Impact of microwave irradiation on the processing of a sulfide ore

Orumwense, A. O.; Negeri, T.

doi:10.1007/bf03403302

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 8 publications

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“…Dramatic reductions in ore competency (up to 80%), and improvements in liberation (up to 30%) and flotation recovery (up to 20%) following microwave treatment are typically reported in the literature by studies that use low power density multimode cavities at 2.45GHz (such as a kitchen microwave oven) at low power (<3kW) (Amankwah et al, 2005;Amankwah and Ofori-Sarpong, 2011;Andriese et al, 2011;Andriese et al, 2012;Henda et al, 2005;Kingman et al, 1999;Kingman et al, 2000a, b;Kumar et al, 2006;Kumar et al, 2010;Marion et al, 2016;Omran et al, 2015;Orumwense and Negeri, 2004;Vorster et al, 2001;Walkiewicz et al, 1993;Walkiewicz et al, 1991;Wang and Forssberg, 2005). The residence times were long (>>1s, typically in the order of minutes) for small batch masses of ore (up to 1kg) of typically ball mill feed size material (<20mm).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards large scale microwave treatment of ores: Part 2 – Metallurgical testing

Batchelor

Buttress

Jones

et al. 2017

Minerals Engineering

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Highlights Pilot scale (150t/h) microwave-induced fracture of ores is investigated on three ore types  Microwave treatment energies in the range 0.3-3kWh/t were tested at up to 200kW power input  Equivalent liberation could be achieved at a 40-70µm coarser grind  Specific comminution energy could be reduced by up to 9% at nominal plant grinds  Throughput could be increased by up to 10% at nominal plant grinds Abstract A pilot scale microwave treatment system capable of treating 10-150t/h of material at 10-200kW was designed, constructed and commissioned in order to understand the engineering challenges of microwave-induced fracture of ores at scale and generate large metallurgical test samples of material treated at approximately 0.3-3kWh/t. It was demonstrated that exposing more of the ore to a region of high power density by improving treatment homogeneity with two single mode applicators in series yielded equivalent or better metallurgical performance with up to half the power and one third the energy requirement of that used with a single applicator. Comminution testing indicated that A*b values may be reduced by up to 7-14% and that the Bond Ball Mill Work Index may be reduced by up to 3-9% depending on the ore type under investigation. Liberation analysis of the microwave-treated ore indicated that equivalent liberation may be achievable for a grind size approximately 40-70µm coarser than untreated ore, which is in agreement with laboratory scale investigations reported in the literature at similar or higher doses. Flow sheet simulations further indicated that reduced ore competency following microwave treatment could potentially yield up to a 9% reduction in specific comminution energy (ECS) at a nominal plant grind of P80 190µm, or up to 24% reduction at a grind of P80 290µm, for a microwave energy input of 0.7-1.3kWh/t. Throughput could also be increased by up to approximately 30% depending on grind size, ore type and equipment constraints. To date, approximately 900t of material has been processed through the pilot plant, approximately 300t of which was under microwave power. Metallurgical testing has demonstrated that comminution and liberation benefits are achievable at doses lower than that previously reported in the literature, which allow high throughputs to be sustained with low installed power requirements providing a pathway to further scale-up of microwave treatment of ores.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards large scale microwave treatment of ores: Part 2 – Metallurgical testing

Batchelor

Buttress

Jones

et al. 2017

Minerals Engineering

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The Microwave Irradiation Effect on the Floatability of Mixed Sulphide/Oxide Copper Ores

Bahrami

Chehreghani

Kazemi

et al. 2021

MGPB

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Pre-treatment of copper sulphide and oxide ores using microwave radiation causes a difference in their floatability through change in the surface properties of the minerals. The aim of this study is to investigate the behaviour of Sungun porphyry copper ore under the influence of microwave radiation. In this regard, the feed sample of Sungun copper flotation circuit has been subjected to microwave irradiation for 0-120 s and a radiation power of 0-600 W. The prepared samples were then subjected to flotation experiments. According to the results, the grade of sulphide and oxide Cu minerals, as well as the grade of Fe, increased by microwave irradiation in all experiments compared to the non-irradiated samples. At the same time, recovery rate has a reversed trend and decreased in all cases. Variations in the recovery rates of copper oxides and sulphides due to microwave irradiation are different. Increasing the power of irradiation resulted in a greater reduction in the recovery of copper oxides than of sulphides. On the other hand, increasing the power of microwave irradiation reduced the amount of iron recovery in the copper concentrate and with an increase in the duration of microwave irradiation, the reduction of iron recovery values is even more pronounced. Changes in the power and duration of microwave radiation have not had a significant effect on variations in oxide copper grade in flotation tailings. While the grade of sulphides in tailing is affected by the parameters of microwave irradiation and with an increase in power and duration of microwave irradiation, the grade of copper in tailing increases.

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Impact of microwave irradiation on the processing of a sulfide ore

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

Towards large scale microwave treatment of ores: Part 2 – Metallurgical testing

Towards large scale microwave treatment of ores: Part 2 – Metallurgical testing

The Microwave Irradiation Effect on the Floatability of Mixed Sulphide/Oxide Copper Ores

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