Effect of additives in the rheologic behavior of the bauxite tailing

In the bauxite mining in Parogominas, PA, Brazil, tailings are discarded in the processing with 33.5% of solids content and small particle size with D50 below 5 µm. These factors contribute to this suspension basically formed by silicoaluminates, with high concentrations of kaolinite clay, increase the viscosity and the yield stress, these factors are important during the pumping. It was performed granulometric analysis and determined the chemical and mineralogical composition of the material. It was studied the use of the sodium hexametaphosphate and polyacrylamide 25% anionic to decrease the viscosity. The result show that the viscosity decrease with use of 23.8 g/ton for the polyacrylamide and 101.75 g/ton for the sodium hexametaphosphate. The particle size and the pH have influence in the behavior of the additives.

additives; bauxite tailings; rheology