Integrated screening and particle sorting collaborative study

Project completed by CRC ORE: Optimising Resource Extraction which receives allocation of MRIWA funds.

The Challenge

Particle sorting is a Grade Engineering lever that can be used to separate high grade material from waste provided a sensor can detect the difference. A drawback however is the lack of a standard methodology to generate theoretical particle sorting yield curves and associated errors from a limited number of samples.

The Solution

Recent research shows that coarse particle grade distributions for Cu and Au often exhibit lognormal properties, which can be reliably generated from as little as 50 to 100 particles.

Using a combination of these curves and Monte Carlo simulation, this project will develop an industry standard particle sorting amenability test that requires a restricted number of samples to compare against vendor generated yield curves with error estimation and determine vendor yield curve efficiency.

Proposed Benefit to WA

Many ore types can benefit from preconcentration by particle sorting. Some that are particularly amenable include gold and lithium ores, each of which are economically significant to Western Australia. Benefits include reduction in operating costs, water and energy intensity as well as more sustainable waste emplacement for the mine sites that implement the technology.

Preliminary studies suggest the value of benefits to a mine site could exceed >$10M over LOM, and sector benefits could be an order of magnitude higher.