Abstract This article investigates the mineralogical characteristics and beneficiation potential of zircon and phosphate minerals in ilmenite-rich heavy mineral sand tailings from a Ukrainian deposit. Based on a comprehensive fractional class analysis, it is observed that a significant enrichment of zircon, monazite, and xenotime occurs in the fine fraction (< 200 µm). This highlights their potential as carriers of critical raw materials, including rare earth elements and scandium. Elemental mapping confirms that scandium is incorporated not only in altered ilmenite but also in zircon, representing multiple mineralogical hosts. Beneficiation tests using corona-charged electrostatic and magnetic separation demonstrate that surface modifications, particularly iron oxide coatings, strongly influence the separation selectivity of zircon. These surface-related effects represent a key limitation for efficient recovery. Tailings from ilmenite processing represent a viable secondary source of critical raw materials, but their recovery requires targeted pre-treatment.
Lechner et al. (Mon,) studied this question.