Microwave Treatment of Minerals and Ores: Heating Behaviours, Applications and Future Directions

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Processing and Extractive Metallurgy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 April 2024) | Viewed by 7068

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Sepro Laboratories Inc. 101B-9850-201 Street, Langley, BC V1M 4A3, Canada
Interests: microwaves; comminution; ore sorting

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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
Interests: rock mechanics; mining; numerical modeling

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Guest Editor
KMWAVE Inc., Vancouver, BC V6K 1H9, Canada
Interests: electromagnetic waves (microwaves); image processing; experimental data analysis; analytical energy analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research and development into the microwave treatment of minerals and ores is continuing to advance. While the commercialization of the application of microwaves in the mining industry has not been widespread, there are a considerable number of research papers concerning this technology. There has been a shift away from primarily experimental research to the production of studies that combine experimental and numerical modeling approaches. Some commodities have been extensively studied such as coal, copper, nickel, gold, and iron. However, there are many other commodities without an abundance of existing papers investigating their features, including kimberlite ores, rare earth ores, and PGE-containing ores.

Scaling up from bench to pilot-/commercial-level application remains a challenge. Therefore, there is interest in the research and development of the application of microwaves in the mining industry. As society requires more green processes, microwaves provide a potential solution if the energy source is clean. The numerous processing parameters and heterogeneity of ores cause complications in the development of feasible novel processes.

The attempt to find an alternative means of providing microwave energy, such as via solid-state radio frequency (SSRF), is a new area of research. While the conversion of electrical to the microwave energy is relatively inefficient in comparison to magnetrons, SSRF may be beneficial in microwave-assisted comminution via pulsing.

This Special issue is organized into three sections:

  • Section 1 Microwaves in mining: Advancements in the field of rock excavation at the mine face using microwaves include open waveguide systems and powerful numerical models.
  • Section 2 Microwave pre-treatment in mineral processing: This includes studies involving microwave pre-treatment to assist in grinding, sorting, and other downstream unit operations such as flotation, gravity, electrostatic, magnetic separation, etc.
  • Section 3 Microwaves in extractive metallurgy: Papers, where microwaves have been used to improve hydrometallurgy and/or pyrometallurgical unit operations, are welcomed.

Dr. John Forster
Dr. Yanlong Zheng
Dr. Khashayar Teimoori
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • microwaves
  • mining
  • mineral processing
  • sorting
  • comminution
  • rock mechanics
  • drying
  • energy
  • modeling
  • extractive metallurgy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 3831 KiB  
Article
Effect of Microwave Irradiation on Mechanical Properties and Microstructures of Minerals
by Zhiqiang Zhang, Qi Zhang, Guanqi Zou and Fangfang Chen
Minerals 2024, 14(6), 623; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14060623 - 18 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1250
Abstract
Microwave-assisted rock breaking is a new and promising technology for the tunneling and drilling industry. Minerals in rocks have an important influence on the effect of microwave-assisted rock breaking. In this paper, common minerals in rocks such as potash feldspar (hereafter referred to [...] Read more.
Microwave-assisted rock breaking is a new and promising technology for the tunneling and drilling industry. Minerals in rocks have an important influence on the effect of microwave-assisted rock breaking. In this paper, common minerals in rocks such as potash feldspar (hereafter referred to as K-feldspar), calcite and pyroxene were selected as samples, and a lot of microwave irradiation tests were carried out by using a hamilab-v1500 microwave oven. The mass, strength and microstructure of the rock samples were tested before and after microwave irradiation. The change law of the mineral mass, strength and microstructure with regard to temperature was analyzed, and the influence mechanism was discussed. The results show that the strength of K-feldspar increases from 20 °C to 400 °C but decreases significantly when it is higher than 400 °C; the strength of pyroxene increases from 20 °C to 600 °C but decreases when it is higher than 600 °C; the strength of calcite decreases with the increase in temperature. As for the weakening pattern, pyroxene shows drawstring, step and flow with the increase in temperature, but K-feldspar and calcite show that failure occurs along the cleavage plane of the crystal structure. The higher the temperature of microwave irradiation, the finer the pattern at the fractured zone is, and the more fragmented it becomes; the loss of mineral mass increases with the increase in the temperature of microwave irradiation. Full article
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14 pages, 3657 KiB  
Article
Microwave Treatment of Minerals and Ores: Heating Behaviors, Applications, and Future Directions
by Jin Chen, Xinpei Li, Lei Gao, Shenghui Guo and Fei He
Minerals 2024, 14(3), 219; https://doi.org/10.3390/min14030219 - 21 Feb 2024
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4641
Abstract
The application of microwave technology in mineral metallurgy is a transformative approach to ore processing that offers new ideas about the current progressive depletion of resources and the environmental impact of mineral processing. This review delves into the principles, applications, and future directions [...] Read more.
The application of microwave technology in mineral metallurgy is a transformative approach to ore processing that offers new ideas about the current progressive depletion of resources and the environmental impact of mineral processing. This review delves into the principles, applications, and future directions of microwave treatment in mineral and ore processing. Microwave technology, characterized by its unique advantages such as rapid and uniform heating, selective heating, and energy efficiency, stands in contrast to traditional heating methods. It directly interacts with materials at the molecular level, enabling volumetric heating. The review encompasses a wide range of applications, including ore pre-treatment, drying, mineral processing, hydrometallurgy, smelting, and reduction. It highlights the role of microwave treatment in enhancing metal recovery, reducing energy consumption, and improving processing speeds. Future research directions are identified, focusing on enhanced equipment design, process optimization, integration with conventional methods, and technological innovations. The comprehensive overview assists researchers, engineers, and decision-makers in understanding the potential of microwave technology in mineral metallurgy, emphasizing its contribution to innovation and sustainability in the sector. Full article
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