Mineralogical Studies of Low-Grade Iron Ore from Jharkhand-Orissa Region, India

Due to increasing demand of steel in domestic market and depletion of high-grade iron ores day by day, industries as well as policy makers have started working on low-grade iron ores for iron and steel making industries. There are huge scopes for low-grade iron ores in iron and steel making. Aim of this study is to understand of morphology, texture, phase identification and properties of iron ore. Banded iron formation type low-grade iron ore is taken for the mineralogical studies. Characterizations of minerals are carried out by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive analytical X-ray and optical microscopy techniques. Hematite is found as the dominant mineral; whereas quartz and kaolinite are as gangue minerals in low-grade iron ore. By this study, conventional liberation or beneficiation practice can be optimized for low-grade iron ore.