Prospects for increasing the mineral base of the non-ferrous metallurgy

Abstract

The article discusses the issues of strengthening the mineral resource base of non-ferrous metallurgy by introducing ore processing wastes into the production cycle. The relevance of the study is explained by the decreasing availability of mineral resources. The conventional ore processing technologies increase the volume of processing tailings in storages. Waste-free disposal of primary processing waste is not developing, and this waste is often used without extracting metals from it to match the sanitary requirements. The acute environmental problems are aggravated primarily by the lack of leverage for centralized accounting and regulation of the accumulated waste. The efficiency of leaching technologies is proved by a comprehensive method that includes experiments and calculations with a comparison of processing options. Quantitative values have been obtained and dependence diagrams of metal extraction on the contributing factors have been plotted, which make it possible to characterize the processes of leaching the mill tailings using a disintegrator. It has been proved that during the mechanochemical activation of the leaching process, metals extraction exceeds the extraction efficiency of the conventional waste processing technologies and ensures a safe level according to the sanitary requirements. It is determined that the mechanochemical activation in the disintegrator during metal leaching increases the strength of concrete mixtures based on secondary tailings. It is concluded that activation of the leaching processes in the disintegrator ensures the extraction of 50 to 80% of the previously lost metals from the mill tailings. The development of man-made deposits with innovative technologies with metal leaching is a real step towards expanding the mineral resource base of metallurgy and improving the environmental situation in the mining regions. Unlike the technologies related in terms of the application area and the purpose, the discussed technology enables waste-free processing of ores.