The business value of best practice process mineralogy

A universal framework for Space Resource Utilisation (SRU)

“…The decision on the arrangement and scheduling of the excavation, stockpiling and processing, in addition to product and waste storage, must take into account the interaction between the stages. Variability and target production rates will define the process parameters, as in terrestrial mining (Lotter et al, 2018).…”

Towards the development of an integrated modelling framework underpinned by mineralogy

“…Key mineralogical components of interest to measure and quantify in process mineralogy are the element deportment (valuable and deleterious), mineral grades, grain size distribution, texture, association and liberation. However, the successful application of the discipline extends past simple measurement, into the appropriate interpretation of the results, the understanding of the implications of the measurements and the ability to implementing the desired changes to metallurgical flowsheets (Bradshaw, 2014;Lotter et al, 2017). This section reviews several different applications of process mineralogy, and then considers some of the key methods used to characterise and quantify mineralogy.…”

“…Although the value of the information provided by these techniques is immense (Gu et al, 2014;Lotter et al, 2017), there are various practicalities associated with obtaining this information related to its high cost per sample. An alternate means of determining mineral grades is through the element to mineral conversion (EMC) methodology.…”

“…QEMSCAN). These techniques are not necessarily applicable in the context of developing the framework as obtaining information is expensive and requires extensive sample preparation (Gu et al, 2014;Lotter et al, 2017). Element to mineral conversion has the potential to produce timeous results, rapid and cost-effective.…”

Characterization and Beneficiation Options for Tungsten Recovery from Yxsjöberg Historical Ore Tailings

“…HT repositories can be considered as geometallurgical units based on the definition of being "an ore type or group of ore types that possess a unique set of textural and compositional properties from which it can be predicted that they will have similar metallurgical performance" [8]. Accordingly, various geometallurgical and/or process mineralogical approaches have been used to investigate process tailings or processed ores [6,[9][10][11][12][13]. TSF may have several geometallurgical units depending on what type of primary ore and which process streams the tailings were generated from, how the deposition was done (randomly or systematically), and the weathering that could have occurred over time.…”