, together with colleagues from KSC RAS, find possible options for future working in this direction,” said the Director of the Kirovsk Branch of Apatit, Andrey Abrashitov.

Scientists of KSC RAS have already begun works on this problem. Vladimir Dyadik, Deputy Chairman of KSC RAS, reported on the direction of researches dedicated to solving the problem of processing refractory apatite-nepheline ores of the Kirov branch of Apatit.

According to his statement, KSC RAS will study ore varieties, develop optimal ore preparation methods and selective flotation, conduct techno- and mineralogical 3D-sampling of ore reserves, and develop efficient and environmentally friendly flotation agents.

However, the experimental laboratory equipment of KSC RAS allows scientists to comprehensively study only 15 samples per year. This is not enough for the successful solution of the task. To achieve positive results, scientists need to annually examine 100 samples. Therefore, KSC RAS proposed to modernize and equip their laboratory.

“We have agreed that PhosAgro will invest in the development and modernization of the laboratory so that colleagues could work within the structure of KSC RAS ​​and find optimal processing methods for a particular type of ore depending on their mineralogical composition, oxidation and other physicochemical characteristics,” said General Director of Apatit Alexander Gilgenberg.