:: AMIRA P879 Microwave Assisted Comminution and Liberation of Minerals

The mining industry needs to enhance liberation and separation of minerals and reduce energy consumption in order to increase efficiency and treat the lower grade ore bodies. The industry aims to achieve higher throughput, whilst increasing the limit of grind, increasing recovery of metal. Research work by the proposers of this project has shown that microwave treatment of ores prior to comminution can induce fracture around individual mineral grains leading to enhanced processing and potentially improved process economics.

Two options are offered for the first year of this four year project, whose ultimate aim will be to a design and build a large scale demonstration plant:

A basic option for sponsors who wish to perform preliminary evaluation of the technology for their ores and who wish to assess the effects of treatment themselves.

An extensive option for sponsors who wish for more extensive and optimised evaluation, which will include testing at a range of higher power densities, detailed dielectric property measurements development of design concepts for continuous operation and full technoeconomic evaluation for the design concepts.