A talc/carbonate crude ore was crushed and milled. A product 100 % smaller than 315 µm was obtained for separation tests. The separation tests were conducted on an electrostatic belt separator. The target of the separation tests was a talc concentrate with a mass recovery as high as possible and a loss on ignition as low as possible.
The influence of belt speed, applied voltage and polarity of the top electrode were tested. A combination of a high belt speed, a high applied voltage and a positive top electrode resulted in a mass recovery of 47.2 % and a loss on ignition of 9.2 %.
During the test a comminution effect shifted the particle size distribution significantly. The fraction 315 / 250 µm represented 17.2 % of the sample mass. The separation test reduced this fraction to 2.2 %.
The separation of a talc/carbonate crude ores with an electrostatic belt separator was successful. The comminution effect has to be taken into account.