Testing of Ore Comminution Behavior in the Geometallurgical Context—A Review

Abdul Mwanga,Jan Rosenkranz,Pertti Lamberg

doi:10.3390/min5020276

Abstract

Comminution tests are an important element in the proper design of ore beneficiation plants. In the past, test work has been conducted for particular representative reference samples. Within geometallurgy the entire ore body is explored in order to further identify the variation within the resource and to establish spatial geometallurgical domains that show the differential response to mineral processing. Setting up a geometallurgical program for an ore deposit requires extensive test work. Methods for testing the comminution behavior must therefore be more efficient in terms of time and cost but also with respect to sample requirements. The integration of the test method into the geometallurgical modeling framework is also important. This paper provides an overview of standard comminution test methods used for the investigation of ore comminution behavior and evaluates their applicability and potential in the geometallurgical context.

Highlights

Before concentration, metal ores have to be crushed and ground in order for the metal bearing minerals to be liberated
The limited picture obtained from this method can lead to insufficient mineral liberation, or, on the flipside, to overgrinding, which leads to low recovery and selectivity in physical separation [1], resulting in poor plant performance and limited production capacity
Based on the initial particle size, the fragments obtained after breakage are usually too coarse to be used in quantitative mineralogical analyses, i.e., only in the case of ultra-fast load cells, the rotary breakage tester or when using small bars with the split Hopkinson pressure bar test, are sufficiently small particles generated which are meaningful to investigate by mineral liberation analysis

Summary

Introduction

Metal ores have to be crushed and ground in order for the metal bearing minerals to be liberated. Sufficient size reduction by comminution is a prerequisite for any downstream physical separation, but is the processing step within mineral processing that has the highest energy demand, and which, in practice, is often the limiting factor for plant capacity. Minerals 2015, 5 testing of the ore’s comminution behavior that provides information about the particle size distribution after fracture identifies the achieved mineral liberation, and determines the comminution energy needed, an integral step in the proper design of ore beneficiation plants. The limited picture obtained from this method can lead to insufficient mineral liberation, or, on the flipside, to overgrinding, which leads to low recovery and selectivity in physical separation [1], resulting in poor plant performance and limited production capacity. Geometallurgy combines geological and metallurgical information to create a spatially-based predictive model for mineral processing to be used in production management [2]

Methods

Results

Conclusion