With the depletion of high-grade iron ore reserves, the exploitation of low-grade resources an‎d mine tailings has attracted attention as an economical an‎d environmental approach. One of these resources is the tailings dump of the Mahdiabad mine, which, due to its significant iron content, has potential for recovery an‎d reuse. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of iron upgrading from these tailings using various processing methods. In this study, sampling an‎d chemical analysis were performed to determine the total iron content. Then, three processing methods including high-intensity magnetic separation, shaking table, an‎d flotation were eva‎luated. Flotation experiments were designed using the Response Surface Methodology , an‎d the effects of parameters such as collector dosage, depressant amount, an‎d pH on iron grade an‎d recovery were examined. Among the collectors tested, Armac C was selec‎ted as the most suitable option. The results showed that the high-intensity magnetic separation method had the best performance, producing a concentrate with a grade of 42.82% an‎d a recovery of 65.36% at a magnetic field intensity of 13,000 Gauss. The flotation an‎d shaking table methods did not perform satisfactorily an‎d were less efficient compared to magnetic separation. Ultimately, the findings of this research indicate that magnetic separation, by producing a product with suitable quality, is the best option for iron upgrading of the Mahdiabad mine tailings an‎d can help increase mineral resource efficiency while reducing the environmental impacts caused by tailings accumulation.

علي احمدي عامله , ابراهيم عظيمي

مهدي نصيري سروي , بيژن طاهري