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By W. H. Cheung

Nickel and cobalt production relies heavily on the processing of nickel laterite ores; these ores contain the majority of known Ni and Co reserves, 80% and 90% ~ 95%, respectively. The Caron process is used to extract Ni and Co metals from low-grade nickel laterite ores (1% Ni and 0.1% Co). It involves selective reduction of NiO and CoO minerals followed by ammoniacal leaching. Despite low metal recoveries, this process continues to be technically and economically reliable and thus commercially important globally. However, keeping the Caron process cost-effective has been a challenge for industries because of increasing economic and environmental pressures. Although studies of the Caron process have been extensive, significant improvements in recoveries of industrial processes have not been forthcoming. Reported industrial metal recovery from high iron content ore is only 80% ~ 85% for Ni and only 40% ~ 45% for Co; recovery is even lower for ores rich in magnesium. The real difficulty here is that there is no complete understanding of and control over the complex series of reactions in the ore and in the leaching solution during processing. Achieving effective metal recoveries from the Caron will require control of the mineral transformations, which affect the activation of minerals by reduction. In this study, the effect of over-reduction was investigated, which superseded the effect of activation by lowering the activity of the minerals and thus metal dissolution. Reduction was carried out in a batch reduction apparatus with 1:1 and 1:2.5 CO/CO2 gas mixtures from temperatures of 500 ~ 700°C and residence times up to 60 minutes. The pre-reduced ores were leached using a standard ammoniacal leaching test. Thermodynamic analysis and possible effects of stable phase field on leaching was examined. The results suggest that control of over reduction effects are directly related to the mineral transformation and reduction conditions.

Jan 1, 2014

By B. W. Zhao

Quantitative analysis of minerals composing in ore is primary in process mineralogy, a veracious quantification and analysis is very crucial to optimize or design a beneficiation process, especially for a low grade and complicated ore. This paper will discuss a SEM-EDS based quantitative analysis developed in JKtech Australia through an example from Jinchuan lean ore. For a low grade, com-plex intergrowths and texture lean ore, chemical phase analysis of value minerals and identification by optical microscope are very essential, unite the SEM-EDS based quantitative analysis, we can understand exactly the lean ore, explain and quantify the process performance.

Jan 1, 2014

By Shen Zhengchang

Based on the flotation features of coarse particle mineral, a new type of impeller & stator unit is developed. Particles suspension state generated by this impeller & stator unit under different speeds are tested in laboratory, and critical impeller speed suit for coarse particles flotation is presented. Comparing particle suspension parameters of the new impeller & stator unit with that of KYF impeller and stator unit, it comes up that the distance between the interface of two slurry circulation channels and the cell bottom is larger in the flotation cell with new impeller & stator unit. The test results indicate that the new type of impeller & stator unit is suitable for processing coarse particles due to its good suspension capacity for coarse particles. Keywords: coarse particles, flotation, suspension, critical speed, impeller and stator unit

Sep 1, 2012

By O. Martinsson

The Kiruna area is an important mining province in northern Sweden, which is dominated by Fe- and Cu-Au deposits. Economically most important for the region, are the apatite iron ores with an annual production of c. 43 M ton of crude Fe-ore and a total production of more than 2000 M ton of ore the last 100 years. The apatite iron ores in the Kiruna area are dominated by either Magnetite or Haematite and contain varying amounts of apatite giving them a content of Fe and P, which varies between 30-70 % and 0.05-5 %, respectively. A typical geochemical feature of the ores is the strong enrichment of REE that is caused by a high content of REE in apatite and the occurrence of Allanite and Monazite containing 22.4 and 69.8 wt% REO, respectively. At Kiirunavaara, the content of REE in apatite varies between 0.07 to 1.57 wt% REO with a dominance for the light rare earths. The variation in REE-content of apatite depending on textural and paragenetic aspects is not known but apatite grains may display a strong LREE-depletion due to hydrothermal alteration. Monazite occurs as rod-shaped or tabular inclusions in apatite and is suggested, to have formed in response to hydrothermal alteration of apatite after the emplacement of the ore. Inclusions are mainly found in the central part of apatite grains occurring in veins and schliren, while they are rare in apatite occurring disseminated in the ore. Monazite also occurs as larger grains outside apatite and together with Allanite is found in texturally and paragenetically different settings within the ore. These occurrences of REE-minerals may largely be a product of LREE mobilized by alteration of apatite after the emplacement of the ore. However, REE-minerals including Allanite and Monazite might also have formed directly from late magmatic fluids. Keywords: apatite, monazite, allanite, ree, kiirunavaara, iron ore of kiruna type, mineral chemistry

Sep 1, 2012

By H. L. Liu

With the exploitation of mineral resources, valuable minerals are more and more finer and poorer. Priority reclaiming liberation grind particle under rough grinding, will help to pervert loss of melts, raise dewatering efficiency of concentrate, reduce consumption of reagent. And it is propitious to reduce energy consumption and raise the utilization rate of resources. With the feature of coarse particle?s desorption and deposition, CLF flotation machine has special pulp circulating way, which is not only apply to treat coarse particle but also normal size particle. The paper advanced the history, the design principle, the structure feature and the application of CLF flotation machine.

Jan 1, 2014

By R. Batterham

"The history of mineral processing is indeed long and has always been tied to mining methods of the day. While many new processes and devices have been developed, the most significant trend in recent times has been the ever increasing scale of operations. There is serious doubt this ongoing trend is enough to match the global trend of falling grades and rising energy demands needed for mineral processing. As well we see that globally, the social licence to operate for mining (and hence mineral processing) is far from secure. Indeed, some argue that mining as we know it is dying and in the future, mining will be much more environmentally secure, even to the extent of insisting upon “in place” recovery and only bringing to the surface the valued product. In this paper we comment on the ramifications of broader uptake of more sustainable mining for mineral processing methods and address the specific question of whether recent progress in in place recovery will lead to a timely breakthrough. The answer proposed is that this is possible in the next 10 - 20 years but in the meantime, the focus is just as likely to be on removal of waste much earlier in circuits. Either way, mineral processing as we know it will change significantly. INTRODUCTION Mineral processing has a long history well covered in a recent publication (Habashi, 2006) who points out “the ancient Egyptians knew already that it would be easier to melt an earth rich in gold particles than another which is poor. As a result, all efforts were made to enrich the gold by washing away the light gangue minerals. Similarly, another ancient method for enriching gold particles from a river stream was by means of fleece, hence the Greek myth of the “golden fleece”. Since the middle ages, striving for improved economics has driven a string of innovative developments in milling and separation. The reader is again referred to the informative and illustrative text by Habashi."

Jan 1, 2018

By Lina Chica, Arturo Barrientos, O. Bustamante

Hydrocyclone is a device commonly used in mineral processing industry. Underflow control plays a fundamental role in hydrocyclone operation. This affirmation supports the fact that hydrocyclone underflow has effect in some aspects of separation performance like capacity, split ratio, cut size and bypass. Hydrocyclone operation state is associated to underflow characteristics: air core formation and discharge shape. Many studies attempt to understand size separation phenomenon and the discharge influence but none of them has taken an energy point of view. This work presents the results of a mechanical energy dissipation for hydrocyclone operation from a mechanical energy balance. The experimental results related to Newtonian suspensions show that underflow energy dissipation does not control the operation because this magnitude is small compared to interior energy dissipation. However, discharge energy dissipation provides enough information to describe underflow conditions and its influence in separation conditions. In the modelling non dimensional parameters have been considered for hydrodynamic description and for geometrical and operation hydrocyclone characteristics. Energy dissipation from the continua media approximation results into a relevant concept to understand the hydrocyclone performance and improve industrial installations.

Jan 1, 2014

By Rhulani F. Maluleke, Francis W. Petersen, John H. Marsh, Johann de T. Steyl, Allan Nesbitt

"Pressure leaching of chalcopyrite and nickeliferrous pyrrotite at temperatures between 105 and 200 ºC has been proposed as a potentially viable route for the extraction of mineral elements from sulphide concentrates. In general, these concentrates contain iron, and the economic success of the processes is partially dependent on the choice of the environmentally acceptable iron-removal technique. One of the most widely used methods for the removal of iron from sulphate liquors is precipitation as hematite, goethite, or jarosite. The nature of the iron precipitate formed dictates downstream dewatering and residue treatment and disposal options. However, a better understanding of iron precipitation under the defined process conditions would consequently be of benefit in process design and optimisation.This study investigated the precipitation of iron in the autoclave at temperatures between 105 and 200 ºC. The effects of temperature, acid concentration, iron concentration, and the presence of other metal cations on the nature and composition of the precipitates were determined."

Jan 1, 2003

By M. L. Cao

In this study, a montmorillonite organo-intercalation compound (MOIC) was synthesized by using a Na-modified bentonite (NaB) as a matrix and hexadecyltrimethylammonium (HDTMA) bromide as an intercalating reagent under microwave irradiation. The synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), organic carbon content measurement, and adsorption density determination. The results show that, at 10% suspension concentration and 10 minutes irradiation in a 130-W microwave oven, the basal spacing d(001) of the synthesized MOIC increases to 2.209 nm from the original 1.218 nm of NaB. The MOIC has much higher adsorptive densities to nitrobenzene and aniline from aqueous solution than the NaB. The adsorption isotherm of nitrobenzene on the MOIC is linear, and the adsorption is mainly the result of nitrobenzene?s preferred partition in MOIC over aqueous solution due to MOIC?s hydrophobicity. The adsorption isotherm of aniline on MOIC follows the Freundlich equation and the increased adsorption is not only the result of aniline?s preferred partition in MOIC over aqueous solution but also that of the MOIC?s surface adsorptions.

Jan 1, 2014

By Y. Q. He

The dynamic behaviors of the air bubbles in the dense gas-solid fluidized bed have a significant effect on the performance of dry coal separation. The combined method of experimental measurement and numerical simulation were conducted to conduct the research of the mean diameters and rising velocities of the bubbles in the fluidized bed. The calculation models of mean diameter and rising velocity of the single bubble were proposed. The results indicate that the models of the mean diameter raised by Rowe (1976) and the rising velocity raised in this work could be used to predict the bubble dynamic parameters in gas-solid fluidized bed. With the Geldart B type of magnetite powder as the medium solids and while the gas velocity of 1.5Umf=U=2.2Umf, the mean bubble diameter along the bed height is 36mm<Db<45mm, and the mean rising velocity of the single bubble is distributed in 40~65cm/s. The results of experimental measurement, numerical simulation and model predication provide well agreements finally. Based on the uniform fluctuations of air bubbles diameters and their rising velocities, the separation experiments of 50~6mm dry coal using the mixture of 0.3~0.15mm magnetite powder and <1mm fine coal as medium solids were carried out. The results show that the probable error, E is 0.06, which indicates a good separation performance by using the gas-solid fluidized bed. Keywords: dense gas-solid fluidized bed, bubble dynamic behaviors, numerical simulation, separation performance

Sep 1, 2012

By Z. C. Shen

As core part of flotation column, aerator has been always priority research. A new type of porous aerator made of stainless sintered microcellular material is designed , which diameter is between 20µm to 40µm. High bubble surface area flux is obtained at low air pressure 20kPa by this type of aerator in water. In order to extend its applied range ,experiments were carried out in alkali slurry (pH=12) , resulting with porous aerator clogged after working 20 days . Sampling the cross-section of aerator detected by microscope and X-ray diffraction ,the reason clogging was found. Then plugging aerator was reactivated after putting it in acidic liquor treated by ultrasonic for about ten minutes. On-line aerator maintenance can be done in no down time , and it can be repetitive-used after recovered ,so reduced capital costs.

Jan 1, 2014

By H. C. E. Regidor, M. G. Mena, H. D. Mendoza

Cyanidation leaching has always been the most widely used method of extraction of gold in the world. Its low cost and high selectivity has made it the prevalent choice for mining companies, and even for the small scale miners. The use of cyanidation in small scale mining has been an issue for the longest time, mainly due to the operation’s lack of safety measures, health care or environmental protection regulations. In pursuit of more environmentally friendly methods of extraction of gold, several alternative extraction processes have been explored, one of which is chlorination. The chlorination process is advantageous when recovering refractory gold locked in sulfides, as it simultaneously oxidizes the surrounding sulfides as well as dissolve any gold exposed to the lixiviant. This research was conducted to study and develop a safer alternative way of extraction of gold from small scale mining operations, without compromising the recovery of gold. In this study, a variation of the chlorination process has been employed for a refractory flotation concentrate wherein the majority of the gold is locked in sulfides. Hypochlorite-bearing reagents were used as the leaching reagents, and the method developed was a 2-stage leaching process in differing pH conditions. The solution pH and Eh was monitored all throughout the runs, and aliquot samples were taken at time intervals for analysis. SEM-EDS imaging was used to determine the mode of oxidation of the chlorination process, and the image obtained showed that the oxidized layer followed the shape of the particle, suggesting a diffusion controlled process. XRD analysis of the sample before and halfway through leaching further confirmed the oxidation of the sulfides. The amount of gold dissolved in the aqueous solution and in the solid residue were used as the basis for the determination of the recovery of gold. An average gold recovery of up to 84.38% was obtained using the developed method in just 7 hours of leaching. This method was then employed for a pilot-plant scale test and a gold recovery of 79.2% was obtained.

Jan 1, 2018

By Z. Naziemiec

Since several years in Poland a huge demands on mineral aggregates occur, for the reason of intensive development of housing and road industry, as well as industrial building. Limitations in re-sources of broken aggregates in Central and Northern parts of Poland cause, that both the non-waste production of aggregates with high quality and the production of alternative aggregates from recycling gain greater importance, nowadays. It entails increase in demands for crushing devices, which are easy and reliable in operating as well as inexpensive and enabling to obtain a good quality products. Jaw crusher, regarded as the most spread in Polish industry, meet these requirements, however, their crucial disadvantage is a large content of irregular grains in crushing products. Numerous investigations show, that the shape of grains is a significant feature of aggregates, which influences on durability and quality of produced concretes. The advantage of jaw crushers is their easy operation, low price as well as low amount of dusts (wastes) generated in comminution products in comparison to other types of crushers (i.e. hammer crushers).

Jan 1, 2014

New technology for on-line particle size analysis of mineral slurries has opened up new applications for particle size measurement. In some cases the particle size distribution of the final concentrate is an important quality issue. This paper discusses established on-line particle size analysis technologies and presents experiences on the use of a new technique employing laser diffraction in several minerals processing operations. The main innovations in the new instrument are a simple dilution system and multiple scattering correction algorithm, which allows wide solids content variations of diluted sample in the measurement cell. Representative sample for laser measurement is produced by a simple and reliable dilution system. The applications discussed are; Blaine number measurement of Fe concentrate before pelletizing, grinding of variable batches of ore and paste thickener control.

Jan 1, 2014

By Ingvar Ymén, Anders Sandc, Jan Rosenkranzc, Lisa Malma, Ann-Sofi Kindstedt Danielssonb

The understanding of particle surface properties is essential for the study and evaluation of froth flotation phenomena, particularly in the investigation of various chemical or reagent effects. Dynamic Vapor Sorption (DVS) is a method used for the analysis of surface properties of powders for instance in the pharmaceutical industry. To the knowledge of the authors, it has however not been used before in applications related to mineral processing. The DVS technique involves measurement of the water uptake of a relatively small amount of sample as a function of the relative humidity (% RH) in a temperature-controlled environment. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the method and investigate how it can complement existing techniques for surface characterization in mineral processing. Four samples (feed, CuPb concentrate, Cu concentrate and Pb concentrate) from the Cu – Pb flotation process in the Garpenberg concentrator, Sweden, were analyzed by DVS and the traditional capillary absorption technique (Washburn capillary rise). This enabled comparison between the two methods and evaluation of their respective advantages and disadvantages. Both methods give the expected ranking of the hydrophobicity for CuPb concentrate, Cu concentrate and Pb concentrate, but a discrepancy was observed for the feed. Washburn gave a value for the contact angle which was in the same range as for the CuPb concentrate, whereas DVS gave a value for the moisture uptake which was much higher than for the CuPb concentrate. Thus, DVS ranks all samples correctly, but with an unexpectedly high value for the feed whereas Washburn gives good ranking for three samples out of four. Potential reasons for the discrepancies are discussed.

Jan 1, 2018

By P. Fecko

The objective of the paper was application of bacterial leaching on two brown coal samples from locality Mine Druzba, seams Antonin and Josef (Sokolov brown coal basin, Czech republic). Based on the results of bacterial leaching and petrologic analyses of the given samples, it is possible to say that application of bacterial leaching gived good results. Applying bacterial leaching it is possible to remove from 34% to 47% of total sulphur and from 45% to 64% of pyritic sulphur from the coal.

Jan 1, 2014

By John A. Herbst

The Mineral Processing Industry needs accurate Production Simulators for the design of future plants and expansions. To achieve this, these simulators should not only provide an accurate portrayal of the dynamics of individual pieces of equipment they should include the impact of discrete stochastic events such as scheduled and unscheduled maintenance so the relationships between availability, equipment sizes, and plant capacity are understood. To provide such a tool accurate dynamic Population Balance Models need to be combined with solid discrete event modeling. The current paper provides a description of how these two disparate modeling techniques were combined and the associated benefits from this combination. Keywords: dynamic plant simulation, population balance models, discrete event models, prefeasibility and feasibility studies, plant design and expansion

Sep 1, 2012

By Dee Bradshaw

"Process mineralogy’ is a form of applied mineralogy which focuses on addressing problems associated with the processing of ores. ‘Mineralogy’ is the scientific study of minerals and ‘mineral processing’ is the production of concentrates from ores. ‘Process mineralogy,’ however can be defined as the practical study of minerals associated with the processing of ores, concentrates and smelter products for the development and optimisation of metallurgical flowsheets, including the waste and environmental management considerations. This hybrid discipline consists of teams that include geologists, mineralogists, samplers, mineral processors and often others, working together. The degree of cross-training, communication and trust dictates the potential capacity of the team and where an appropriate work dynamic is fostered, in which relationships flourish as much as does the ethic of technical excellence, it is possible to develop technical capabilities that surpass those of conventional teams. The world’s demand for metals is ever increasing and ore deposits available for extraction and processing are lower grade and more complex, often containing deleterious elements that require tailored treatment. Generally, in the past, the technical challenges only needed to be overcome and assessed economically to make an ore deposit viable; increasingly and in the future, a more sustainable approach including environmental and societal considerations is needed. Process mineralogical assessment is increasingly providing the critical information that stands between failure or collapse and survival or success of some mining operations. In this paper, selected case studies are used to demonstrate the valuable role of the process mineralogy tools being used to provide the platform for innovative technology development. Their common attributes are discussed and distilled, thus providing some insights and potential guidance for addressing some of the likely future challenges of the mining industry."

Jan 1, 2014

By M. K. Aydogan

Today, arsenic has become a much greater problem than before because of the limitations introduced by WHO and USEPA that are lowered from 0.05 ppm to 0.01 ppm. In the nature Arsenic is mostly found as inorganic compounds in the forms of arsenite (As+3) and arsenate (As+5) in aqueous solutions. Arsenic contamination in ground and surface waters has been encountered in almost every country. This element has a carcinogenic effect and can occur in natural sources and anthropogenic sources such as metal mining, groundwater usage and industrial activities. In this study adsorbing colloid flotation was applied in the presence of aluminum sulfates. In the experiments SDS and K-Oleate were used as collectors while MIBC was the frother employed. The effects of collectors and aluminum/arsenic ratios on the removal of arsenic were examined under various pH values. It was found that arsenic removal enhanced with increasing aluminum concentration. Furthermore, it was observed that pH was a very critical parameter in all experiments. The best results were obtained when initial As: SDS: Al concentrations were 10:40:40 ppm at pH 5.5. At this concentration, the efficiency of arsenic removal found to be 99.9%. Keywords: arsenic, adsorbing colloid flotation, aluminum sulfate

Sep 1, 2012

By S. Mohanta

In composite washeries optimization of operating parameters to achieve maximum clean coal yield at the desired clean coal ash level is a major problem. This problem is more acute in countries like India, which have predominant reserves of difficult-to-wash coals. The constrained operational parameters of washing for some equipments make it more severe. In addition to this, the dependence of separating performance of different equipments upon various variables aggravates the situation. Here an attempt is made to find a numerical solution to get maximum yield and minimize the difference between the actual and the theoretical yield. The solution is arrived through constrained non-linear optimization of a multivariable objective function that utilizes spreadsheet tools; the method accommodates any number of source coals or washing size fractions. By using a designed Ep value the predicted yield of composite clean coal has been calculated and the yield is optimized subject to constraints on both the ash and specific gravity. It is shown that operational constraints of different washeries in the composite plant that utilizes gravity separation methods can also be over-come. The technique offers the coal preparation engineer an effective and straightforward method for determining the optimum cut-points of separation for different coals or blended coals to obtain maximum product yield at a specified level of ash content.

Jan 1, 2014