Types of stibnite ore
Natural Types of Antimony Ore
Natural types of antimony ore can be divided into Oxidized ore 、 Mixed ore 、 Native ore three types, classified according to the antimony oxidation rate (%):
(1) Oxidized ore Antimony oxidation rate >50%;
(2) Mixed ore Antimony oxidation rate 30%-50%;
(3) Native ore Antimony oxidation rate <30%.
Industrial Types of Antimony Ore
Based on the characteristics of the material composition of antimony deposits in China, some are single antimony deposits, while more are multi-component symbiotic deposits, and some are symbiotic with gold, mercury, tungsten, etc. Therefore, the industrial types of antimony ore can be divided into the following four categories:
(1) Single antimony sulfide ore The main metallic mineral is stibnite, with few other metallic minerals.
(2) Single antimony sulfide-oxide mixed ore Metallic minerals are stibnite and antimony oxides (valentinite, senarmontite, etc.).
(3) Single antimony oxide ore Such as "red antimony" in the Youjiang River Basin of Guangxi, and Weishan antimony oxide mine in Yunnan.
(4) Complex polymetallic sulfide ore containing antimony Antimony minerals include stibnite, livingstonite, jamesonite, tetrahedrite, bournonite, etc., as well as tungsten minerals, cinnabar, pyrite, arsenopyrite, lead-zinc minerals, cassiterite and other useful minerals such as gold. Therefore, it can be further divided into lead-antimony, gold-antimony, antimony-tungsten, antimony-mercury, antimony-gold-tungsten, antimony-arsenic-gold and antimony-lead-zinc ores, etc. For example, the Xiangxi gold mine in Hunan is an antimony-gold-tungsten ore.
From the perspective of ore dressing technology, the types of antimony ore in China can be roughly divided into the following seven categories:
(1) Single antimony sulfide ore. The content of other metallic minerals in the ore is very low. For example, the ore processed by the Nan Selection Plant of Xikuangshan in Hunan, the metallic minerals are mainly stibnite, with a small amount of pyrite and antimony oxide minerals. The gangue is mainly quartz, followed by calcite, barite, kaolin, gypsum, etc.
(2) Single sulfide-oxide mixed ore. This type of ore mainly contains stibnite and a larger amount of secondary antimony oxide minerals, generally without arsenic. Currently, the recovery of oxide minerals can only be achieved by gravity separation, so the recovery rate of this type of ore is not high, generally less than 80%. The loss rate increases with the increase of fine antimony oxide mud. For example, the Beixuan Plant of Xikuangshan, the oxidation rate of antimony ore in the processed ore accounts for 50%. The main minerals are stibnite, bindheimite, cervantite, a small amount of kermesite, senarmontite, antimony oxysulfide, etc. The gangue minerals are mainly quartz, followed by calcite, limestone, barite, gypsum, tourmaline, dolomite, sericite, zircon, etc. The ore of Muli antimony mine in Yunnan also belongs to this type, with an antimony oxidation rate of more than 60%, the main metallic minerals are stibnite, valentinite, kermesite, cervantite, senarmontite, etc., and the main gangue minerals are quartz.
(3) Gold-bearing stibnite ore. This type of ore generally contains arsenic, which appears in the form of arsenopyrite. The symbiotic relationship between arsenic and gold is very close. Generally, when antimony and arsenic are separated, antimony and gold are also separated. For example, the ore processed by the Banxi antimony mine in Taojiang, Hunan, the metallic minerals are mainly stibnite, followed by arsenopyrite, pyrite, a small amount of chalcopyrite, scheelite, native gold, malachite, cervantite. The gangue minerals are mainly quartz, a small amount of dolomite, calcite, sericite, chlorite, apatite, feldspar, etc.
(4) Sulfide antimony ore containing tungsten, gold, and arsenic minerals There are not many ores of this type, but the gold content is high. Scheelite can also be recovered as a by-product. For example, the Xiangxi gold mine, the minerals in the ore are mainly stibnite, scheelite, native gold, pyrite, arsenopyrite, a small amount of galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite, bornite, tetrahedrite, etc. The gangue is mainly quartz, followed by calcite, muscovite, sericite, pyrophyllite, chlorite, illite, green kaolin, etc.
(5) Sulfide antimony ore containing tin, lead, zinc, and arsenic minerals In this type of ore, antimony appears as jamesonite, tetrahedrite, etc. Therefore, the antimony concentrate contains a large amount of lead. Tin and zinc are also important products of the selection plant. For example, the Changpo selection plant in Dachang, Guangxi, the processed ore contains cassiterite, jamesonite, tetrahedrite, sphalerite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, etc. The gangue minerals are mainly quartz, and also tourmaline, calcite, etc.
(6) Mercury sulfide antimony ore The main minerals in the ore are stibnite and cinnabar. The content of the two minerals is unstable. Stibnite and cinnabar are often closely symbiotic. Moreover, the floatability of stibnite and cinnabar is similar, and the difficulty of flotation separation is relatively large. Research on antimony-mercury separation flotation is still underway. The Xunyang antimony-mercury deposit in Shaanxi and the Bazhai antimony-mercury deposit in Guizhou both belong to this type of ore.
（7） Single antimony oxide ore The main antimony minerals in ore are antimony oxides, such as stibnite and cervantite. These ores are relatively scarce and are mainly processed using hand sorting and gravity separation.
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