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By P. Saha, D. M. Chakrabarti, National Metallurgical Laboratory, P. Bhattacharyya, B. R. Sarkhel

The estimated reserve of the phosphatic soils at the Sukulu hills region of Uganda upto a depth of 60 meters is of the order of 200 million tonnes and analyses 10-12% P2O5. A 5-tonne sample of the phosphatic soil was received at the National Metallurgical Laboratory (NML), India for beneficiation studies. The ore occurred as a naturally degraded soil deposit and the slime contained earthy lateritic minerals which made it extremely sticky. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of limonite, magnetite (martitised), hematite and goethite as major minerals along with apatite and quartz. Presence of clay was indicated by earthy smell on moistening the sample. It was observed that getting rid of the slime was as important for adequate beneficiation of the ore, as it was difficult. Earlier studies on samples of the same ore at the NML and abroad established that it was necessary to pass the ore through a series of three stages of desliming, each consisting of a step of rigorous attrition scrubbing followed by hydrocycloning, for effective elimination of the sticky slimy coating which stubbornly adhered to mineral grains. Studies were carried out at the NML in two phases to develop a flowsheet for beneficiation of the phosphatic soil. In the first phase, reproducibility of the results obtained by employing a flowsheet developed abroad was confirmed along with suggesting some modifications of the flowsheet. Then 200 kg. of concentrate was produced following the recommended flowsheet for evaluation of its suitability for production of fertilisers. To remove the limonitic slimy coating, which stubbornly adheres to the other mineral grains, it was necessary to subject the ROM ore, after screening out the +840 micron size fraction which contained only 1.75% P2O5 , to three stages of hydrocycloning each preceded by attrition scrubbing. Then only conventional beneficiation techniques could be effectively employed to upgrade the ore.

Jan 1, 2003

By Alan Bye, Nick Beaton, Wayne Stange, Emmy Manlapig, James Groutsch

"For over 50 years the JKMRC has applied a unique education-based research strategy to develop modelling and simulation tools that are "fit for purpose" for industrial application. These tools are widely used for the analysis and optimisation of mining and mineral processing systems. As the mining industry context evolves to deal with declining head grades, falling commodity prices, professional skill shortages, and an exponential growth in the volume of data, a re-evaluation of what "fit for purpose" means in the future is required. It is contended that future industry needs for simulation-based decision support requires tools and systems that incorporate: • Multi-component modelling, • Models of complex sensor behaviour, • Integration across the physical value-chain e.g. resource to market, • Financial analysis including risk and uncertainty assessment, • Enabling multi-criterion decision making (technical, financial and environmental), • Ore-body knowledge at multiple scales, • The use of fundamental numerical models to provide insight for the development of practically useful models, and • Decision support delivered through remote operations centres. JKMRC and CRC-ORE are collaborating to develop a next-generation simulation-based decision support system that assists in addressing these challenges. The Integrated Extraction Simulator (IES) combines many years of pragmatic and successful work integrated with modern technology trends - in particular the rapid move to cloud-based computing."

Jan 1, 2014

By I. Dymov

"The extractive metallurgy of precious metal ores involves gravity concentration, flotation and cyanide leaching. Pre-oxidation, such as roasting, autoclaving, bacterial oxidation and other techniques, is required for processing refractory ores. Selection of the process is mainly driven by the grade, reserve and mineralogy of the target elements. The concentrations of precious metals in the crust are extremely low and highly variable, resulting in ore variability in many gold, silver and PGE deposits. More importantly, precious metals in an ore may occur in two or three forms (i.e. microscopic, submicroscopic and surface-bound), making ore processing of precious metals extremely challenging. The objective of geometallurgy and process mineralogy is to reduce and minimize the technical risk in project evaluation, process selection, mine planning and production forecasting through geometallurgical modelling, representative sampling and subsequent systematic mineralogical characterization and metallurgical testwork. Geometallurgy is a technique to document variability within an orebody and quantify and evaluate the impact of many factors including geology and mineralogy on grinding, flotation, leaching and metal recovery processes, while mineralogy is one of the major predictive and trouble-shooting tools for many new mineral projects and operating mines. This paper presents an overview of fundamentals, methodologies and techniques applied in geometallurgy and process mineralogy and highlights the importance of both disciplines in process selection and plant optimization with applicable case studies. INTRODUCTION Precious metals, including gold, silver and platinum group elements (PGE) occur in various geological settings and ore types. The concentrations of these metals in the crust are extremely low and highly variable, resulting in ore variability in many gold, silver and PGE deposits. More importantly, precious metals in an ore may occur in two or three forms (i.e. microscopic, submicroscopic and surface-bound), making ore processing of precious metals extremely challenging. Process selection is most important in any precious metals project and is mainly driven by the grade, reserve and mineralogy of the target elements. Free-milling ores, such as Kupol in Russia, Hemlo in Canada, Grasburg in Indonesia, UG-2 in South Africa, Lac des Iles in Canada, and Noril’sk in Russia, can be processed using flotation or cyanidation with or without gravity. B2Gold Corp, a Canadian gold company, just started a number of new and under construction free-milling gold operations such as Fekola mill in Mali, Mastbati mine in Philippins and Otjikoto mine in Nambia. However, refractory ores (particularly gold ores), such as the Carlin and Goldstrike mines in the USA, Giant in Canada, Pueblo Viejo in Dominican Republic, Porgera and Lihire in PNG, Kittilla in Finland, Fairview in South Africa and Shuiyindong in China, must be processed using pre-oxidation prior to cyanide leaching. In some mildly refractory gold ores, such as Kumtor mine in Kyrgyzstan and KCGM in Australia, ultrafine grinding is required to liberate fine-grained gold particles. For some gold ores containing both free-milling and refractory components (such as Cripple Creek mine in Colorado, USA), two or more recovery processes may be required. The variability of grade, metal deportment, ore hardness and other parameters is one of the risks that encountered in development and operation of many precious metals projects. To minimize and reduce the technical risk caused by ore variability, geometallurgy and process mineralogy have been used by mining companies in the last two decades to measure and quantify the spatial variability of the deposits that are being developed. This paper presents an overview of fundamentals, methodologies and techniques applied in geometallurgy and process mineralogy, it highlights the importance of both disciplines in process selection and plant optimizat"

Jan 1, 2018

By L. Burdukova

"In flotation, depressants are used to reduce the amount of gangue that reports to the concentrate and hence increase the selectivity of the flotation process. At the University of Cape Town extensive batch flotation tests are carried out to evaluate industrial depressants and standard procedures have been developed over the years.This study was conducted in order to develop an improved method for comparing depressants using machine vision as an aid. The modified method of batch flotation involved a test with prolonged intervals between scraping to allow more time for the froth to build up and mature.This method of testing showed increased differences between the flotation performance obtained as represented by grade recovery curves for carboxymethyl cellulose and guar depressants when compared to the standard method of testing with shorter scraping intervals. The improvement was attributed to reduced entrainment resulting from longer drainage time in the froth and therefore yielded a better test for comparing depressants on the basis of true gangue flotation with minimized entrainment. As expected, the sulphide recoveries were unaffected by the change in method. The machine vision system also added to the information obtained during these tests by recording bubble size trends throughout the tests which were later analyzed and related to the amount of flotable gangue in the froth. Modifications are recommended to improve the usefulness of machine vision in batch flotation."

Jan 1, 2003

By Sudarshan Martins, Peter Radziszewski

"Tumbling mills are machine, operating in non-equilibrium, capable of applying forces on the ore contained within, causing the ore to break down. The action of the mill on the ore is very inefficient, producing a large quantity of heat. The inefficiencies of the mill drive the desire for improvement, spawning research and development activities. Given the non-equilibrium nature of the mill, the theory of Large Deviations is proposed as the framework that captures the state of the mill. The theory of Large Deviations allows for the determination of the rate function and the scaled cumulant generating function (SCGF), for systems in either equilibrium or non-equilibrium. Powerful connections can been made between familiar concepts of statistical physics and the concepts introduced by the theory of Large Deviations: entropy can be associated with the rate function; the scaled cumulant generating function with the free energy. It is shown that observables, compatible with Large Deviation theory, can be identified for the tumbling mill. Here, the time series of the energy associated with an element of the charge is such an observable. Furthermore, using some experimental data, it is shown that the time series of the energy can define a rate function, thereby describing the system within the Large Deviation framework. Finally, a discussion of the results is given, particularly how this theory can be further developed for tumbling mills."

Jan 1, 2014

By I. Gombköto

In the EU-region, the automatically operated approximately 200 (rotating hammer) shredder plants processing large technical equipment (end-of-life vehicles, large household appliances) annually produces 8-9 million tons of non-metallic grinded by-product, which ends in landfills, without recovery. Although this by-product is organic material, still contains large amount of metal components worth recycling. These operations, such as shredding and processing end of life vehicles or mixed metal components are a growing market and it is become more potential if EU directive 2002/96/EC will become obligatory for new member and candidate countries and they have to apply EU regulations. Eddy current separators (ECS) are one of the most important units of separation of non-ferrous metals from insulators in waste recycling. The product of ECS processing of shredded ELV?s is usually a mixture of Al, Cu, Brass and stainless steel. This mixture has relatively low price on the market, while purified metal products are required by smelters for which shredder operators are able to get even higher price. Our aim at University of Miskolc was to find solution producing pure metal products using dry separation processes. Authors are presenting a possible solution, using ECS. Institute of Raw Material Preparation and Environmental Processing possesses an ECS, equipped with 305 mm wide belt, and a concentric magnetic rotor. The subject of our work was to investigate the behaviour of model particles with different shape, conductivity (aluminium and brass), orientation and size in order to separate Al and Brass. We used model particles with similar shapes of shredder plant originated ones. The magnetic flux and magnetic frequency was constant and derived by the design of the rotor. During our research work, belt speed and rotor speed of ECS were varied. The particle distance and trajectory caused by throwing was determined and the results are reported in this paper.

Sep 1, 2012

By Shailin Lalloo, Allan B. Nesbitt

A fluidised bed was exposed to high gravities by placing it in a centrifuge. The bed expansions were measured and compared with the bed expansions predicted by the Richardson-Zaki model (1954). The Richardson-Zaki model was found to predict effectively the fluidisation behaviour of defined particles in this increased gravity environment.

Jan 1, 2003

By S. Leroy

Grinding is the most energy consuming step in mineral processing, however, it is still poorly understood and its efficiency is difficult to monitor. Mill performances are traditionally measured at the mill discharge, on the basis of a mass percentage passing a certain sieve. This approach does not reflect what happens to the fines through milling. On another hand, if many macroscopic parameters, such as the percent solids of the pulp, its viscosity, or its mean residence time in the mill are known to be related to grinding efficiency, the link between these parameters and particle size distribution (PSD) is still unclear. Here, a methodology is established to understand the effect of ball mill operating conditions on particle size and shape distribution in the grinding process. The study focuses on the particular case of an Upper Group 2 (UG-2) platinum ore concentrator. Due to the very low grade of sulphide and PGM (Platinum group metals) in UG-2, grinding mechanisms are entirely control by gangue minerals. These two minerals have contrasted properties and PGM content and these properties immediately affect the entire recovery process. So, the grinding of both gangue minerals is studied on a size by size basis. At particle scale, three parameters are addressed: particle size, particle composition and particle shape. The specific behavior of chromite and silicate grains is demonstrated. As a conclusion, this study gives some clues to operate ball mills in a more efficient manner regarding chromite issue in the processing of UG-2. Keywords: ball milling control, UG-2, chromite, fine particle, particle shape, segregation

Sep 1, 2012

By John O. Marsden

"Technology development and innovation has played a crucial role in the copper industry throughout history. The effective development and implementation of new technologies allows mankind to produce copper at progressively lower cost of production at a given feed grade and mineral type. This progress serves to counteract cost inflation/escalation over time and, depending on the magnitude of the cost benefit, allows ore cut off grades to be reduced thereby improving the availability, accessibility and utilization of resources. Two broad categories of technology development and innovation play a key role in this process: (i) incremental improvements and optimization of existing technology provide benefits in the near- to medium-term, and (ii) step change technologies provide value over the longer term. A key issue for potential developers and implementers of new step change technology is how to justify resource allocation and expenditures for such initiatives. This paper examines this issue with reference to specific case studies in the copper industry. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND Technology development and innovation has played a crucial role in the commodity minerals industry throughout history, and none more important than the copper industry. As new, cost-efficient technologies are commercialized, the cost of production in real terms at a given ore feed grade and mineral type decreases. This progress enables ore cut off grades to be reduced allowing lower grade material to be processed economically, which in turn increases the availability and supply of the metal or mineral of interest. Cost inflation/escalation works in the opposite direction, squeezing margins for operations utilizing incumbent technology to process material from a given ore deposit. A prior review by the author considered the issue of technology development and sustainable competitive advantage. This review concluded that first movers and fast followers can achieve competitive advantage for periods of 10-15 years through effective deployment of new technologies (Marsden, 2004). A new, more comprehensive study and evaluation was completed in 2014. This paper presents a portion of the results from the 2014 study."

Jan 1, 2018

By Sonia Helle, Ursula E. D. Kelm

"From a metallurgical point of view, acid leaching of oxide zone copper ore is considered in the first place in terms of ore grade, whole rock mineralogy, rock granulometry, crushed aggregate size distribution, porosity, permeability and corresponding fluid flow characteristics. Despite exhaustive physicochemical and general mineralogical characterization, drops in copper recovery occur and are often attributed to and “unquantified mineralogical misbehaviour” of the gangue phases. This study establishes an experimental link to monitor and quantify the chemical interaction of chrysocolla, malachite and atacamite with reactive gangue phases.Laboratory-scale sulphuric acid (15%) leaching in small columns is carried out using a synthetic rock composed of 57% quartz, 1% ore phase, and 42% reactive gangue. Gangue phases were selected to represent mineralogy found in argillic, advanced argillic, and propylitic alteration zones. Exotic copper ores of Codelco Norte (in particular Mina Sur) served as model for the modal distribution of mineral phases. Natural reactive gangue phases (<200 Tyler mesh) were chosen as pure as possible: Saz-1 and Swy-1 montmorillonites, KGa-1B and KGa-2 kaolinites (all Clay Mineral Society, USA, Source Clays) Nau-2 nontronite, Imt-1 illite (both Clay Mineral Society Special Clays) and Chilean mordenite, laumontite and bentonite. Ore phases are: mineraloid chrysocolla from Radomiro Tomic (Codelco Norte), reagent grade malachite and a purpose synthesized atacamite-paratacamite mixture. Complete chemical, physicochemical and mineralogical characterizations were carried out for ore and gangue phases.The following observations hold for samples with and without mineralization: Smectite-rich gangue increased up to 75% in volume. Once wet, air-filled vesicles formed due to the rapid sealing effect of overlying smectite in the column. No volume change occurred for illite, mordenite and kaolinite gangues. For kaolinite mixtures acid puddles formed on top of the column during initial leaching due to the delamination and barrier formation of this phyllosilicate. Fluid recovery was <60% for expandable phases and reached up to 80% for non-expandable mixtures. These observations confirm the very low extractions obtained in ore with a combined smectite – kaolinite gangue for Mina Sur. The most important mineralogical changes observed in the solid residues are: reduction of basal smectite phase reflections (XRD), and slight loss of illite intensities. This is also reflected in the major element composition of the residues, which demonstrate a loss of Mg, Mn, Ca, Na, K followed by Fe, Al and Si; with their proportions depending on the starting materials. Furthermore, alunogen and meta-alunogen formed, with related phases coquimbite (illite) and godichite (nontronite) also depending on gangue mineral chemistry. For laumontite samples, meta-alunogen and alunogen precipitated from the leachate."

Jan 1, 2003

By M. Evertsson, M. Johansson

"In minerals processing control is vital to increasing performance and output of a plant. Model predictive control (MPC) is one of the most effective control strategies used in process industry. Sbárbaro (Sbárbaro and Del Villar, 2010), Asbjörnsson (Asbjörnsson, 2015), and Légaré (Légaré et al., 2016) have for example highlighted the possibility to simulate, develop and tune control systems using plant simulators within minerals processing. In more recent years the use of model predictive controllers have increased, and many process industries now utilize more advanced control methods to regulate their processes, raising the question regarding how to, build, test and verify a proposed control solution successfully. In this research, a linear model predictive controller is formulated and applied to a simulator of an existing tertiary crushing circuit. The circuit has in previous work by Johansson (Johansson, 2017) been modeled in MATLAB Simulink and calibrated relative plant data to an average error of less than 10% over 8 hours of production. The work demonstrates how to formulate the controller model structure to describe conveyor belts, storage components, screens, crushers, and control objectives for a minerals processing circuit. The work illustrates how to apply and successfully evaluate possible upsides in a circuit. The advantage of a crushing circuit simulator is that it can be configured, tuned and modified in any possible way, which is of great benefit to developers and engineers. Additionally, examples of how to use estimated measures to improve the performance of the plant are demonstrated. The control performance is finally evaluated for three different controller configurations."

Jan 1, 2018

By Peter J. Scales

The recovery of water for re-use in minerals processing is an important issue in the reduction of water use in mining, as is the dewatering of tailings to reduce the propensity of ?wet? tailings dams. It is common in these dewatering operations to use thickeners whereby polymeric flocculants are combined with the dilute feed to the thickener to aid sedimentation and the subsequent consolidation of particulate materials. Thickeners are the workhorses of water recovery and tailings dewatering and although the basics are well understood, there is still no ability to reliably predict the throughput and underflow density from a thickener based on traditional sedimentation tests and flux analysis. The reasons for the discrepancy between full-scale operations and predictions based on laboratory tests are numerous, including difficulties in mimicking the flocculation conditions experienced in the field and the shear conditions in the thickener. The latter effects are little understood and hard to quantify and include effects due to flocculated aggregate densification, complimentary shear and compressional effects and aggregate break-up. Developing a set of test protocols to quantify the effects of densification, shear in compression effects and aggregate breakup and the subsequent contributions of each to compressional dewatering in a thickening environment has been completed for a simple model polymer flocculated particulate suspension. The data and analysis shows that aggregate densification is a dominant contributor to the difference between observed and predicted behavior based on laboratory tests. A major consideration in the analysis is the fact that common thickener operations are permeability limited and although the various effects are all important, the one that results in the fastest water release is dominant. Of interest also are the shear rate, concentration, and time dependence of the aggregate densification process. A basic model of the process has been developed along with network yielding tests conducted using rheometry. Keywords: compressional dewatering, gravity thickening, rheometry, aggregate densification, raked batch settling

Sep 1, 2012

By Takashi Furuyama, Sukeyuki Mori, Tetsuo Ikejiri, Abel Bissombolo, Yoshitsugu Koga, Masamichi Hata

In Japan, the increasing number of automobiles newly put into circulation is followed by a larger amount of end-of-life vehicles from which valuable metals are being recovered in shredder and related plants. Nevertheless, the processing of these scrapped automobiles which has reach a recycling rate of about 75%, generates a huge volume of waste, locally known as .shredder dust., which is commonly dumped on landfills. The saturation and depletion of valuable disposal sites in the near future, as well as the social and environmental problems related to the accumulation of these residues disposals are a major challenge for the automobile shredding industry. To promote an alternative way for the management of these disposals, the authors have initiated and developed a system for their processing, on the basis that more than 90% of these residues are combustible materials that could be used as refuses derived fuel. The developed processing system points out the mechanical/physical separation of shredded automobiles residues into two streams by means of an ascending airflow passing through a vertical zigzag separator and, the compaction of the light-density fraction of materials (that is about 60% of auto shredder residue recovered as float products and mainly composed of cotton, sponges and light plastics) to form a refuse derived fuel (RDF), the density, calorific value and ignition loss of which are 1.19 g/cm3, 4470 kcal/kg and 60.7%, respectively.

Jan 1, 2003

By Kobus (J. J. ) Rossouw, P. Chris Pistorius, Johannes Sono

"Different coal properties are important in SL/RN (coal-based rotary kiln) direct reduction of iron ore, and in electrical smelting of prereduced iron ore. Laboratory simulation was used to evaluate two candidate coals, which were similar in volatile content and rank, but differed in reactive maceral content. The tests served to evaluate both the reduction rate (during direct reduction) and the dissolution rate of carbon from the coal into an iron bath.Reduction rates of mixtures of magnetite and devolatilised coal were assessed isothermally, using samples of 55 grams. The off-gas analysis was used to follow the extent of reduction. Results are shown in Figure 1 a). Coal B was expected to be more reactive, based on its higher content of reactive macerals (77%, compared with 61% for Coal A). In line with this, Figure 1 a) does show a higher reduction rate with this coal. However, increasing the reduction temperature increases the reduction rate substantially,especially for the less-reactive Coal A.For the dissolution experiments, samples (mass: 250 g) were melted in an alumina crucible (under a nitrogen atmosphere), to give a starting composition around 1%C. When the desired temperature was reached, 25 g of char was added on top of the melt, through a feeding port. Results are shown in Figure 1 b). The more-reactive Coal B was less crystalline (the graphite crystallite size estimated from X-ray diffraction was 4.6Å, compared with 11.4Å for Coal A). This is associated with a lower dissolution rate in iron."

Jan 1, 2003

By Luís Marcelo Tavares, Daniel Francioli, Malcolm Powell, Mohsen Yahyaei

"Mathematical modeling of the comminution process requires understanding of all breakage mechanisms occurring in this mechanical environment. Modeling of high energy impact breakage is well established, however, modeling low energy breakage including incremental damage breakage, attrition and abrasion is still under development. Free fall incremental impact tests were carried out to investigate the surface fragmentation of a copper-gold ore. This process was achieved by dropping particles individually from a height of four meters onto a metallic plate. The impact specific energy was 0.01KWh/t. The setting of the metallic plate was changed to test the impact angles of 0°, 45°, and 60°. Tests were carried out using fresh angular rocks as well as smoothed particles. Changes to the plate angle and particle shape enabled the study of the influence of the tangential component of the impact energy along with particle shape on superficial breakage. By studying the fractional mass loss variation in each impact, two distinct stages of surface fragmentation were clearly determined: high fractional mass loss dominated in the first 10 impacts and was attributed to chipping, whereas low fractional mass loss occurred for the remainder of the impacts and was attributed to abrasion. Smoothed particles demonstrated higher resistantance to breakage and their surface fragmentation behavior indicated a closer relationship to abrasion, especially when lower impact angles were used."

Jan 1, 2014

By V. G. Prikhodko, G. I. Sukhinin, I. V. Yarygin, A. V. Fedoseev, S. A. Novopashin

"The first experiments on the vacuum drying of spherical clay sample are presented and the theoretical model of the process is considered. The model is based on the solution of the heat and the moisture transfer equations with the effective thermal conductivity and water diffusion coefficients for wet porous clay-like medium. The time and radial dependence of the temperature and the moisture were calculated for different initial conditions. The results obtained for the time dependence of the moisture content are in good agreement with the experimental results obtained in the initial period, when all the moisture in the sample did not freeze to form an ice crust. INTRODUCTION Capillary-porous materials very often occur in nature and in industry. A porous medium is a solid matrix with voids, or pores, which are continuously connected. These pores are usually filled with fluids or moisture, water vapor and air that can pass through the medium because the voids are interconnected. The void fraction in the solid matrix is referred to as the porosity. Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void (i.e. ""empty"") spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume. The moisture content in porous media determines the properties of the porous body, its mechanical and thermo-physical properties, such as density, plasticity, viscoelasticity, swelling, cracking, and so on. Complex processes of heat and mass transfer occur in porous bodies when they are heated or cooled, during drying or freezing (Luikov,1966). The course of these processes depends essentially on the physical-chemical composition of the solid matrix of the porous body, on its fractal dimension, porosity and morphology. The clay and clay minerals are the most important porous materials in the history of the mankind (Mukherjee, 2013). Clay is a very fine grained, unconsolidated rock matter, which is plastic when wet, but becomes hard and stony when heated. It has its origin in natural processes, mostly complex weathering, transported and deposited by sedimentation within geological periods. Clay is composed of silica {SiO2), Alumina (Al2O3) and water (H2O) plus appreciable concentrations of oxides of iron, alkali and alkaline earth, and contains groups of crystalline substances such as quartz, feldspar, and mica. Building materials, bricks, and tiles, pottery, porcelain and faience are made from clay. Clay is used in the food and medical industry, and, not least, in the mining industry as a carrier containing aluminum, silicon and other valuable elements, as well as metals (copper, gold) as constituents, contained in the pores in the form of micro- and nano-particles or grains."

Jan 1, 2018

By Khoi Nguyen, Luke Keeney

"Hardness" is an important yet diverse material physical property and is a key parameter in the mining industry in fields such as comminution, geotechnical and blast modelling. Several laboratory and field based measurement techniques exist to measure hardness (e.g. Point Load Testing, Vickers, Brinell, A*b, BMWi, UCS), all are designed for specific applications. Current tests are generally destructive and require specific sample preparation procedures which results in high cost tests that are not conducted in adequate quantities to map hardness across an ore body. The EQUOtip rebound hardness tester is a device that has been developed for application in ore body hardness domaining within the AMIRA P843 GeMIII Research Project. The rebound hardness test is non-destructive and suitable for application on half and whole diamond drill core. Data acquisition protocols and a data processing software application (EQProcess) have been developed to facilitate routine collection of comparative hardness information. This paper outlines the data acquisition and processing methodology and provides application examples of defining relative hardness domains in different geological deposit styles.

Jan 1, 2014

The concept of the Unified Comminution Model (UCM) was presented at the 23rdIMPC. The model utilises computational techniques to calculate the mechanical environment in any comminution device, and then incorporates the outcomes from rock breakage tests to predict the product from a device. The model is fully mechanistic, and incorporates the capability to simulate novel equipment. This paper presents the progress on the first application of this concept to applied comminution equipment. This novel comminution model aims to integrate all comminution models within a single struc-ture. This will provide a step change in the predictive power of comminution models, and include a wide range of particle properties that will enable it to be linked to the upstream and downstream process of mining and recovery. Major advances over current models will be the capability to predict liberation, preferential grinding, performance of new and novel devices, and to have power as an integral driver of the comminution simulation process. The methodology and model structure have been developed. An equation within a population balance framework has been derived as the basis for the UCM. A set of SAG mill pilot has been used as the first test case. The breakage characteristics of the ore have been extensively tested utilising a new range of breakage tests required by the rigorous UCM structure. The mill was simulated with the EDEM - DEM software. A partial test simulation of the pilot SAG mill has been conducted. This serves to demonstrate the feasibility of this modelling technique, but still lacks important ore characterisation components that are under development. The study has raised a number of significant challenges to the accepted understanding of the comminution process. Through addressing these challenges considerable insight has been gained into the energy environment in mills and the requirements of breakage testing. The ore characterisation methods and energy transmission derived from DEM simulations remain as major research items.

Jan 1, 2014

By Diana Drinkwater

As ore grades decline, ore deposits get harder and mineralogical complexity increases, metallurgical skills are more important than ever to ensure that today?s mining operations are operating efficiently and profitably. Yet specialist undergraduate degree programs have all but disappeared and metallurgical skills training for graduate engineers in the workspace if often haphazard. In response to this situation, specialists at the JK Centre in Queensland, Australia, have put together a professional development program designed to fast-track skills development for early career metallurgical professionals. The program, called ?MetSkill ® ?, is offered as a group training package for young metallurgists in the workplace. It is centred on a meaningful technical investigation negotiated between the JK Centre delivery team and the client company. As well as learning about project management and data collection and analysis, the participants study specialist topics such as comminution, flotation and mineralogy under the tutelage of senior research and consulting professionals. The technical investigation provides an opportunity for immediate practice of these new skills and JK Centre specialists are on hand to provide feedback and support throughout the program. The participants are employed across different operations in Australia and the Asia-Pacific, and although they occasionally come together for group training activities they are often separated by considerable distance. Specialist educational professionals from The University of Queensland have provided an innovative web platform to support collaboration and communication between all participants. This paper will describe the MetSkill ® program in detail, as well as providing a report on its initial roll-out to 2 groups of Australian graduate metallurgists in 2012

Sep 1, 2012

By B. H. Zhao

A low grade Pt-Pd ores, with 1g/t Pt and 0.13g/t Pd, and 8.70% Fe and 2.50% P2O5 is experimented to recover of Pt and Pd. The flowsheet is proposed which consists of Pt-Pd selective flotation, apatite flotation from tailings of Pt-Pd flotation, magnetic separation of magnetite from apatite flotation tailing. With butyl xanthate, N-ally group-O-isobuturyl-thioanimoformate and Sodium y-89 xanthate as collectors, sodium silicate as depressant, and sodium carbonate as pH regulator, a concentrate, assaying 324.52 g/t Pt and 45.62 g/t Pd, is obtained with recoveries of 87.23% Pt and 76.89% Pd from surface ore. A concentrate, assaying 1693.53 g/t Pt and 64.12 g/t Pd, is obtained with recoveries of 88.54% Pt and 83.78% Pd from primary ore. At same time, A iron concentrate assaying 64.12% Fe with a recovery of 24.94%, and a apatite concentrate assying 30.32% P2O5 with a recovery of 80.12% are obtained.

Jan 1, 2014