Mineral Processing Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Geophysical techniques have wide range of applications mainly in earth science, marine science, Civil Engineering and Forensic Science. For example in earth science they are applied in Geology, Mining Engineering activities, and Petroleum... more

Geophysical techniques have wide range of applications mainly in earth science, marine science, Civil
Engineering and Forensic Science. For example in earth science they are applied in Geology, Mining
Engineering activities, and Petroleum Engineering. However, publications and contributions regarding details
and the state of art of each application are still scattered. This becomes more obvious when knowing that
majority of publications discuss application of geophysical techniques for a particular mineral deposit with
minimum trials to collect data together for understanding of the whole story. Therefore, this paper aims at
review of available literature related to geophysical methods application in mining engineering with the purpose
of assisting concerned professionals towards decision making. Findings reflected that magnetic technique is the
most widely used method in minerals exploration while magneto-telluric method is not commonly applied in
mining application. Collected results also showed that usually more than one geophysical method should be
applied to arrive a robust conclusion concerning an in-depth existing ore deposit.

An investigation aimed at studying and optimizing the Secondary and Tertiary crushing circuits’ conditions was conducted at the Konkola West mill Concentrator in Chingola. The concentrator treats sulphide and oxide ores, which consists of... more

An investigation aimed at studying and optimizing the Secondary and Tertiary crushing circuits’ conditions was conducted at the Konkola West mill Concentrator in Chingola.
The concentrator treats sulphide and oxide ores, which consists of chalcopyrite, chalcocite, bornite, pyrite, malachite, cuprite, and chrysocolla and pseudo malachite.
The results obtained from the test work show higher efficiencies for the case when secondary and tertiary crusher gaps were at 19mm and 8mm respectively, than when the secondary and tertiary gaps high.
With the difficulties encountered in obtaining the above efficiencies at their corresponding gap sizes, the gap size of 10mm and 24mm respectively for tertiary and secondary crushers were adopted as optimum parameters for the tertiary and secondary crushing plant.
It was therefore concluded that the optimum gap size for tertiary and secondary crushers are 10mm and 24mm.The optimum re-circulating load was found to be 39.31%. The optimum energy supplied to the tertiary crusher was found to be 345.07 kilowatts and 213.35 kilowatts was for the secondary crushers.
It was also found that the monthly billing performance of energy in terms of monetary terms was $ 1, 021, 801.41.

Current world nickel market depends on production from lateritic ores. However, processing of laterite is challenging due to several factors. This work has been done to investigate possible pre-concentration methods for lateritic ore from... more

Current world nickel market depends on production from lateritic ores. However, processing of laterite is challenging due to several factors.
This work has been done to investigate possible pre-concentration methods for lateritic ore from New Caledonia.
The best method to enrich the laterite ore is found to be hydrocycloning after grinding and then flotation of underflow after further grinding. With this method 60% of Ni is recovered with 3.3% Ni grade in concentration and 1.3% Ni grade in tailings.

Energy efficiency is extremely important in secondary grinding (regrinding) as specific consumption are greater than obtained in primary grinding. Moreover, finer grinding sizes are a trend in new grinding circuits therefore increasing... more

Energy efficiency is extremely important in secondary grinding (regrinding) as specific consumption are greater than obtained in primary grinding. Moreover, finer grinding sizes are a trend in new grinding circuits therefore increasing the energy consumption, as well as respective capital and operating costs. In Brazil regrinding sizes between 40 a 20 m are common in greenfield projects. As horizontal ball mills show decreasing efficiency as grinding sizes are finer than 50 m, this work shows regrinding equipment alternatives to ball mills focusing on vertical mills. A number of survey campaigns were carried out on four industrial operations in which vertical mills were installed in the respective regrind circuit. A new batch test was developed and
validated to predict the energy consumption and product size distribution associated to vertical mills.

Copper and cobalt (Cu-Co) are strategic metals for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and nearly 20% of the country's GDP is supported by their exports. At present, the country classifies itself as the leading copper producer in... more

Copper and cobalt (Cu-Co) are strategic metals for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and nearly 20% of the country's GDP is supported by their exports. At present, the country classifies itself as the leading copper producer in Africa with an output in the region of a million tonnes and possesses nearly 60% of the world's reserves of Co; a metal exclusively exported in the form of salts or semi-finished products. Concentrators play a very important role in the growth of Cu-Co metal production, which is needed in order to meet rapidly growing global demand and to increase government revenues through mining royalties. This article reviews the major process flow sheets and reagent suites in practice at concentrators operated in the DRC for the beneficiation of Cu-Co values from various ore types. The comprehensive compilation of pertinent laboratory and industrial data is intended to provide practising specialists, metallurgists, and academics conducting research on Congolese Cu-Co ores with a single well-detailed reference source. Emphasis is placed on froth flotation as the major technique for the beneficiation of Cu-Co minerals.

A grapho-analytical analysis of Partition Curves in coordinates (Pc(i), α) has been made resulting in a quantitative criteria of separation efficiency evaluation (5), applicable not only for screening and classification processes, but... more

A grapho-analytical analysis of Partition Curves in coordinates (Pc(i), α) has been made resulting in a quantitative criteria of separation efficiency evaluation (5), applicable not only for screening and classification processes, but also for mineral processing in general.
The shapes of the Partition Curves and mineral processing fractional efficiency are absolutely identical in coordinates (Pc(i), Ei, di) and (Pc(i), Еi, α), where di- expresses any physical feature of separating products.
The proposed form of experimental results processing gives full information about all the qualitative and quantitative parameters of mineral processing apparatus.

This article develops the flash flotation as an alternative method to gravitational separation and amalgamation in order to achieve a greater recovery of coarse native gold through selective hydrophobicity. This method is directly... more

This article develops the flash flotation as an alternative method to gravitational separation and amalgamation in order to achieve a greater recovery of coarse native gold through selective hydrophobicity. This method is directly applicated in the discharge of the mills and / or classifiers to recover free and coarse gold; which size is superior than approximately 150 micrometers. Physicochemical characterization of the free gold surfaces was carried out by the measurements of contact angle, Z potential (ZPC) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The reagent was determined by specific conditions (basic pH, no requirements of an activator and a flotation time of the order of 2 minutes) achieving a superior recovery than 90%. In this case, the isoamyl dialkyl dithiophosphate collector (AERO 3501®) was the reagent which basically got the best results.

Sossego mill was Vale’s first plant to operate a semi-autogenous mill for processing copper and gold sulfide ore. The mill is located in Brazil. After the circuit commissioning, it was found out that certain variables were contributing to... more

Sossego mill was Vale’s first plant to operate a semi-autogenous mill for processing copper and gold sulfide ore. The mill is located in Brazil. After the circuit commissioning, it was found out that certain variables were contributing to a lower than expected hourly output. A number of optimization and upgrading measures were taken over the 10 years of operation of the semi-autogenous mill, including changes in the grate area, size and arrangement of aperture, liner profile and rock blasting plan. This work describes the main aspects of the circuit design and the improvements introduced over the first years of operation.

The ability to design a beneficiation process for a new orebody based on particular feed characteristics is a powerful and practical tool. A new technique has been developed where beneficiation outcomes can be calculated by combining feed... more

The ability to design a beneficiation process for a new orebody based on particular feed characteristics is a powerful and practical tool. A new technique has been developed where beneficiation outcomes can be calculated by combining feed size-by-size chemical analysis, mineralogy, liberation and particle characteristics with a series of simple theoretical unit separation models rather than a simple mass balance approach or an exhaustive beneficiation test program. The new technique provides the ability to rapidly identify ore types that have the potential to meet product specifications whilst also rejecting others that will not meet specification even if a perfect separation was achieved. Beyond the broad scale decision making process, practical mineral separation curves from actual plant data can be used to more closely simulate the proposed process. This approach reduces the amount of laboratory and pilot plant work necessary by targeting what process stages will be required, increases early rejection of uneconomic options, identifies problematic ore types or unit operations and is a step towards estimation of final grade and recoveries achievable in potential circuit configurations. Examples are given for iron ore fines, where modelling predictions identified ores that would never reach target product grade, those that could be used for blending and those that were economic. The predicted outcomes of grade and recovery for a deposit composite are compared against actual test results using beneficiation processes such as grinding, desliming, magnetic separation and reverse flotation. A practical process configuration which achieved target iron grade and recovery was successfully determined during the testwork, guided by modelling results, whereas previous laboratory pilot plant trials were unsuccessful. The method can be equally applied to flow sheet development in plant design for heavy minerals sands, base and precious metals.

Clay is a raw material commonly used for the construction of building materials, thanks to the different stabilization techniques used. These claybased materials have very improved properties when they contain potashtreated vegetable... more

Clay is a raw material commonly used for the construction of building materials, thanks to the different stabilization techniques used. These claybased materials have very improved properties when they contain potashtreated vegetable fillers. Thus, coconut fibers, agricultural waste from wad treatment, coconut palm fruit wrap (Cocos nucifra) and treated with a potassium hydroxide solution were used for making clay materials and stabilized with cement. Its objective is to study the influence of these fibers on the properties of the material. To achieve this objective, mortars composed of clays stabilized with 8 % cement and fibers at different levels (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8%) for a constant length of 30 mm, been developed. These different mortars with those containing no fibers were subjected to flexural and compression tests. The results obtained show that the addition of fibers improves the mechanical performance of clay mortars stabilized with 8% cement. Especially when these fibers are treated with solution of potash. The treatment of coconut fibers with the traditional potash solution made it possible to increase the maximum stress of the fiber mortar by 13% and by 5% their stiffness compared with untreated fibers. The fiber-matrix adhesion becomes stronger with fiber treatment by 8% by weight of potash.

The practice of computer simulation is traditionally used for the optimization of industrial grinding circuits. The methodology usually includes surveying campaigns at the selected circuit, followed by data analysis, mass balancing and... more

The practice of computer simulation is traditionally used for the optimization of industrial grinding circuits. The methodology usually includes surveying campaigns at the selected circuit, followed by data analysis, mass balancing and modeling. The latter consists in fitting mathematical models of each process equipment. Once the simulator is calibrated, a number of simulations may be carried out in order to explore different operating scenarios, related to optimization on the basis of selected performance indices. The simulation is thus an alternative for extensive and expensive pilot plant campaigns, as well as industrial tests. Accordingly, simulation is a low cost and low time demanding alternative, allowing the detailed assessment of several flowsheet options and/or operation conditions, even though it demands a qualified person and a professional software.
This work presents an application of computer simulation program carried out at the Vale´s Sossego industrial grinding plant, located at the south-east part of Para state. As the Sossego circuit includes the first large diameter semiautogenous mill installed in Brazil, the literature review was largely focused on operating and optimization aspects of such a process, thus seeking to consolidate this kind of knowledge in Brazil.

This paper presents a review of the application of microwave energy in the field of mineral processing at the Institute of Geotechnics, Slovak Academy of Sciences. The influence of microwave radiation of rocks on the failure... more

This paper presents a review of the application of microwave energy in the field of mineral processing at the Institute of Geotechnics, Slovak Academy of Sciences. The influence of microwave radiation of rocks on the failure disintegration of minerals and ores as well as, a modification of magnetic properties and thermal processing of rocks was studied. Moreover, the rate of microwave heating of minerals, effect of microwaves on coal desulphurisation and the extraction of diterpanes from coal were investigated.

procesamiento de minerales

The use of Borax has become the most established method for gold recovery by artisanal and small scale miners. This is due to its ability of recovering more gold than amalgam process where it involves the uses of mercury. This study aims... more

The use of Borax has become the most established method for gold recovery by artisanal and small scale miners. This is due to its ability of recovering more gold than amalgam process where it involves the uses of mercury. This study aims to show the impact of using mercury to the environment and human health against the use of borax which shows to cause less or no effect to both environment and human health. Likewise, the study shows the advantage of using borax to recover gold. The study shows the difference in gold recovery between borax and mercury. Borax and mercury were shown to recover 22.5 g and 7.2 g of gold respectively. Gold obtained from borax recovery method does not contain any amount of mercury compared to gold obtain from mercury recovery method. This indicates that borax recovery method results in purer gold than mercury recovery method.

The mineral element content of coconut water from three (3) different species was determined in samples gotten form Rivers State. Ca, Na, K, Fe, Cu, S, P and Cl were determined using the Atomic Absorption... more

The mineral element content of coconut water from three (3)
different species was determined in samples gotten form Rivers State.
Ca, Na, K, Fe, Cu, S, P and Cl were determined using the Atomic
Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) excluding chloride which was
determined by titration method. The concentration of this mineral
element studied lies within the ranges (ppm) with Ca (25-55), Na
(40-85), K (110-165), Fe (0.542-1.625), Cu (0.000-0.018), S (10.35-30.00), P (0.01-0.53), Cl (2050.00-2565.00). The protein content (i.e.
% total protein) was determined as crude protein using the macrokjeldahl Markham distillation method. The values ranged between
0.30-0.40, 0.10-0.20, and 0.49-0.55 for the three different species
respectively.

Seminar Report on Quartz Mineral and the Vein Quartz Deposits of Sri Lanaka.

O objetivo deste estudo é apresentar a construção de uma coluna de flotação piloto de baixo custo, que será utilizada para concentração de minerais ferrosos. O trabalho contém os passos seguidos no projeto de construção do equipamento... more

O objetivo deste estudo é apresentar a construção de uma coluna de flotação piloto de baixo custo, que será utilizada para concentração de minerais ferrosos. O trabalho contém os passos seguidos no projeto de construção do equipamento (descrição dos sistemas operacionais; dimensionamento; desenhos do projeto; levantamento dos materiais, fornecedores e orçamentos; testes dos sistemas de aeração e bombeamento, além da montagem) e também, os resultados dos ensaios exploratórios realizados com uma amostra de minério de ferro, contendo 38% de Fe, doada pela Companhia Vale S. A. proveniente da Mina de Alegria, Mariana/MG. Nos ensaios preliminares, obtiveram-se teores de Fe no concentrado próximos a 50% e uma recuperação metalúrgica em torno de 90%. O resultado foi considerado adequado, tendo em vista que foi realizado apenas um estágio de concentração. Dessa forma, conclui-se que a montagem e operação da coluna foram satisfatórias e o protótipo pode ser utilizado como unidade piloto para a avaliação de diferentes condições de processo.