Development of theoretical approaches to the creation of technologies for the placer titanium-zirconium deposits mining with a full cycle of ore processing

Purpose. To determine the efficiency of the technological scheme for the development of titanium-zirconium deposits with a full cycle of heavy fraction processing in terms of the volume of hydrohaulage work and the required area of tailings storage. The methods. The analytical research method was used for theoretical generalizations and the formulation of research conclusions. The graphical method was used to determine the parameters of the technological scheme for a full cycle of heavy-fraction processing of titanium-zirconium deposits. Comparative methods allowed us to determine the influence of pit productivity on indicators of hydrohaulage work volume and the required area for tailings storage in a technological scheme with a full-cycle ore processing. Findings. It was established that the proposed scheme, with a full cycle of heavy-fraction processing of titanium-zirconium deposits, reduces the volume of hydrohaulage work by 14% in the area between the stationary enrichment plant and the tailings storage by including the enrichment tailings processing shop in the operating cycle. It was determined that, with an increase in the pit's productivity to 4.0 million m3, the volume of hydrohaulage work would be reduced from 88 to 77 million km·m3 over 10 years of the mining and processing plant's operation. The originality. The dependence of the tailings storage facilities areas and hydraulic dumps on the productivity of the mining enterprise was established, which allows us to determine that when using a scheme with a collective concentrate factory on the pit slope top, the area of the tailings storage facility will be 14.4–22.9 hectares, while the proposed scheme, with an additional processing plant for enrichment tailings, allows us to reduce the area for placing host rocks by 11–12%. Practical implementation. The obtained research results allow us to establish that the proposed scheme with a full cycle of the heavy fraction processing allows us to achieve a comprehensive effect, which consists in obtaining additional marketable products of titanium-zirconium components, increasing the level of resource conservation by reducing electricity costs, reducing the volume of technical water consumption for hydrohaulage work, and reducing the area of tailings facilities.