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Year 2026
 
Vol 67, Issue 3, [06 - 2026]

Overview of new technologies in fine bauxite ore processing: orientation of fine tailings recovery from the tailing pond of Dak Nong Aluminum Company -Vinacomin

DOI:10.46326/JMES.2026.67(3).07

  • Affiliations:

    Hanoi University of Mining and Geology, Hanoi, Vietnam

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  • Received: 18th-Dec-2025
  • Revised: 6th-Apr-2026
  • Accepted: 26th-Apr-2026
  • Online: 1st-June-2026
Pages: 78 - 91
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Abstract:

Bauxite is an important raw material in the production of alumina and aluminum. In Vietnam, bauxite is primarily found in the Central Highlands, with gipxit being the most abundant mineral. The processing technology at Vinacomin companies includes the following technological stages: crushing, washing, and screening; clay removal and screening. After the processing, the over 1 mm fraction size is recovered as concentrate, while the below 1 mm fraction size is discharged into the tailings pond. Currently, the washing plants operate stably and achieve the technological indicators compared to the design. However, because the processing plants cannot fully recover the fine ore in the below 1 mm fraction size, the amount of tailings discharged into the pond accounts for more than 50% compared to the raw ore. Currently, with technological advances, the fraction size of bauxite fine ore has been reduced to 0.25 mm, even to 0.035 mm. This article presents an overview of current advanced technologies to recover small and fine-grained bauxite. The technologies are a combination of washing - classification - gravity separation - ultrasonic pretreatment - chemical pretreatment - flotation, and bioleaching. Based on these technologies, the material composition and processing technology orientation of the tailings sample of Dak Nong Aluminum Company have been studied. Accordingly, the tailings sample should be separated with a cut size of 0.074 mm before using gravity separation for coarse fraction size. The fraction size below 0.074 mm is recommended to remove the clay below 0.01 mm and bio-treatment, while the 0.01÷0.074 mm fraction is recovered by flotation.

How to Cite
Pham, H.Thanh, Le, H.Viet and Pham, L.Van 2026. Overview of new technologies in fine bauxite ore processing: orientation of fine tailings recovery from the tailing pond of Dak Nong Aluminum Company -Vinacomin (in Vietnamese). Journal of Mining and Earth Sciences. 67, 3 (Jun, 2026), 78-91. DOI:https://doi.org/10.46326/JMES.2026.67(3).07.
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