Selective Disintegration of Ores and Physicochemical Properties of Minerals Under High-Power Electromagnetic Pulses and Other High Pulsed Powers Effects

Dear Colleagues,

Pulse Electrotechnologies (also referred to as ‘‘Pulsed Power’’) is the mainstream development of various technologies in the last XXI centuries. The effect of superstrong electromagnetic fields on materials is one of the Pulsed Power technological process directions, for example, no thermal action of strong electric fields on medical, biologic, and natural mineral objects. An analysis of modern condition of iron ore, gold-bearing, PGM and rare Earth ores, and other raw materials has shown a negative tendency of reducing the mineral resources extraction and worsening the quality of extracted ores. In the near future, the deposits presented mainly by fine-disseminated and rebellious ores will need to be developed. These ores demand essentially new solutions in the technology and technique of their beneficiation. Under such conditions, the highly efficient and ecology-friendly processing technologies become of the top priority.

The use of energy-saving high-voltage electric discharge technologies in the processing of rebellious minerals allows achieving effective separation of mineral complexes (selective disintegration and dissociation of mineral aggregates) and creating optimal conditions to enhance the contrast of the physicochemical and flotation properties of minerals and subsequent separation during flotation due to the appearance of hydrophobic and hydrophilic nanoformations on their surface.

Modern techniques (methods) of natural media (geomaterials) disintegration and surface modifications, which are closely related to the methods presented in the papers of this Special Issue include non-thermal effect of high-power nanosecond electromagnetic pulses (HPEMP), low-temperature plasma of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), accelerated electron beam irradiation, pulse microwave frequency treatment, electric impulse treatment, electric hydrodynamic effect, magnetic impulse treatment, special electrochemical treatment, and other methods.

This Special Issue aims to contribute to the disclosure of all the applications of nontraditional (nonmechanical) high-enegetic (pulsed power) methods and technologies that should be created based on the intensification of the current and new approaches to mineral extraction from rebellious ore and mining waste, using the latest achievements of basic sciences and by combining physical, physicochemical, dressing, chemical and metallurgical processes.

Dr. Igor Zh. Bunin
Prof. Dr. Valentine A. Chanturiya
Guest Editors

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