Special Issue "Mineral Presorting"

Guest Editor
Dr. Michael Hitch
Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Website: http://www.mining.ubc.ca/MHitch.html
E-Mail: mhitch@mining.ubc.ca
Interests: mineral economics and mine planning; mineral carbonation and CO2 sequestration; mineral slurry transportation systems

Dear Colleagues,

The high competition in mining industry has pushed many operations to be active and innovative with their strategies in improving overall productivity. A competitive mine would try to increase their daily throughput to reduce payback time and increase production for a lower operating cost. Similarly, the mill will implement different techniques to minimize their production time, such as: agglomeration, pre-concentration, and ore classification. The motivation for ore pre-concentration is strong: most ores are typically 98% gangue mineral, which results in a high opportunity to reject a coarse, barren fraction. Potential waste rejection can range from 20% to 55% by mass with metal recoveries between 91-98%. The application of integrated mining, processing and waste disposal systems, where appropriate, is a possible strategy for the development of efficient new mining operations, or alternately the expansion of production at existing mines.

The objective of this special edition is to explore the ways and means of ore mineral pre-sorting/preconcentration by exploiting the unique chemical and physical characteristics many minerals possess. Furthermore, it is hope that through this volume, the most metallurgically efficient and economically feasible pre-concentration methods will be discussed.

Dr. Michael Hitch
Guest Editor

Submission

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• mineral preconcentration
• pre concentration
• mineral recovery
• grade enhancement

Title: Independent Variables Affecting the Process of Blocking of Sieve Holes
Authors: Katarzyna Lawinska and Piotr Wodzinski
Affiliaion: Department of Process Equipment, Technical University of Lodz, 90-924 Lodz, Wólczańska 171/173, Poland; E-Mails: k_lawinska@interia.pl (K.L.); wodzinski@wipos.p.lodz.pl (P.W.)
Abstract: This paper presents the results of considerations concerning the ratio of blocking of screen holes and the importance of particular factors affecting the process of blocking of sieve holes.The process of blocking the holes is unfavorable since it reduces the flow area of the lower size fraction through a sieve under scrutiny. The fundamental relationship that appears in this case is a function f = fun(t), where f is the coefficient of screen blocking. It is defined as the ratio of the number of free holes to the total number of sieve holes. It is a dimensionless value. The present study is based on the results of investigations performed on laboratory screens for a regulated toss indicator. Fine-grained materials (agalite-spherical mineral, sand-loose sedimentary rock of irregular form, and aggregate-sharp edge mineral) were applied as investigated mineral media. In the mixed grain content difficult to screen is 0–100%.
Keywords: sieve; screening; granular material

Titel: Sorting Copper Ores: Opportunities for Better Control of Acid and Metalliferous Drainage
Authors: Mansour Edraki ¹ Joachim Vogt ² and Roxana Powell ²
Affiliation: ¹ Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; E-Mail: m.edraki@cmlr.uq.edu.au
² Ingenieria Alemana S.A., Chile Christopher Kleine, RWTH, Germany
Abstract: The background to the paper is that recent advances in ore sorting technologies provide unprecedented capabilities for optimising recovery, minimising residues, adding value to legacy mine sites and ensuring the sustainability of mining. These fast improving technologies are likely to result in very high tonnages of uneconomic sulfide-bearing rocks at mine sites that need to be managed in harmony with the surrounding environments. Yet the characterisation and prediction methods for acid and metalliferous drainage from the mining waste have not matched the demands for rapid, cost-effective and reliable assessment results. The paper attempts to explore the environmental advantages of sensor based sorting and put forward a business case for adopting such technologies.