Economic and Environmental Benefits from Froth Flotation Recovery of Titanium, Zirconium, Iron and Rare Earth Minerals from Oilsand Tailings

The froth flotation recovery of titanium, zirconium, iron and rare earth minerals from oil-sand tailings and their further beneficiation are described in this paper. The recovery of rare earth mineral value from these tailings has not been reported previously due to their low concentrations. The economic value of all of these minerals recovered in this way has been estimated to be almost double the cost of full effective tailings management. Adoption of these processes can eliminate the current unsound practice of simply storing these tailings behind high dykes in large lagoons.