Samira Es-sahly, Abdelaziz Elbasbas, Khalid Naji, Brahim Lakssir, Hakim Faqir, Slimane Dadi, Reda Rabie
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The western part of the Moroccan Anti-Atlas comprises numerous copper occurrences hosted within various sedimentary rocks, all containing low-grade copper concentrations. This study aims to assess the feasibility of using a near-infrared (NIR) sorting system to efficiently process these low-grade resources. In essence, it involves evaluating the potential of short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectroscopy and machine learning models to classify ore fragments into waste or concentrate based on their SWIR spectral characteristics. In order to conduct this study, the SWIR reflectance of 475 rock samples from the Tizert deposit was measured. Mineralogical analysis was performed, using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, to understand the mineralogy of the samples and its relationship to SWIR spectra. Chemical analysis was also performed to categorize samples based on their copper content. Several machine learning models, including partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), random forest (RF), and support vector machine (SVM) were evaluated based on both lithology and copper content characteristics. Among these, PLS-DA yielded the most favorable results, achieving an 84% accuracy in lithologies classification and 90% accuracy in classifying samples based on their copper content, utilizing a 0.2% cutoff grade. This laboratory-scale study validates the effectiveness of SWIR spectroscopy as a prominent tool for pre-concentrating sedimentary copper deposits. It enables the production of a concentrate with a copper content of 1.49% and waste with 0.12%, resulting in an upgrading rate of 43% from the feed, which originally has a copper grade of 1.04%.
期刊介绍:
The aim of this international peer-reviewed journal of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) is to provide a broad-based forum for the exchange of real-world and theoretical knowledge from academia, government and industry that is pertinent to mining, mineral/metallurgical processing, exploration and other fields served by the Society.
The journal publishes high-quality original research publications, in-depth special review articles, reviews of state-of-the-art and innovative technologies and industry methodologies, communications of work of topical and emerging interest, and other works that enhance understanding on both the fundamental and practical levels.