SMI-JKMRC Seminar: Ore pre-concentration using high voltage pulses

Wei Huang, PhD Candidate, JKMRC, Sustainable Minerals Institute, UQ

Globally, mining companies are struggling to deal with declining head grades, increasing amount of energy input and generation of waste. This is mainly attributed to the fact that the existing mechanical crushing methods disintegrate rocks in an unselective fashion whereby all the feed particles, including all the barren particles that are of no economic values, are crushed to micro sizes to allow further beneficiation. The energy devoted to the waste rocks are deemed to be wasted, and it is imperative for mineral processing engineers to develop methods that would allow waste rock rejection at early stages.

The aim of this work is to employ the high voltage pulses (HVP) to achieve selective fragmentation so as to allow size-based separation method to be implemented. In addition to optimizing of the pre-concentration efficiency with the multiple particle test method (MP), the fundamental mechanisms regarding HVP propensity for the metal-enriched particles are probed using synthetic particles. Furthermore, a case study is presented which identifies the overall benefits of HVP application in mineral processing. The highlights of the presentation are as follows:

1. Discovery of the MP method to achieve ore pre-concentration using HVP
2. A novel method for determination of the minimal amount of feed particles required
3. Fundamental studies using synthetic particle (JKRBT and X-Ray CT)
4. A case study is included whereby the downstream processes of the HVP treated product are also conducted

Bio

Wei Huang holds a BEng (2012) in Mineral Processing. He has worked for two years as a master’s student in China University of Mining and Technology on gravity separation using fluidized bed. During the course of the master degree, he received an offer from UQ and came to Australia in Oct 2014.

His first year of PhD was spent in Chemical Engineering, working on soluble salt minerals flotation, and then transferred to SMI-JKMRC in Sep 2015, working under the supervision of Frank Shi on ore pre-concentration.