The Disruptive Role of Process Mineralogy in Geology and Mineral Processing Industry

Abstract

Most ore deposits are complex and display a high degree of variability, arising from their inherent geological and mineralogical characteristics, which impact their beneficiation. Process mineralogy has been disruptive in the last two decades for geological exploration and for the mineral processing industry. Minerals are multicomponent elemental systems. Therefore, it is crucial and fundamental to understand the distribution of both minerals and metals they carry. Process mineralogy provides critical quantitative data i.e., mineral mass, liberation, and association of the minerals. Data can be used to determine variability of the ore, help to design, and develop the flowsheet to avoid extensive and time-consuming bench testing, and act as diagnostic to the beneficiation process. Automated mineralogy is commonly coupled with other advanced mineralogical techniques and can be implemented on projects throughout the mining chain, from initial stages of exploration to production. In this paper, we discuss concepts and examples of automated mineralogy applied to exploration and feasibility level.