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A geometallurgical approach towards the correlation between rock type mineralogy and grindability: A case study in Aitik mine, Sweden
Luleå University of Technology, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering.
Luleå University of Technology, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5979-5608
Luleå University of Technology, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Minerals and Metallurgical Engineering.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-5228-3888
Division of Process Technology, Boliden AB, SE-936 81 Boliden, Sweden.
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2022 (English)In: IMPC Asia-Pacific 2022 Conference Proceedings, The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy , 2022, p. 51-70Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]

Aitik is a large copper porphyry type deposit located in northern Sweden, currently exploited at an annual rate of approximately 45Mt. The ore’s exceptionally low head grade of 0.25 % Cu and varying degrees of hardness across the entire deposit pose challenges to the two fully autogenous grinding lines, each of which comprises a 25 MW primary autogenous mill in series with a pebble mill. The variability in ore grindability frequently leads to fluctuations in mill throughput. 

Within the framework of a geometallurgical approach, the present study investigated the relationships between ore grindability and modal mineralogy. For this purpose, drill core samples from different lithologies were subjected to Boliden AB’s in-house grindability tests. This fully autogenous laboratory-scale test generates a grindability index mainly related to abrasion breakage, which is a significant breakage mechanism within autogenous mills. The test results suggested divergent degrees of grindability within and across the selected rock types.

A combination of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence analyses were performed for the grinding products and bulk mineral samples. The resulting mineralogical and elemental properties were subsequently correlated to the parameters from the grindability tests. It was shown that the main mineral phases, such as plagioclase, quartz, and micas, correlate well with the grindability indices. Similar correlations were found regarding the sample’s chemical composition, attributable to the main mineral phases. A further inverse correlation between the sample’s calculated average Mohs hardness and the grindability indices was established. Moreover, mineral liberation information provided by scanning electron microscopy was associated with the parameters mentioned earlier. The identified relationships between grindability, modal mineralogy, and element grades may help Boliden develop a predictive throughput model for Aitik based on the mine’s block model.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
The Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy , 2022. p. 51-70
Keywords [en]
Geometallurgy, autogenous grindability test, abrasion breakage, process mineralogy, automated mineralogy
National Category
Mineral and Mine Engineering
Research subject
Mineral Processing
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-92745OAI: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-92745DiVA, id: diva2:1692221
Conference
IMPC Asia-Pacific 2022, Melbourne, Australia, August 22-24, 2022
Note

ISBN för värdpublikation: 978-1-922395-08-5

Available from: 2022-09-01 Created: 2022-09-01 Last updated: 2023-09-05Bibliographically approved

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Parian, MehdiGhorbani, Yousef

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