Malachite (CuCO·Cu(OH)) has long been considered a non-magnetic mineral, so it is never believed separable with magnetic separation. The findings from this innovative research would change this deep-seated view. For the first time, malachite was found to own a magnetic susceptibility even larger than chalcopyrite, and the theoretical analysis based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Crystal-Field Theory (CFT) calculations revealed that the magnetic susceptibility of malachite is originated from the hybridization and spin of electrons in the Cu and O atoms in the malachite structure, as a result of the Jahn-Teller effect. The experimental investigation showed that the malachite is separable through high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS). By feeding a malachite ore sample assaying 0.80 % Cu with a particle size of D60 = 74 μm, the SLon-100 pulsating HGMS separator produced a malachite concentrate assaying 0.968 % Cu at 87.37 % recovery; and, the discarded tailings from the separator was significantly reduced to 0.364 % Cu at a mass weight reaching 27.80 %. These innovative findings provide a more environment-friendly and economical solution for high-efficient separation of malachite using HGMS method.

中文翻译：

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高梯度磁选孔雀石的磁性


孔雀石 (CuCO·Cu(OH)) 长期以来一直被认为是非磁性矿物，因此从未被认为可以通过磁选来分离。这项创新研究的结果将改变这种根深蒂固的观点。首次发现孔雀石具有比黄铜矿还要大的磁化率，基于密度泛函理论（DFT）和晶体场理论（CFT）计算的理论分析表明，孔雀石的磁化率来源于由于 Jahn-Teller 效应，孔雀石结构中的 Cu 和 O 原子中的电子杂化和自旋。实验研究表明，孔雀石可以通过高梯度磁分离（HGMS）进行分离。通过喂入粒径为 D60 = 74 μm 的孔雀石矿石样品，铜含量为 0.80%，SLon-100 脉动 HGMS 分离器生产出铜含量为 0.968% 的孔雀石精矿，回收率为 87.37%；并且，分离机废弃尾矿的Cu含量显着降低至0.364%，质量重量达到27.80%。这些创新成果为HGMS法高效分离孔雀石提供了更加环保、经济的解决方案。