The article theoretically justified and experimentally confirmed the possibility of implementing the process of the electric melting of Satbayevskiy ilmenite concentrates with new fluxing additives based on oxides and nitrides of aluminium, calcium, and boron. They also include boron carbonitride CNV that will expand the raw material base of Kazakhstan titanium production by involving local substandard material in the process, as well as the technical and economic performance of electric melting. In order to conduct experiments in the area of extremum, the ilmenite concentrate from the Satbayev deposit was taken. Furthermore, the optimum conditions of the electric melting of Satbayevski ilmenite concentrates (such as the process temperature of 1550–1600 °C, the reducing agent consumption of 8–10% of the concentrate mass, and the duration of 90 min), using new fluxing additives, were selected. As a result of the experiment (performed at a temperature of 1600 °C), it has been found that the introduction of 3 to 6% of fluxes in the charge of electric melting promotes the reduction of iron oxides from 45 to 80% and achievement of the extraction of titanium oxide in slag of up to 83.5–90.1%. The addition of 6% boron oxide and carbonitride in the charge of electric melting reduces the melting temperature of the charge to ~1400–1450 °C and the melting time to 90 min. It also creates conditions for a quieter electric melting mode.

This paper presents an analysis of the current state of processing lead–zinc ores from the Koskudyk deposit (Kazakhstan). At present, polymetallic ores are being extracted from the Ridder-Sokolnoye, Zyryanovskoye, Maleevskoye, and Achisai deposits. However, the reserves of rich and easily beneficiable ores are being depleted, and the supply of raw materials from the developed deposits does not exceed 25 years. As a result, more complex and difficult-to-enrich oxidized and mixed ores are being involved in production, and the extraction of non-ferrous metals from these ores presents a significant technological challenge. The most effective method for enriching oxidized polymetallic ores is flotation with preliminary sulfidization. Laboratory studies were conducted on a sample of oxidized lead–zinc ore from the Koskudyk deposit, which contains 79.69% oxidized lead compounds and 84.72% oxidized zinc compounds. This study examines the effect of sulfidization using sodium sulfide and determines the oxidative–reductive potential (ORP) levels for various reagent dosages. The experiments demonstrated that a sodium sulfide dosage of 700 g/t at an ORP of −200 mV yields the most effective lead flotation, resulting in a lead recovery of 50.07%. Zinc recovery remained relatively unchanged across all tests, confirming the limited response of oxidized zinc minerals under the applied sulfidization conditions. The highest beneficiation efficiency was achieved within the ORP range of −160 to −200 mV, beyond which lead recovery began to decline. The findings underscore the importance of optimizing ORP to ensure the formation of a stable sulfide film on mineral surfaces and efficient collector attachment. These results provide practical guidance for improving flotation performance of oxidized ores and demonstrate the need for additional activation strategies in zinc recovery.

This study examines the impact of regrinding on the interfacial properties of sulfide minerals and the flotation performance of weathered copper–porphyry tailings. The feed material is characterized by a low copper grade (0.17%) and a high proportion of oxidized species (53.84%), which contribute to its inherent chemical stability and poor flotation kinetics. The findings indicate that regrinding serves a dual role: facilitating the liberation of mineral intergrowths and inducing mechanical surface renewal. This renewal is characterized by a significant decrease in the oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) and an intensification of the surface reactivity. Experimental results identify an optimal grinding fineness of 77%–81% passing −0.045 mm, yielding a copper recovery of 16.26% in the absence of a sulfidizing agent. The integration of sodium sulfide (400 g/t) with regrinding significantly enhances recovery to 36.37%, driven by the establishment of a reducing environment (ORP ≈ −150 mV) and the chemisorption-mediated activation of mineral surfaces. While ultrafine grinding (90%–100% passing −0.045 mm) further increases recovery to 51.47%, it is accompanied by deleterious sliming effects and a subsequent loss of process selectivity. The study confirms that mechanical surface rejuvenation and the optimization of electrochemical conditions are critical for improving the processing efficiency of anthropogenic resources, providing a theoretical framework for establishing rational beneficiation regimes.

This work presents the results of thermodynamic and technological studies of the reducing electric smelting of low-quality and difficult-to-recover Satpaevsk ilmenite concentrates in the presence of sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) as a flux. In the course of thermodynamic studies, according to literature data and using the HSC Chemistry 8 program, the state diagrams of the FeO-TiO₂, FeO-Fe₂O₃-TiO₂, Na₂O-TiO₂, Na₂O-SiO₂, Ti-C-O and Fe-C-O systems and the possibility of reactions in the temperature range of 500–1600 °C (without smelting of titanium, 1678 °C), taking into account phase transitions, were studied. The article also presents the results of technological studies of the above process. In general, the research results showed the possibility of using sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) as a flux in the charge of the electric smelting of low-quality Satpaevsk ilmenite concentrates. It has been established that the addition of 4.5–5% of Na₂CO₃ allows for reducing the temperature and the duration of electric smelting, the viscosity of the melt, and the complete separation of the smelting products (cast iron from slag).

An effective process flow-sheet for valuable component recovery from fine fractions has been developed based on Satpayev deposit ilmenite ore mineralogical and technological property analysis. Ore mineral composition was studied using X-ray diffraction and electron probe microanalysis. Experimental studies were conducted using a Falcon L40 centrifugal concentrator and a WHIMS 3X4L high-gradient magnetic separator. High efficiency of fine fraction centrifugal beneficiation was established: titanium relative recovery efficiency from fine fractions exceeded 86% for −0.03 + 0.02 mm fraction and exceeded 57% for the −0.02 + 0.01 mm fraction. Larger particle size classes bigger than 0.03 and 0.04 mm titanium recovery exceeded 94%. Concentrate cleaning using high-gradient magnetic separation resulted in a product with a TiO₂ grade of 47% and titanium recovery of up to 90% from the operation. The process flow-sheet designed resulted in ilmenite concentrate production with a TiO₂ grade of 53.40% and a recovery rate of 92.30%, as well as zircon-bearing and quartz products suitable for further processing.

This paper presents an analysis of the current state of processing lead-zinc ores from the Koskudyk deposit (Kazakhstan). At present, polymetallic ores are being extracted from the Ridder-Sokolnoye, Zyryanovskoye, Maleevskoye, and Achisai deposits. However, the reserves of rich and easily beneficiable ores are being depleted, and the supply of raw materials from the developed deposits does not exceed 25 years. As a result, more complex and difficult-to-enrich oxidized and mixed ores are being involved in production, and the extraction of non-ferrous metals from these ores presents a significant technological challenge. The most effective method for enriching oxidized polymetallic ores is flotation with preliminary sulfidization. Laboratory studies were conducted on a sample of oxidized lead-zinc ore from the Koskudyk deposit, which contains 79.69% oxidized lead compounds and 84.72% oxidized zinc compounds. This study examines the effect of sulfidization using sodium sulfide and determines the oxidative-reductive potential (ORP) levels for various reagent dosages. The results showed that increasing the sodium sulfide dosage to 700 g/t and achieving an ORP of −200 mV led to a 50.07% lead extraction, while the quality and quantity of zinc extraction remained stable. Determining the optimal ORP level significantly improves the efficiency of the enrichment process, enhancing both qualitative and quantitative indicators and simplifying the regulation of the technological process.