Mineralogical and Beneficiation Assessment of Ezeagu (Nigeria) Iron Ore Utilizing Gravity Concentration Technique

Ezeagu iron ore deposit in Enugu State, Nigeria, was analysed and evaluated for its beneficiation response utilizing X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). XRF analysis revealed the crude ore to be mostly Fe₂O₃ at 59.75 wt% and SiO₂ as the main gangue at 30.59 wt%. After beneficiation, Fe₂O₃ rose to 60.40 wt% while SiO₂ fell to 28.74 wt%, and loss on ignition (LOI) dropped from 5.44% to 3.29%, therefore proving the removal of hydrated gangue phases. Alkali oxides, mostly removed as MnO, dropped significantly from 0.70% to 0.12%. Phosphorus is clearly a key impurity that has to be removed in a specific way, as the amount of P₂O₅ in the beneficiated concentrate went up from 0.25% to 1.12%. Post-beneficiation diffractograms revealed improved hematite reflections and reduced quartz peaks, therefore validating α-Fe₂O₃ (hematite) as the only iron-bearing phase. SEM–EDS studies showed enhanced grain homogeneity and mineral liberation post-beneficiation; Fe enrichment from 55.8 wt% to 78.12 wt% and full titanium removal. These findings showed that the Ezeagu iron ore deposit is a workable hematite resource with a favorable beneficiation response.