In heavy minerals separation, the titanium and iron oxide phases are separated from silicates in the coarser particle size range (80 - 150 mm) using magnetic and electrostatic separators. With the ongoing challenge of heavy mineral ore deposits getting increasingly finer in particle size, conventional separation equipment suffers from the ability to process this material at the same throughput rate as coarser particles. A variety of magnetic separation technologies were developed to perform at a much finer particle size range, down to 2 mm in the clay industries mainly to remove titaniferrous oxide particles._x000D_
Complementing the developments made on the physical aspects of magnetic separation, Cytec Industries has recently developed a bolt-on' chemical enhancement technology for magnetic separation (CEMS). This is to enable separation of finer particles, and weakly paramagnetic titanium phases from diamagnetic silicates that are not amenable to magnetic separation. This paper will provide an outline of the technology, illustrate its ability to process a wide variety of ores, and also discuss plant limitations. The major advantages of chemical enhancement technology to magnetic separation includes: simple dosing equipment extension to existing magnetic separation technology; ability to produce product of comparable quality with improved cost effectiveness, when compared to incumbent flotation; removal of impurity minerals over wider size range; enhanced removal of non-magnetic impurities; and improving the process robustness._x000D_
Furthermore, chemical enhancement technology for magnetic separation has also emerged as a platform for removing impurities at lower levels in other mineral systems as well._x000D_
FORMAL CITATION:Ravishankar, S A, Raitani, R, Jiang, S, Davis, M and Holt, D, 2011._x000D_
Chemical enhancement to magnetic separation for effective separation of silicates from titanium phases at finer particle size fraction, in Proceedings Eighth International Heavy Minerals Conference 2011, pp 271-282 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).