PL167395B1 - Method of getting valuable mineral substances from particulate solid materials - Google Patents

Abstract

A two stage method for extracting mineral values from mineral containing particulate materials including a pneumo-gravitational separation step in which mineral value particles are precipitatedfrom an air flotation stream and the precipitated particles are further treated by chemo-thermal separation in a plasma reactor. The resulting mineral values are collected in essentially pureform.

Description

The subject of the invention is a method of obtaining valuable mineral substances from loose materials containing minerals, in particular, a method of obtaining substantially pure, valuable mineral substances from such loose materials as fly ash, slag and the like, as well as a device for extracting mineral substances from the material. loose, containing minerals, working on the principle of separation of particles of different density.

So far, a number of methods and devices for the extraction and recovery of mineral resources from materials such as fly ash, slag and the like have been proposed. For example, U.S. Patent Nos. 3,175,900, 3,574,537, 3,783,167, 3,819,363, 3,843,351, 3.932.171, 3,945,575, 4,002,466, 4,082,832, 4,048,285, 4,177,060, 4,225 .565, 4,252,777, 4,310,350, 4,337,900, 4,361,441, 4,293,978, 4,410,358, 4,436,550, 4,454,013, 4,474,735, 4,508,040, 4,610,722, 4,617,180 , 4,652,433, 4,668,352, 4,789,532, Re 28,750 and British Patent Nos. 1,273,523 and 1,317,888 disclose various technical processes and devices for the extraction and recovery of a variety of mineral resources from a variety of raw materials.

The known methods and devices, however, usually had drawbacks which prevented their economically useful use. Some processes were too energy intensive, others required the use of economically uneconomical amounts of reagents or other elements of the processes. Still other ways were too slow or too complicated. There were also some proposals that did not solve the problem of waste materials in an ecologically or economically satisfactory manner or even created additional environmental problems. For example, some of the older solutions required excessively costly and complicated gas cleaning systems and other devices reducing pollution of the environment, especially the atmosphere.

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The present invention has been developed in response to the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art.

The general object of the invention is to improve methods of isolating substantially pure mineral fractions such as alumina and titanium oxide from mineral-containing raw materials, preferably from waste materials such as fly ash, furnace dust, slag, waste from foundry and other metallurgical processes. mine tailings, sea sand and the like.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an economically viable environmentally beneficial and commercially viable technology for isolating substantially pure mineral fractions and a device for recovering mineral substances from bulk material.

It is a further object of the invention to provide commercially viable methods for isolating byproducts in addition to substantially pure mineral fractions, preferably from waste materials such as fly ash, furnace dust, slag, waste from foundry and other metallurgical processes, mine tailings, sea sand and the like.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method for the recovery of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, iron, chromium, nickel, cobalt, lead, zinc, copper, zirconium and other valuable elements and other valuable by-products from waste materials from foundries, power plants, landfills, processes aimed at reducing environmental pollution, such as, for example, from seabed cleaning works and the like, in such a way as to eliminate environmental problems caused by the exploitation of raw materials, and so that no additional environmental problems arise as a result of using the present invention.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide a multi-stage method for isolating valuable mineral substances from mineral-containing bulk materials in a device for carrying out such a method, the invention being aimed at using the obtained materials directly or further processing them.

The invention provides an economically advantageous, highly cost-effective and environmentally beneficial method of treating loose mineral waste in order to obtain substantially pure raw materials therefrom. In addition to extracting valuable mineral content from bulk materials, the method according to the invention also provides for the recovery and recovery of commercially valuable by-products with high utility, usable e.g. as building materials, binder fillers and the like.

The inventive method, possibly used in conjunction with other separation methods, ensures the disposal of all free-flowing raw materials with significant environmental benefits.

Depending on the type of raw material to be processed, its composition, the desired degree of purity of the final product and other variables to be assessed in each case, the extraction of valuable mineral substances takes place in a multiphase process, in which the initial or further phase is carried out in a method not covered by the present invention. It uses physical and chemical separation methods and appropriate equipment to achieve the desired extraction rate and recover the mineral content from the raw material and to obtain other valuable by-products from the obtained residues.

The invention can be carried out within the scope of the method in a device according to the invention.

The method of obtaining essentially pure mineral substances from a mineral-containing bulk material, including the separation of particles of different density, according to the invention consists in that in a multiphase process, the first fragmented material containing mineral components is subjected to pneumogravitational separation in a horizontally directed flotation gas stream, precipitating by gravity settling the granular fractions in an order dependent on the density of the particle-forming material, the flotation gas stream being given a flow rate sufficient to lift the lowest density waste fractions, then collecting at least one higher density fraction of value containing valuable minerals, and then the collected granular fraction containing valuable minerals is subjected to plasma screening in order to further separate said valuable minerals from impurities8

Thus, essentially pure mineral substances are obtained from the at least one fraction of valuable mineral substances.

According to the invention, the mineral-containing loose material is first introduced into the flotage chamber of the pneumogravity sieving device having at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets through which a flotation flot can flow from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, and the raw material is flotated by contacting it. with a flotation stream with a predetermined air flow velocity sufficient to cause the raw material to be separated into at least one valuable mineral fraction which precipitates from the flotation stream as a result of the gravitational fall of this fraction from the stream under the weight of the valuable mineral, and a waste fraction remaining in the flotation stream and the at least one valuable precipitated mineral fraction is collected at one of said flotage chamber outlets and the remaining waste fraction at the other outlets, and then separated into the first In the first phase, a granular fraction containing valuable minerals for the plasma reactor, where it is subjected to chemical-thermal screening in a plasma arc rotating at a peripheral speed of not less than 15,000 revolutions / minute, heating this material to a temperature higher than the melting point of the separated minerals, and then cooling the melt the particles with their simultaneous agglomeration and the resulting loose product is separated, in order to further separate the valuable minerals from the impurities, whereby essentially pure minerals are recovered from the at least one fraction of valuable minerals.

According to the invention, the flow rate of the flotation stream is preferably kept in the range from 10 to 25 m / s.

The process of the invention treats a granular material with a grain radius less than about 0.1 mm, preferably obtained by crushing solids containing minerals.

According to the invention, a material selected from the group consisting of: fly ash, furnace dust, slag, coal, foundry wastes, metallurgical wastes, mine wastes, sea sand and mixtures thereof, in particular foundry wastes constituting slag produced in the ferro-chrome production process, or fly ash is processed. produced from blast furnace slag. Thus, according to the invention, a solid raw material is preferably treated, which is a waste material, which is optionally dried before crushing.

Preferably, in the process according to the invention, the bulk material is treated with a sulfuric acid solution before it is introduced into the flotage chamber. Preferably, substances belonging to the group consisting of: aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, iron oxide, chromium oxide and mixtures thereof are collected as substantially pure minerals obtained from the isolated fractions containing valuable minerals.

The invention also relates to a similar procedure in which valuable mineral fractions are recovered from a mineral-containing bulk material, including the separation of particles of different density. The method according to the invention consists in first introducing the mineral-containing bulk material into the flotage chamber of the pneumogravity sieving machine having at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets through which a flotation pattern can flow from the at least one inlet to at least one outlet, this raw material is flotated by its contact with a flotation stream with a predetermined air flow velocity sufficient to cause the raw material to be separated into at least one valuable mineral fraction which precipitates from the flotation stream by gravity falling of this fraction from of the stream under the weight of valuable mineral substance and the waste fraction remaining in the flotation stream and collecting the at least one valuable mineral fraction precipitated at one of the listed flotation chamber outlets and the remaining waste fraction at the other outlets and the next e the granular fraction containing valuable minerals is subjected to chemical-thermal sieving in the plasma reactor and after the material passes through the arc

In the reaction zone between the two stationary electrodes of the plasma reactor, the screened out valuable minerals are collected from the reactor.

Preferably, the bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber through a second inlet located at a distance from the first outlet defined by the formula:

CC VM2 Facyc where C is the horizontal distance between the second inlet and the first outlet, C is the constant coefficient calculated on the basis of the Reynolds number, V is the gas (air) velocity through the flotation cell, Mg is the dynamic viscosity of the gas, F is the cross-sectional area of the flotation chamber , d is the average diameter of the particles entering the flotage chamber, f is the specific gravity of the particles and H is the height of the flotage chamber. Preferably also, the bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber through the second inlet, adjusting the feed angle of this material, this angle preferably being approximately 12-75 ° to the direction of the air current flowing through the chamber.

According to the invention, preferably the bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber by adjusting the angle between the horizontal direction of air current flow through this chamber and the longitudinal axis of this chamber, preferably in the range from about -60 to + 60 °.

In the process according to the invention, the separation of the bulk product obtained in the cooling zone of the plasma reactor is carried out by subjecting the stream of solid particles falling by gravity to the countercurrent of air, carrying the lighter waste fractions upwards and allowing the higher-density agglomerated particles containing the desired minerals to fall, and then separately collected fractions.

According to the invention, the efficiency of plasma screening is increased by extending the residence time of the bulk product particles in the plasma arc by causing the plasma arc to rotate due to the magnetic field directed radially from the center of the annular anode of the plasma reactor. This method additionally increases the resolving power of the screening process by generating an additional magnetic field directed axially along the vertical axis of the reaction chamber.

According to the invention, the plasma screened bulk solids after plasma arc treatment are led to a cooling zone of the plasma reactor located vertically below the reaction chamber, where the particles are cooled down before collecting them. Further, from the cooling zone, the cooled material is passed vertically down to a counterflow zone of the air which is treated with the cooled materials in such a way that the valuable minerals screened off is collected on the bottom after passing through this zone and the residues are removed to collect them. elsewhere. Preferably, in a counterflow zone which is a conical section, the counterflow is directed upwards from the inlet to the conical section to the outlet of the air stream therefrom along with the waste fractions.

Depending on the type of screened material and as needed, the angle of the cone is adjusted from about 0 ° to 40 °, the angle of the air inlet to the conical section is selected to be about 15 °, and the position of the center point of the inlet to the counterflow section is adjusted. (conical) by placing it approximately 1/4 of the total height of the conical section, measured from the bottom of the conical section. Also, proper counterflow air flow is ensured by positioning the circumferentially connecting section, the cooling chamber of the plasma reactor and the wall-shaped conical section at an angle of from about 35 ° to 60 ° with respect to the upper horizontal edge of the conical section.

The device for extracting mineral substances from loose material containing minerals, based on the separation of particles of different density, according to the invention, consists of a unit for pneumogravitational separation of valuable minerals from loose materials containing minerals and a plasma reactor cooperating with it for chemical-thermal screening as a result of passing material through the plasma arc in the reaction zone between the two electrodes of this reactor.

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In the apparatus of the invention, the pneumogravity separation device comprises an oblong shaped flotage chamber in a housing having a first inlet and a first outlet, means for introducing air into the chamber through the first inlet, and for forcing air to flow through the chamber from the first inlet to the first outlet. providing a flotation stream of air in the chamber flowing from the first inlet to the first outlet and a second inlet for feeding the bulk material therein and bringing it into contact with the flotation stream, the second inlet being located in the chamber at a sufficient distance from the first outlet to allow separation of valuable substances minerals contained in the bulk material in the form of at least one valuable mineral fraction and its fall from the flotation stream as a result of gravitational deposition under the weight of valuable minerals contained in this fraction and a second outlet to receive the effluents chopped mineral fraction.

In the pneumogravity screening device of the device according to the invention, the distance between the second inlet and the first outlet is given by the formula:

LIC V Mg “Fd ² y _c where L is the horizontal distance between the second inlet and the first outlet, C is the constant coefficient calculated on the basis of the Reynolds number, V is the velocity of the gas (e.g. air) flowing through the chamber, Mg is the dynamic viscosity of the gas, F is the cross-sectional area of the chamber, d is the average diameter of the bulk particles entering the chamber through the second inlet, γ is the specific gravity of the particles and H is the height of the chamber.

In the pneumogravity sieving unit, the second inlet is constructed to adjust the angle of introducing the bulk material into the chamber. The angle [alpha] of the introduction of the bulk material is preferably 12-75 [deg.] With respect to the direction of the air current flowing through the chamber.

The unit for screening the pneumogravity of the device according to the invention additionally has a chamber tilting mechanism for adjusting the angle β between the horizontal direction of the air current flow through the chamber and the longitudinal axis of the chamber. Preferably, the angle β is in the range from -60 to + 60 ° to the horizontal direction of the air flow.

In the device according to the invention, the plasma reactor - with two known stationary electrodes, one of which is ring-shaped and divided into many members electrically insulated from each other, and with a known reaction zone located between these electrodes, through which the plasma arc runs when these electrodes Sufficiently high voltage is applied - it has a reaction zone in the reaction chamber, the longitudinal axis of which is a vertical line drawn from the first stationary electrode to the center of the second multi-segment, ring electrode, and cylindrical coils connected between each member of the second electrode and the constant potential area, each coil placed is at a point on the circumference of the second electrode, at a distance of 90 ° from the electrode member to which it is attached, and oriented so that its longitudinal axis is parallel to a line drawn from the center of the second electrode to that member of the electrode to which it is the coil is attached.

In the plasma reactor of the device according to the invention, each of the members of the second electrode is connected to the constant potential region by a circuit comprising two cylindrical coils arranged around the periphery of the second electrode and spaced 90 ° apart on either side of the member of the second electrode to which the coils are connected, while whereby these coils are so oriented that their longitudinal axes are parallel to a line drawn from the center of the second electrode to the member to which they are connected. Moreover, in this plasma reactor, cylindrical coils arranged around the circumference of the second electrode are wound on an annular core with low magnetic resistance.

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Preferably, the plasma reactor of the device according to the invention additionally has a cylindrical coaxial coil which surrounds the reaction zone such that the coil has a longitudinal axis coinciding with the vertical axis of the reaction chamber to create an axially oriented magnetic field when the coaxial cylindrical coil is energized.

In the device according to the invention, the plasma reactor is equipped with a cooling zone positioned vertically below the reaction chamber to receive the materials heated in the reaction zone and to allow it to cool before collection. Vertically below the cooling zone, it has a counterflow air zone which acts on the cooled materials in such a way that the valuable minerals screened out pass through the zone and are collected at its bottom while the residues are removed to be collected elsewhere. Preferably, the counter-current zone is a conical section, and the counter-current is directed upwards from the inlet to the conical section to the outlet of the air stream along with the waste fractions therefrom. Preferably, the taper angle of the cone ranges from about 0 ° to 40 °. Preferably, the angle of air entry into the conical section is also approximately 15 ° and the midpoint of the countercurrent inlet to the conical section is located approximately 1/4 of the height of the total conical section, measured from the bottom of the conical section.

According to the invention, in the plasma reactor of the device, the circumferentially connecting section of said cooling chamber and the conical section is constituted by a wall angled from about 35 ° to 60 ° with respect to the upper horizontal edge of the conical section, which ensures a proper counterflow of air in order to optimize the effects of using it. devices.

Various gases are used for the production of plasma, depending on the composition of the raw material processed. These include various oxidizing gases such as atmospheric air or oxygen, reducing gases such as hydrogen and inert gases such as argon and other noble gases. Thus, the particles passing through the plasma arc are heated to temperatures exceeding their melting points, even to temperatures of about 10,000 ° K, and liquefied. The plasma reactor is further shaped and dimensioned to accommodate a cooling zone through which the liquid exits the plasma reaction zone through gradients of ever lower temperatures as the desired minerals, in the substantially pure form of the elements or compounds, cool and congeal into a loose form by relatively high density. Also, the heated residues of the initially introduced particles either crystallize in the form of relatively low-density dust in the cooling zone, or there they evaporate as gases by first subjecting them to plasma and then cooling. Moreover, the structure of the reactor includes a blow-off zone in a reverse direction into which liquid, dust and gaseous materials pass after leaving the cooling zone. In this blowing zone, these materials are subjected to a reverse air current. After passing through such a reverse air current, the valuable condensed minerals are brought into their essentially pure powder form, while the remaining dust and gaseous components are removed from the end product by the counter-current air and collected separately.

As a result of chemical-thermal screening with the use of a plasma reactor, essentially pure mineral substances are separated from the raw materials treated in this way, with a purity level exceeding 95%. Moreover, depending on their composition, the remaining dust and gaseous components, separated from the collected valuable minerals, may be further processed and become a source of other useful essentially pure fractions. Another possibility is to use such waste materials as valuable by-products of the process.

The invention will be discussed in more detail on the basis of the attached drawings, in which Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the fly ash treatment process with the method according to the invention, Fig. 2 - a block diagram of the metallurgical slag processing waste after iron-chromium production, part of which is the method according to the invention , fig. 3 is a block diagram of the post-electroplating waste treatment process according to the invention, fig. 4 a block diagram of a sea sand processing process, part of which is the method according to the invention, fig. 5 - a pneumogravity separation device in section, in a side view, fig. 6 - plasma reactor, which is a device for chemical-thermal screening12

Fig. 7 is a sectional side elevation view of Fig. 7, a plan view of the plasma reactor shown in Fig. 6, projecting from the cathode to the multi-member anode assembly, and Fig. 8 schematically illustrating the detailed relative position of the cathode and the multi-member assembly. the anodes of Figure 6 with an exposed section of a portion thereof.

Figures 1-4 show flowcharts of the processing of various mineral-containing bulk materials, differing in details depending on the composition of the raw material, its physical form, mineral content and other similar considerations, detailed in the following embodiments of the inventive methods.

The raw material treated in the process flow chart of Figure 1 is freshly produced, dry fly ash from coal combustion in a CHP plant. In this regard, it should be noted that the fresh ash used here was sufficiently soft and could be processed without being ground to a powder. If, however, the ash from the reserve pile or the accumulating heap was used for a longer period of time, even in years, it would be necessary to grind the ash used as a raw material into particles of the appropriate size so that the applied treatment method could bring satisfactory results.

The composition of the fly ash used for processing may vary slightly depending on the fuel. However, the main constituents of fly ash are always silicon and aluminum, with calcium, iron, titanium and magnesium among the secondary constituents. You can also expect traces of lead, mercury, silver, manganese and chromium. The fly ash usually used in the process according to the invention comprises the following compounds:

SiOj 50-56% Al2O ₃ 21-28% CaO 2-4% Fe2Or 7-12% TiO2 1-1.7% MgO 2-3% EXAMPLE 1 10 kg of dry fly ash freshly made from coal were collected

during the daily operation of the CHP plant. This 10 kg sample had the following percentage by weight:

SiO2 51.5% Al2O3 26.6% CaO 2.6% Fe2O3 11.3% TiO2 ' 1.2% MgO 2.1% Other 4.7% This fly ash sample was introduced into the chamber of the separation device

of the type shown in Figure 5. After being introduced into the chamber, the ash was treated with 1 liter of a 5% solution of sulfuric acid; the ash reacted with the acid and formed a high-density, free-flowing sulphate fraction, which favored the deposition of active particles in further stages of the process.

In the pneumogravity separation device, the particles came into contact with a laminar flotation air stream flowing through the chamber from an inlet on one side to an outlet on the other side of the chamber. The air velocity was 2 m / s, and as the particles were blown through the chamber, the heavier grains, including Al2O3 and TiOj, fell from the flotation stream by gravity settling, while the lighter particles remained essentially suspended in the flotation stream. The loose mineral fraction, precipitated from the flotation stream, weighed 3.08 Kg and had the following composition expressed as percentage by weight:

AbO3 68.18% Al2 (SO4) 3 9.70% SiO2 11.37% TiO2 3.89% Fe2O. 3 3.20%

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Fe ₂ (SO) 1.66%

MgO and MgSO4 0.38%

CaO 1.66%

This precipitated dust fraction was collected and transferred for further processing in the chemical-thermal screening stage in order to extract minerals of higher purity from the product of the pneumogravure treatment phase.

The particles that remained in the flotation stream were collected separately. They weighed 6.92 Kg. The percentage composition of this waste fraction, expressed as a percentage by weight, was as follows:

Al ₂ O8 2.809% Al ₂ (SC> 4) 3 0.870% SiO, 69.800% Fe ^ Os 13.800% Fe ₂ (SO4) 3 1.15 «% CaO 3, O00o TiO, - MgO and MgSO4 2,800% Other 6.880% This waste fraction also turned out to be a valuable contributing by-product

ready for further processing to be used in the production of cement-like building mixtures as well as adhesives and fillers of excellent quality.

In the chemical-thermal screening stage, the loose fraction precipitated in the pneumogravity separation process was fed to the plasma reactor shown in Fig. 6, where a plasma at a temperature of about 10,000 K was produced using air as the starting gas; the plasma arc was rotated around the exposed anode at a speed of about 80,000 rpm, which resulted in the separation of a useful mineral fraction weighing 2.58 Kg from the bulk material sample initially introduced into the reaction chamber, weighing 8.08 Kg. The composition of this fraction, expressed as a percentage by weight, was as follows:

Al ₂ O3 95.0%

TiO ₂ 2.7%

Impurities 2.3%

Thus, in a two-stage process, the Al ₂ O3 and TiO ₂ fraction was obtained with a purity of 97.7% by melting Al2O3 and TiO ₂ in plasma and recovering the unresolved aggregate that had collected at the bottom of the reaction chamber of the reactor shown in Figure 6.

The 0.55 Kg fraction, which was the remainder of the original 8.08 Kg sample, charged to the plasma reactor, was removed from the plasma reactor as further described with reference to the apparatus shown in Figure 6.

For example, most of the magnesium, iron, and silicates in the 8.08 kg sample were melted in the plasma and crystallized as dust particles then blown out of the reactor. Sulfates also evaporated in the plasma to form gas that was also blown from the reactor. The entire remaining 0.55 Kg fraction, including the dust and gas particles, could be collected for further processing if necessary.

Example II. Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the invention where slag from a foundry producing iron-chromium products was used as the bulk material. It should be added that mine slag was also processed by the method according to the invention.

A sample of blast furnace slag was taken from the heap. The slag sample was screened to remove excessively large billets and the remaining bulk material was subjected to a magnetic sieving technique whereby billets larger than 250 mm in diameter were separated from the remaining bulk material. This screened fraction of billets with a diameter of 250 mm and above contained 75% (by weight) of iron and 25% (by weight) of chromium compounds. A sample weighing 10 Kg of the residual smaller diameter particulate material had the following composition in percent by weight:

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SiO2 25% AEO3 3% CaO 45% Fe ₂ O ₃ 7% MgO 8% Cr chromium oxide 12% chromates This 10 Kg sample was then crushed and ground so that the particles remained

reduced to an average diameter of from about 0.1 to about 0.2 mm. These ground particles were introduced into the flotage chamber of the pneumogravity separation device shown in Figure 5.

In this device, the particles have come into contact with a laminar flow of flotation air flowing through the chamber from an inlet on one side to an outlet on the other side of the chamber. The air velocity was about 10 m / s and the particles blown through the chamber fell out of the flotation stream in two separate fractions according to the weight of the particles.

As a result of the gravitational fall, the first fraction contained the heavier particles and the second - the lighter ones. The recovered first mineral fraction that fell from the flotation stream weighed 5.75 Kg was collected and subjected to a known magnetic separation process to separate the iron and chromium rich part (3.27 Kg) from the second part (2.48 Kg) ).

The first part rich in iron and chromium was collected. The remaining second part, weighing 2.48 Kg, had the following composition in percent by weight:

AliO ₃ 6.06%

CaO 66.52%

SiOz 26.21%

Cr ₂ Ó ₃ 0.41%

Fe ₂ O ₃ 0.40%

MgO 0.41 *%

The second fraction obtained from the pneumogravity separation step weighed 4.3 Kg and had the following composition expressed as a percentage by weight:

Al2O ₃ 3.49% CaO 31, (60% SiO2 39 ^ o Cr ₂ O ₃ Fe ₂ O ₃ 4 ^ ₀ MgO 13.90%

The second part from the magnetic separation process, weighing 2.48 Kg, was combined with the second fraction from the pneumogravity separation weighing 4.3 Kg to give a combined sample weighing 6.78 Kg, which was transferred to further processing by chemical-thermal screening for extraction. from this product minerals of higher purity.

About 0.72 Kg of carbon particles were added to a combined sample weighing 6.78 Kg to form a dry blend of 7.5 Kg, which was then introduced into a plasma reactor of the type shown in Figure 6, where plasma was produced using air as a starting gas. at a temperature of around 10,000 ° K. The rotation of the plasma arc around the exposed anode was obtained at a speed of about 30,000 rpm, which resulted in the separation of a useful mineral fraction with the following composition expressed as a percentage by weight and a weight of 0.28 Kg:

chromium mixture 85% iron mixture 14% impurity 1%

Thus, in a two-stage process, 99% pure minerals with a high percentage of chromium and iron, in the amount of about 0.28 Kg, were obtained from loose raw materials. The residual fraction collected from the chemical-thermal screening step in the reactor as shown in Figure 6, weighing 6.5 Kg, contained valuable components suitable for

167 395 for the production of valuable by-products such as Portland cement-like material.

Example III. Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the invention, in which the residue obtained in the process of electroplating the production of high-quality steel was used as a raw material for recovering minerals. After the electroplating process, the residue was collected in the form of a sludge, which contained chromates, sulphates, chlorates, iron compounds and silicates. In particular, the precipitate contained a high percentage (more than 50% by weight) of chromium salts.

Initially, the sediment was dried with hot air. Then, the dried material was ground into particles with a diameter not greater than 2 mm.

The loose material prepared in this way was transported and introduced as a 10 Kg sample into a pneumogravitational separation device of the type shown in Fig. 5, with the principle of operation shown below in the description of this drawing. The laminar flow velocity s ^^ r ^ of air in the flotation chamber was about 5 m / s. A loose fraction weighing 4.5 Kg fell from the flotation stream, and a waste fraction weighing

5.5 Kg remained suspended in the flotation stream.

The waste fraction from the pneumogravitational separation stage with a predominance of chromium salts, chromates as well as iron and ferrous compounds was collected and transferred to the next treatment stage, i.e. for chemical-thermal screening in order to obtain a valuable mineral content of higher purity than the product obtained in the stage pneumogravitational separation.

The particles remaining in the flotation stream were collected by separation as a valuable by-product suitable for use as a binder or in mines as a backfill.

In the chemical-thermal screening step, the precipitation fraction from the pneumogravity separation step was fed into the plasma reactor shown in Figure 6, where a plasma was produced at a temperature of about 10,000 ° K using methane as reducing gas. The plasma arc rotated around the eight-membered anode at a speed of about 30,000 rpm, which resulted in the precipitation of substantially pure elemental chromium, chromium salts, and elemental iron. This mixture of chromium and ferrous materials was subjected to an electromagnetic screening process to separate the substantially pure chromium materials from the substantially pure iron.

Example IV. Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the invention, in which sand taken from the bottom of reservoirs such as an ocean, sea or lake was used as a raw material for obtaining valuable minerals. Preferably, sand for this purpose, hereinafter referred to as sea sand, is taken from the vicinity of a mine or industrial plant that discharges sewage into a given water reservoir. In this example, a 10 kg sample of sea sand was used as the mineral source. This sample contained the following minerals in the following percentages by weight:

ilmenite 28.0% zirconium 20.7% rutile 7.3% monacyt 1.5% grenade 34.2% amphibole 3.8% epidote 3.1% tourmaline 1-4% A 10 kg sample of sea sand was first introduced into the mag-

weak magnetic field, up to about 5 kilograms, to separate the highly magnetic fraction of ferrous materials from the non-magnetic and lower magnetic components of the sample. The high magnetic fraction thus separated weighed 2.8 Kg and contained 97% ilmenite and 3% of such minerals as garnet, amphibole, epidote and tourmaline. This magnetic fraction was then introduced in a loose form into a plasma reactor of the type shown in Figure 6, where this bulk material was chemically treated16

167,395 was described in connection with the operation of such a reactor. At this stage, iron with a purity of 98.6% and TiO? Were obtained from the ilmenite-rich fraction. 99.4% pure.

The remaining non-magnetic and lower magnetic fraction weighing 7.2 Kg was transferred from the magnetic sifter and subjected to electrostatic sieving using a positive potential of up to 50 kV. Electrostatic sifting caused the division of the fraction subjected to this process into two portions. One batch of conductive materials weighed 2.9 Kg, while the other batch of dielectrics and non-conductive materials weighed 4.3 Kg.

The first batch of conductive materials contained materials such as garnet, amphibole, epidote, tumoral, and rutile. It was then sent for further processing to separate the semi-magnetic materials contained therein from the non-magnetic fraction by adding

A 2.9 kilogram sample of a magnetic sieve in a strong magnetic field up to 16 kilogaus. The separated semi-magnetic material weighing 1.6 Kg represents! process residue. The rest of the screened material, weighing 1.3 Kg, was collected and purified in another electrostatic treatment process, in which the remaining dielectric materials were removed, and the conductive materials, weighing 7 Kg and containing 96% rutile concentrate with 4% addition of impurities such mainly as garnet and zirconium amphibole, epidote and tourmaline. were collected and processed in a plasma reactor of the type shown in Figure 6 and operated as detailed below.

The mixture obtained as a result of the chemical-thermal treatment in the plasma reactor contained TiO _{2 with a} purity of 99.8%. Moreover, as mentioned above, a second batch of dielectric and non-conductive materials weighing 4.3 Kg was collected, which was also subjected to magnetic sieving in a strong magnetic field up to 16 kilogaus, which resulted in the separation of two additional fractions. One of them contained mineral magnetic materials and weighed 0.5 Kg. This magnetic fraction contained 98% pure monasite and 4% of impurities such as zircon, garnet, amphibole, epidote and tourmaline. This 98% monazite fraction was collected and treated in a plasma reactor to obtain 99.3% pure lanthanum oxides.

The non-magnetic fraction separated from the above-mentioned two fractions weighed 4.15 Kg. It was transferred to the further electrostatic screening, where zirconium concentrate was obtained as a dielectric product of electrostatic screening and the conductive residue. The zirconium concentrate weighed 2.1 Kg and contained 97% ZrSiO4 and 3% impurities, mainly consisting of rutile and small amounts of other materials such as garnet, amphibole, epidote and tourmaline. This zirconium concentrate was also chemically thermally treated in a plasma reactor of the type described and shown in Figure 6 to obtain ZrO ₂ with a purity of 99.5% and SiO ₂ with a purity of 99.8%.

The isolated conductive material with a weight of 2.05 Kg was a process residue, which was then combined with the residues of the previous stages and treated together as waste.

The above embodiments of the inventive methods have been made with reference to the drawings showing the inventive apparatus. The principles of carrying out the process according to the invention are discussed in the following with reference to the attached drawings.

The following detailed description of the pneumo-gravity separation device constituting one of the units of the inventive device used in the processes described in the above embodiments of the inventive methods is illustrated in Figure 5. In this drawing, the device 50 has an elongated housing 52 of rectangular cross-section. Housing 52 houses a flotage chamber 54 and an inlet 56 with a mating chute 58, such as, for example, a vibrating conveyor, leading to chamber 54 at a desired entrance angle. Housing 52 also has another inlet 60 through which air is introduced into chamber 54 by means of a fan or blower 62 permanently mounted near the first end 64 of housing 52. Housing 52 also has at least one outlet, illustrated as outlets 66 and 68, positioned to allow collection of the mineral precipitation fractions obtained from the bulk material introduced into chamber 54 through inlet 56 and treated. The outlet 70 is disposed at the second end 72 of the housing 52 opposite its first end 64 to allow the reception of non-encapsulated fractions of the bulk material with mineral content constituting the residual waste fraction. In a favorable

In the 395 embodiment, the inlet 56 is disposed longitudinally with respect to the outlet at end 72 of the housing 52 at a distance defined by the formula:

CHVMg

Fd ² y _c where C is the horizontal distance between the second inlet 56 through which the bulk material enters and the end of the chamber 54 through which the particles leave the chamber 54, C is the steel calculated on the basis of the Reynolds number and in the case of laminar air flow through the chamber 54 is 18, V is the velocity of the gas (e.g. air) flowing through the chamber 54, Mg is the dynamic viscosity of the gas, F is the cross-sectional area of chamber 54, d is the average diameter of the bulk material particles entering the chamber 54 through the second inlet 56, kc is the specific gravity of the particles and H is the height of the chamber 54.

During operation of the device 50, air is blown into the chamber 54 by the blower 62, which causes a laminar flow of the flotation stream along a constant horizontal axis 74 extending from the inlet nozzle 76 of the blower 62 to the end 72 of the housing 52. The particles are introduced into the chamber 54 through the inlet 56 and a chute. 58 is adjusted to provide the desired angle α for introducing particles into chamber 54. The angle α may be adjusted from about 12 to about 75 ° from axis 74 to adapt the separation condition to the weight of the various raw materials processed in the apparatus 50. Preferably chute 58 is constructed to vibrate or oscillate so that the particles introduced by chute 58 into chamber 54 are agitated sufficiently to prevent agglomeration.

The legs 76 and 78 provide support for the housing 52 and a stable position relative to the floor 80. The apparatus 50 has conventional leg height adjusting mechanisms 82 and 84 mounted on legs 76 and 78 respectively. Mechanisms 82 and 84 operate independently to raise or lower housing 52 as needed to tilt chamber 54 in housing 52 if desired, allowing the angle β to be adjusted between the predetermined horizontal axis 74 and the longitudinal axis of the chamber 54. In this way, regulate the path of descent the particles must travel between entering chamber 54 and contact with the air stream to accommodate raw materials of various weights. In practice, it has been found that for best results this angular adjustment of the β angle should be possible within the range from about -60 to 0 ° (horizontal) for lighter mineral products and from +60 to 0 ° (horizontal) for heavier mineral products.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of the plasma reactor 100, which is one of the units of the device according to the invention used in the processes described in the above embodiments of the methods according to the invention - for the treatment of any loose materials, also such as non-precipitated mineral fractions obtained in the pneumogravitational separation method using device 50 shown in the above-discussed Figure 5 or for treating any other bulk material.

Reactor 100 includes a plasma head 102 with a vertically mounted plasma thrower 104. The thrower 104 is shaped and dimensioned to inject the gaseous plasma so as to produce a downwardly directed, central arc or plasma jet 135 extending from the cathode 106 to the multi-membered assembly. annular anode 108 positioned in reaction chamber 100 downstream of head 102. Plasma head 102 includes shaped channels 116 that extend upward and communicate with a metering device (not shown) metering mineral-containing bulk material introduced into reaction chamber 110. Downstream of chamber 110 downstream of the plasma stream is a cylindrical cooling chamber 112 leading down to a conical section 114 into which air is fed countercurrently through an inlet 138 to blow out some of the remaining cooled downstream materials from chamber 110 through outlet 140 as they remain e described in more detail below.

167 395

During the operation of the device, the particles after sacking into the cow 110 come into contact with the Buckthorn 105 and are heated to high temperature in the environment in which the Oil Souk 105 circulates or spins, as shown by the arrow A in Figures 7 and 8. faster than achievable with previously used methods or devices.

Fig. 7 shows a specific embodiment of the plasma reactor in the direction of the cathode 106 to the anode 108 according to the solar reactor 105 in the displacement cooresis 110. The area between the cathode and the anode will be referred to as the reaction zone 118. Reaction zone 118 eacore3 extract gas suitable for for plasma curing, when between the anode 108 and the cathode 106 there is a deotative voltage from the external source (not as indicated in the figure), the path of the olaem Suku 105 from the cathode 106 to the anode 108 is hereinafter referred to as the axis of the reaction zone. As shown in the figure, the beach tube 105 is directed from the cathode 106 to the shaft of the senile annular anode 108 with the beam of the beam electrically separated from the body of the insulated ceilings to which the beach tube is subsequently curved, resulting in the rotation of the Suko. RezczSeekogana anode with at least six ceSons set as described in the description of the United States patent No. 4,361,441, the content of which is treated as a literature reference revealing the structure of the anode. According to the description of the anodes described in the back document, the anodes lead to a gyration of Suku with a speed of up to about 6,000 rpm, limited by the frequency of excitation of the devices. In the part of the CESON sequencing web study, the anode is used to test the electrical conditions. For the maximum possible rotation of the Suku 0lazmegezo of the system of geodes, from the pre-production description of the United States of America No. 4,361,441, it also stacks a radiating magnetic field, which, thanks also to the fact that the beach has a Sadunzk, causes that the Suk is subject to the de Suku speed wektern. The system of cylindrical coils connected around the edge of the path of the tube and excited by an external source is associated with the production of a rotating magnetic field.

As it has already been done, in the reactor 100, the so-called Seo anode 108 is used, but unlike the ureadeenin of the geographically geared description of the United States oateetogege No. One of the anode ceSon 108 jumps onto the other. On the other hand, as it was described peeieej, in the part of the gprogαdeeeia Suku plαewegezo 105 in the swirling motion of the anode 108 - as shown by the arrow A - applied pete in αzeeticene. This means that the rotational speed of the plasma suction 105 will depend on the frequency with which the various states of the electrical switches are connected. It can be eaten to achieve a higher speed of obretege - about 30,000 rpm. - than it would be in the hitherto affairs.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, a number of rings anode 108 in the license of the four cylinders 120 rotating around the edge. Each of the bricks 120 is wound at the junction of the ring with a low magnetic resistance 122, the axis of which is formed perpendicular to the axis of the reaction zone 118. In the preferred embodiment of this urease, there are two quarters 120 for each part of the anode 108, each 90 ° per 90 °. danzgo ceSonu streniz. Thus, the total number of blocks 120 units is twice as high as the number of anode ceSons 108. Figures 7 and 8 show an enlightening anode made of a split water and water filter 124. For the sake of simplicity, figure 7 shows only the cetzones of the blocks 120a, 120a ' , 120b, 120b '. The anode of the anode 108a is electrically connected to quadruple 120a and 120a ', while the anode core 108b is made of brick 120b and 120b'. The bricks 120a and 120b are wound on the same portion 126 of thread 122 in reverse directions. Similarly, the quadruple 120a 'and 120b' are wound on the contrail They are part of the core 122. Each of the 120 bricks is also attached to the ground as an element 130. That is, for each of the anodes the anode is sustained constant constant pressure with a cylindrical coil 120 hooked on the edge of reaction zone 118 and so oriented so that its long axis is perpendicular to a line drawn from the center of the annular anode 108 given that of the anode to which it is pre-soaked. When the cathode 106 withers and the given part of the anode occurs gySadeganie Suku plaemogezo 105, which means that the anode core and the current flow to the ground

167,395 electric by energizing two cylindrical coils associated with a given member (i.e., coils 120a and 120a '). The function of the coils 120 is to create a magnetic field oriented radially towards (or away from) the anode member conducting the plasma discharge. As shown in Figure 7, when excited, a pair of coils 120a and 120b arranged on opposite sides of the edges of the arc path produces a radially oriented magnetic field vector B1. The magnetic field B1 thus causes the plasma arc 105 to undergo a peripheral directed force at right angles doBu which is proportional to the axial velocity along the path from the cathode to the anode.

Thus, plasma reactor 100 operates as follows:

All the anode members are grounded (or connected to another constant potential region) through separate paths, each passing through a cylindrical coil 120. After cathode pre-excitation, when the gas breakdown potential is reached, a plasma discharge occurs in the reaction chamber between cathode 106 and one among the anode members 108 and a plasma conductive path is formed. In the absence of other forces, the discharge would remain stationary or would jump randomly from one anode member to another. However, the magnetic field B1 forces the arc to move around the circumference and causes it to jump to the adjacent anode member. This anode member in turn excites another pair of cylindrical coils, which causes the plasma arc to rotate further to the adjacent anode member, and so on. In this way the plasma arc must rotate continuously, at a speed independent of the frequency of any electrical switching.

In order to give the plasma an even greater angular velocity in reactor 100, another cylindrical coil 132 is wound around the edge of the reaction zone 118 and coaxial with the axis of the reaction zone 118. Excited by an external power supply, the coaxial cylindrical coil 132 then produces another magnetic field B2 directed axially. along the path of the plasma arc, shown in Figure 8. The B2 field causes that all charged particles moving with a radial or circumferential velocity component are under the influence of a force directed perpendicular to this velocity component. The velocity component directed along the radius is imparted to the plasma arc by arranging the anode members along the edge, which causes the plasma arc to swing outwards along the radius. Thus, the magnetic field B2 converts the linear moment of the charged particles motion directed along the radius into an angular moment, causing the arc to rotate. Moreover, the peripheral component of the rotating plasma velocity (caused by both the magnetic fields B1 and B2) thus created is subjected to the field B2, which draws the arc radially inward. This in turn provides the centripetal force necessary to maintain the fast rotation.

Hitherto methods of forcing the rotation of the plasma arc, such as those described in the previously cited US Patent No. 4,361,442, were based solely on the spinning of an external magnetic field put into rotation by means of electric switches and the subsequent excitation of the anode members also by means of electric switches. This means that the angular velocity of the plasma could not be greater than the electrical switching frequency. In contrast, the present device does not have such limitations and can therefore impart the plasma arc with a much higher rotational speed.

Thus, in the practical use of this device in a method of screening valuable minerals from mineral-containing bulk materials, atmospheric air or pure oxygen was used as the plasma gas to produce pure alumina and titanium oxide from the fly ash fraction deposited in the pneumogravity separation step. The temperature developed in reaction chamber 110 of plasma reactor 100 was about 10,000 ° K, and the forced arc speed around the perimeter of the eight-membered anode 108 was about 16,000 rpm. The bulk material was introduced from above into the vertically oriented reactor chamber 110 through channels 116 at a rate such that the particles spiraled down through the plasma arc at a rate of about 5 Kg / s.

As the particles descend through the plasma arc in reaction chamber 110, their valuable minerals (such as alumina and titanium oxide) melt, while the remaining bulk material components, such as magnesium, either crystallize or evaporate. After exiting reaction chamber 110, after passing near the anode 108, the materials

167 395 enter the cylindrical cooling chamber 112 and descend from there through temperature gradients, while the molten minerals concentrate into relatively dense particles, crystallized residues form dust particles, and vaporized components form gases. Then, as the cooled components reach the lower sections of the cooling chamber 112, they reach the delivery plate 134, the purpose of which is to separate relatively denser mineral agglomerates such as alumina and titanium oxide from other falling materials. In addition, the plate 134 directs the separated mineral particles downstream through the conical section 114 to allow them to collect at the bottom 136 of the conical section 114. In section 114, a swirled countercurrent air is directed from the inlet 138 upwards to the outlet 140 to cause the accompanying nipples to separate. particulate matter and gases, and blowing them out of the reactor 100 through an outlet pipe 141 fitted at the outlet 140.

The outlet tube 142 is structurally associated with the inlet 138. The axis 144 of the tube 142 is oriented at an angle X to the horizontal axis 146 and passes through the center point of the inlet 138. Thus, the angle X generally defines the angle of the air inlet to the conical section 114 of the reactor 100. In a preferred embodiment, of this device, the X angle should be approximately 15 °. However, the magnitude of the angle X for any particular process depends on various factors, including the velocity of the air introduced through the inlet 138, the specific gravity of the materials being treated, and the angle of the cone (Y angle in Figure 6). In this regard, it should be noted that for very high specific gravity materials, the angle X may be increased up to 90 [deg.] (Then air will be introduced from the bottom 136 of the cone 114). Preferably, the inclination angle Y of the cone 114 is approximately 30 °. However, it has been experimentally found that for the processing of materials with a high concentration of iron and chromium, such as raw materials from foundries, the angle X should be in the range of about 0 ° to about 37 ° and the angle Y should be in the range of about 10 ° to about 30 °. For raw materials with a high concentration of copper, nickel or cobalt, such as raw materials from mines and foundries, the X angle should be from about 5 ° to about 30 ° and the Y angle should be between about 15 ° and about 40 °. For high concentration zirconium raw materials, such as sea sand raw materials, the angle X should be between about 0 ° and about 15 ° and the angle Y should be between about 30 ° and about 40 °. For high alumina and titanium oxide materials, the angle X should be between about 0 ° and about 30 ° and the angle Y should be between about 20 ° and about 40 °. To accommodate such a large variety of angular configurations for the various feedstocks, in one version of the device 100, the reactor conical section 114 is provided as a replaceable part, so that differently shaped tips can be installed on the reactor body 100 as required.

Another important design feature of the conical section 114 of the reactor 100 is the location of the inlet 138 and associated air inlet 142. It has been found that in a preferred embodiment, the center point of inlet 138 should be at a height h above the bottom 136 of the conical section 114, i.e., about M4. total height hs section 114. height h _s for any version of the conical section 114 may be calculated as a function of the angle of the cone 114 from the equation:

h _s = 1/2 ds tgY where d _s is the diameter of the cone 114 at the horizontal upper edge 148 of the conical section 114, the diameter ds of the conical section 114 can be calculated from another equation:

ds = 12 d _r where dr is the radius of the cylindrical cooling chamber 112.

Another important design feature of the reactor 100 is a wall section 150 disposed at right angles to the horizontal base 152 of the cylindrical cooling chamber 112 and to the horizontal edge 148 of the conical section 114, the wall 150 circumferentially and seals the chamber 112 with the conical section 114. In a preferred embodiment, wall 150 is disposed at an angle Z to the horizontal edge 148 of section 114. This angle is selected such that air entering section 114 through inlet 138 at an angle X is directed through

167 895 wall 150 in the desired direction upwards so that it comes into contact with the downwardly falling material of the cooling chamber 112 and thus the relatively lighter plates and gases therein move upwards through the centrally located funnel 154 to meet the particles falling and that these lighter materials are directed to the outlet 140, from where they exit through the outlet pipe 141 and collected as waste products from the chemothermal screening.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the angle Z may range from about 85 ° to about 60 °, most preferably 45 °. However, the angle Z may be varied as needed to obtain optimum aerodynamic conditions within the conical section 114 for directing the air introduced through the inlet 188 into the outlet 140 either by a direct, swirl, spiral or rotating jet. If desired, a venting device (not shown in Figure 6) may be connected via an exhaust pipe 141 to facilitate the collection of waste materials. The velocity of the air entering the conical section 114 is also an important factor influencing the course of the screening process. For example, it has been found that generally the velocity of the air entering section 114 through the inlet 188 should be in the range of 1 to 20 m / s. The air velocity is regulated according to the density of the recovered minerals, generally using higher speeds for the heaviest particles such as iron-chromium, while lower speeds are used for materials with lower specific gravities. For example, when using fly ash as a feedstock in the reactor, it has been found that the conical section 114 of the reactor 100 is fed through the inlet 188 with air, accelerated to a speed of about 1.7 m / s.

In addition, it has been found that for some applications of reactor 100 it may be desirable to incorporate an electromagnet 156 surrounding a ring-shaped lower section of cylindrical cooling chamber 112. In particular, to perform some screening operations on plasma treated materials derived from metallurgical slag or foundries, operation of the solenoid 156 may assist. in sifting mineral materials from residues. However, when treating fly ash, such electromagnetic assistance is usually not needed.

While the invention has been described in detail in the preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the foregoing description has been presented merely for the purpose of illustrating the invention. Numerous changes to the details and individual operating steps of the process of the invention as well as to the properties of the treated materials are permissible and do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

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Claims (46)

Patent claims 1. A method of obtaining essentially pure mineral substances from a bulk material containing minerals, including the separation of particles of different density, characterized in that in a multiphase process, the comminuted material containing mineral components is first subjected to pneumogravity separation in a horizontally directed flotation gas stream, precipitating by gravity settling granular fractions in the order determined by the density of the particle-forming material, whereby the flotation gas stream is given a flow rate sufficient to lift the lowest density waste fractions, then at least one higher density fraction of high value containing valuable minerals is collected and then collected the granular fraction containing valuable minerals is subjected to plasma screening in order to further separate said valuable minerals from impurities, thereby Substantially pure mineral substances are recovered from at least one fraction of valuable mineral substances. 2. The method according to p. The material as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that first the mineral-containing bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber of the pneumogravity sieving device having at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets through which the flotation stream can flow from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, the raw material is subjected to flotation by its contact with a flotation stream with a predetermined air flow velocity sufficient to cause the separation of this raw material into at least one valuable mineral fraction, which precipitates from the flotation stream as a result of the gravitational fall of this fraction from the stream under the weight of a valuable mineral, and on the waste fraction remaining in the flotation stream and the at least one valuable precipitated mineral fraction is collected at one of the listed flotation chamber outlets and the remaining waste fraction at the other outlets, and then the separated in In the first phase, a granular fraction containing valuable minerals for the plasma reactor, where it is subjected to chemical-thermal screening in a plasma arc rotating at a circumferential speed of not less than 15,000 revolutions / minute, heating this material to a temperature higher than the melting point of the separated minerals, and then cooling the melt the particles with their simultaneous agglomeration and the resulting loose product is separated, in order to further separate the valuable minerals from the impurities, whereby essentially pure minerals are recovered from the at least one fraction of valuable minerals. 3. The method according to p. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flow rate of the flotation stream is kept in the range from 10 to 25 m / s. 4. The method according to p. Process according to claim 3, characterized in that the bulk material is treated with grains having a radius of less than about 0.1 mm. 5. The method according to p. Process according to claim 4, characterized in that the treatment of a bulk material obtained by crushing a solid raw material containing mineral components. 6. The method according to p. The process of claim 1, wherein a material selected from the group consisting of: fly ash, furnace dust, slag, coal, foundry tailings, metallurgical tailings, mine tailings, sea sand and mixtures thereof is treated. 7. The method according to p. The process of claim 6, characterized in that the treated waste is slag produced in the ferro-chrome production process. 8. The method according to p. Process according to claim 6, characterized in that the fly ash produced from the blast furnace slag is treated. 167 395 9. The method according to p. The process of claim 5, characterized in that the treatment is a solid waste material. 10. The method according to p. The process of claim 5 or 9, characterized in that the solids are dried prior to crushing. 11. The method according to p. The process of claim 1, wherein the bulk material is treated with a sulfuric acid solution prior to entering the flotage chamber. 12. The method according to p. The method of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that substances belonging to the group consisting of: aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, iron oxide, chromium oxide and mixtures thereof are collected as substantially pure mineral substances obtained from the separated fractions containing valuable minerals. A method of extracting mineral substances from a mineral-containing bulk material, comprising the separation of particles of varying density, characterized in that first the mineral-containing bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber of a pneumogravity sieving device having at least one inlet and a plurality of outlets through which a flotation stream may flow from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, the feed flotation by contacting it with a flotation stream at a predetermined air flow velocity sufficient to cause the feed to separate into at least one valuable mineral fraction which precipitates from the flotation stream as a result of the gravitational fall of this fraction from the stream under the weight of valuable mineral substance and onto the waste fraction remaining in the flotation stream, and the at least one precipitated valuable fraction mi is collected at one of the listed flotation chamber outlets and the remaining waste fraction at the other outlets, and then the granular fraction separated in the first phase, containing valuable minerals, is subjected to chemothermal screening in the plasma reactor and after the material has passed through the plasma arc in the reaction zone between two stationary reactor electrodes the plasma screen, the screened mineral valuables coming out of the reactor are collected. 14. The method according to p. The method of claim 13, characterized in that the bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber through a second inlet located at a distance from the first outlet defined by the formula: _ C_H_VMg Facyc where L is the horizontal distance between the second inlet and the first outlet, C is the constant coefficient calculated on the basis of the Reynolds number, V is the velocity of the gas (air) flowing through the flotation cell, M _g is the dynamic viscosity of the gas, F is the cross-sectional area of the chamber d is the mean diameter of the particles entering the flotage chamber, γ is the specific gravity of the particles, and H is the height of the flotage chamber. 15. The method according to p. 13. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber through the second inlet, adjusting the angle of introduction of this raw material. 16. The method according to p. 15. The method of claim 15, characterized in that the bulk material is introduced into the flotage chamber at an angle of approximately 12-75 ° to the direction of air current flow through the chamber. 17. The method according to p. 13. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that the loose material is introduced into the flotage chamber by adjusting the angle between the horizontal direction of the air current flow through the chamber and the longitudinal axis of the chamber. 18. The method according to p. 17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that the angle between the horizontal direction of the air current flowing through the chamber and the longitudinal axis of the chamber is adjustable from approximately -60 to + 60 °. 19. The method according to p. 13. A process according to claim 13, characterized in that the separation of the loose product obtained in the cooling zone of the plasma reactor is carried out by subjecting the falling stream to By gravity of the solids by the counterflow of air, lifting the lighter waste fractions upwards and allowing the higher-density agglomerated particles containing the desired minerals to fall, then separately separated fractions are collected. 20. The method according to p. The method of claim 13, wherein the plasma screening efficiency is increased by extending the residence time of the bulk product particles in the plasma arc by causing the plasma arc to rotate due to the magnetic field B | directed radially from the center of the annular anode of the plasma reactor. 21. The method of p. The method of claim 13, further increasing the resolving power of the screening process by generating an additional magnetic field B2 directed axially along the vertical axis of the reaction chamber. 22. The method according to p. The process of claim 13, wherein the plasma screened bulk material after plasma arc treatment is led to a cooling zone of the plasma reactor located vertically below the reaction chamber where the particles are cooled before collecting them. 23. The method according to p. The process according to claim 22, characterized in that from the cooling zone the cooled material is led vertically down to a counterflow zone of the air which acts on the cooled materials in such a way that the valuable minerals screened off is collected at its bottom after passing through the zone and the residues removed out in order to collect them elsewhere. 24. The method according to p. 23. The process of claim 23, characterized in that in the counter-current zone which is a conical section, the counter-current is directed upwards from the inlet to the conical section to the outlet of the air stream therefrom together with the waste fractions. 25. The method according to p. The method of claim 24, wherein the angle of the cone is selected in the range from about 0 ° to 40 °. 26. The method according to p. 24, characterized in that the angle of air entry into the conical section is selected to be approximately 15 °. 27. The method according to p. 23, characterized in that the position of the midpoint of the inlet to the countercurrent (conical) section is adjusted to approximately 1/4 of the height of the total conical section, measured from the bottom of the conical section. 28. The method according to p. The process of claim 23, characterized in that proper counterflow of air is provided by positioning the circumferentially connecting section, the cooling chamber of the plasma reactor and the wall-shaped conical section at an angle of from about 35 ° to 60 ° with respect to the upper horizontal edge of the conical section. 29. A device for extracting mineral substances from loose material containing minerals, based on the separation of particles of different density, characterized by the fact that it consists of a unit for the pneumogravitational separation (50) of valuable mineral substances from loose materials containing minerals and a reactor cooperating with it plasma (100) for chemothermal sieving as a result of the passage of the material through the plasma arc in the reaction zone between the two stationary electrodes of this reactor. 30. The device of claim 1 29, characterized in that the air-gravity separation unit (50) comprises a flotation chamber (54) of oblong shape in the housing (52) having a first inlet (60) and a first outlet (70), means (62, 76) for introducing into the chamber (54) through the first inlet (60) and to force air through the chamber (54) from the first inlet (60) to the first outlet (70), providing a flotation stream of air in the chamber (54) flowing from the first inlet (60) to the first outlet (70) and a second inlet (56) for introducing the bulk material therein and contacting the flotation stream, the second inlet (56) being located in the chamber (54) at a sufficient distance from the first outlet (70). ) to allow the separation of valuable minerals contained in the bulk material in the form of at least one valuable mineral fraction and its fall from the flotation stream by gravity settling under the weight of the value minerals contained in this fraction and a second outlet (66) for receiving the separated mineral fraction. 167 395 31. The device of claim 1 30, alternating with the fact that in the pneumogravity sifting unit (50), the distance between the second oletaw (56) and the oxygen source (70) of the weir C ^ VMg FdCy _c in which C oenacea distance will connect the second inlet (56) and the rest of the outlets (70), C oenacea constant wooó dynarniczną gaeu, F oenacea of the form of kowery (54), d oenacea of the precise diameter of the part of the liningSu oyokizge of revised de kowery (54) by the second inlet (56), Fc oenacea specific weight of the cowery (54) height of the shoe (54). 32. OfficeZniz along the eaotre. 30, a change in the fact that in the ezopolz of oneumogravitational deoising (50), the second inlet (56) is a structure (58) for regulating the angle α of the water flow verification, poured into the cowora (54). 33. Ureądezniz along the eaotre. 32, ennmizny tyw, that the angle of the flow of water is 12 -75 ° in relation to the direction of the flow of the current, the vision is preying the cow (54). 34. Ureądeyniy wzdSug eastre. 30, ennmizny tyw, that the oneumogravitational desiccation com- munity (50) has additional exhortations (82, 84) for tilting the kowera (54) to regulate the β angle to certain extent in the direction of the current flow winds the longitudinal axis (54). 35. Urządezniz wzdSug eastre. 34, ennmiznnz tyrn, żz the angle β eagarty jzst within the range of -60 de + 60 ° in relation to the level of the pogiztrea flow direction. 36. Ureądzzniy gydSuz eastre. 29, ennmizny tyw, that the beach reactor (100) - with the dworna enanywi and the black station, and the electrodes, the shape of which is one ring shape and the water-lined jzst on the core of the veins geayfully electrically insulated from the body with an ennine reaction bar located between when there is a significantly high voltage to these electred wires - the reaction zone (118) in the reaction co-correlation (110), the longitudinal axis of which is a vertical line drawn from the first stationary ring (106) from the middle of the second sonic ring, ring, orthode (108) cylinder bricks (120), connecting each in the middle of the second row (108), and in the same area of the second row (130), prey or every four (120) capturing the point at the point of the second line (108 °), the same electrode line (108), to which there is a leading and zero position, so that its pedal axis is parallel to the line drawn from the center of the second line the road (108) is the same electrode (108) to which the brick (120) is the contact plate. 37. Ureądeenie gedSug zastre. 36, it is known that in the plasma flow resistance (100) each one (108a, 108b) of the second third (108) is directed to the area of the constant identification (130) represented by the circuit hosting the second cylinder cylinder (120a and 120a ', 120a', and 120b ') on the circumference of the second row (108) and positioned at a distance of 90 °, after each zone of the blood stream (108a, 108b) a second electrode (108), to which the three bricks (120a and 120 ^, 120b and 120b') are The attitudes, prey, or so, are also oriented, that their axes of pedsuznz are different to the gyttica line from the middle of the druzia electrola (108) to the same ceSon (109a, 108b), to which they are prey. 38. Ureądezniz gedSuz zastre. 36, the characteristic change is that in the plaern reactor (100) the cylindrical bricks (120) rezwizseceonz on the ebgodeie druziej electred (108) are eared on a pizrścizniern core (122) with a low vazeetyceeiv eperz. 39. Device alongside reserved. 36, znαmienne tives, yg reactor plazwewy (100) weighted addition wspóSesiogą czwkę cylinder (132) which surrounds the reaction zone (118) so yg czwRa the shaft axis ^<podSużną wopóSbieżną vertical axis kowory reaction (110) czlu wytwo ^ present 167,395 of an axially oriented magnetic field as the coaxial cylindrical coil 132 is energized. The device of claim 40 The process of claim 36, wherein the plasma reactor (100) is provided with a cooling zone (112) positioned vertically beneath the reaction chamber (110) to receive the materials heated in the reaction zone (118) and to allow it to cool before collecting them. 41. The device according to claim 41 The process as claimed in 40, characterized in that the plasma reactor (100), vertically below the cooling zone (112), has a counterflow air zone (114) that affects the cooled materials such that the screened mineral valuable substances pass through the zone and are collected thereon. bottoms (136), while the debris is removed to be collected elsewhere. The device of claim 42 41, characterized in that in the plasma reactor (100) the upstream zone (114) is a conical section and the countercurrent is directed upwards from the inlet (138) to the conical section to the outlet (140) therefrom of the air stream along with the waste fractions. The device of claim 43 The method of claim 42, characterized in that, in the conical section (114) of the plasma reactor (100), the cone inclination angle (Y) ranges from approximately 0 ° to 40 °. 44. The device of claim 44 43, characterized in that in the conical section (114) of the plasma reactor (100) the angle (X) of air entry into the conical section is approximately 15 °. 45. The device of claim 45 The method of claim 42, characterized in that, in the conical section (114) of the plasma reactor (100), the midpoint of the inlet (138) is located approximately 1/4 of the height of the total conical section, measured from the bottom (136) of the conical section. The device of claim 46 42, characterized in that in the plasma reactor (100), the circumferentially connecting section of said cooling chamber (112) and the conical section is formed by a wall (150) at an angle (Z) of approximately 35 to 60 with respect to the upper horizontal edge ( 148) of the conical section.