Abstract: Cationic reverse flotation methods, systems, and processes for producing a marketable iron oxide concentrate from an iron oxide mineral slurry (“treatment slurry”), wherein the iron oxide content of the concentrate is greater than the iron oxide content of the treatment slurry, include introducing the treatment slurry into a flotation cell, together with a collector, a frother and optionally an iron oxide depressant, and recovering two flow streams from the flotation cell, namely a froth fraction (also referred to as a flotation tail fraction) and a sink material fraction (also referred to as the flotation concentrate), wherein the treatment slurry in the flotation cell is maintained at a Natural pH.

Abstract: A method, process or system for producing an iron oxide concentrate from a treatment slurry of a low grade mineral assemblage includes mixing a flocculant with the treatment slurry and dewatering the treatment slurry before passing the treatment slurry through a wet high intensity magnetic separator of a type that employs a flux amplifying matrix (i.e., a WHIMS-FAM device) and recovering an iron oxide concentrate fraction and a tailings fraction from the WHIMS-FAM device. Another method, process or system for producing an iron oxide concentrate includes passing the treatment slurry through a WHIMS-FAM device and recovering an iron oxide concentrate fraction slurry and a tailings fraction slurry from the WHIMS-FAM device; mixing a flocculant with the concentrate fraction slurry and dewatering the concentrate slurry to provide a thickened concentrate slurry before filtering the thickened concentrate slurry to provide a concentrate filter cake.