Minerals Engineering最新文献

{"title":"Selective separation and recovery of gallium and germanium from complex polymetallic sulfate solutions","authors":"Feixiong Chen ,&nbsp;Fupeng Liu ,&nbsp;Bin Liao ,&nbsp;Jie Wang ,&nbsp;Chunfa Liao ,&nbsp;Tao Jiang ,&nbsp;Jiawei Zhang ,&nbsp;Hao Wang ,&nbsp;Tao Zhang ,&nbsp;Xun Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109758","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109758","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The composite sulfate solution generated during zinc hydrometallurgy is rich in Ga and Ge, Zn, Al, and other elements. However, existing single extraction systems exhibit poor efficiency for simultaneous Ga and Ge extraction. In addition, the high co-extraction rate of Al hinders the subsequent separation of Al from Ga. In this study, an innovative process—based on synergistic extraction with P507–YW100 and stepwise stripping—was proposed to realize efficient separation and recovery of Ga and Ge. An extraction system, composed of 15 vol% P507 and 4 vol% YW100, yielded Ga and Ge extraction efficiencies of 97.38 % and 99.23 %, respectively. Subsequently, a two-stage extraction process was applied, which increased the extraction efficiencies of Ga and Ge to &gt; 99.5 %. Consequently, the concentrations of these elements in the raffinate were reduced to &lt; 5 mg/L, and the extraction efficiency of Al reached 12.06 %. To minimize the impact of Al on the purities of the subsequent Ga and Ge products, an innovative selective stripping method, involving the use of 6 mol/L of HCl, was applied. The resulting stripping efficiency of Al reached 92.97 %, whereas those of both Ga and Ge were &lt; 1 %. Subsequently, 2 mol/L of H₂SO₄ was used to preferentially strip Ga, and a 1.5 mol/L NH₄F solution was used to strip Ge. Ultimately, Ga and Ge stripping efficiencies of 97.07 % and 96.16 %, respectively, were achieved. This process establishes an efficient and environmentally friendly method for recovering gallium and germanium from complex sulfate systems, significantly promoting the clean separation and value-added utilization of rare metals in the zinc hydrometallurgical process.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109758"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145003559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A systematic review on the sustainability of slurry pumps in the mining industry","authors":"A. Varghese ,&nbsp;S. Martins ,&nbsp;E. Lessing ,&nbsp;G.M. Hassan ,&nbsp;A. Karrech","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109731","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109731","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mining and mineral processing is an essential industry that provides the raw materials driving modern life. Despite its importance, the industry is characterised by high energy consumption. While significant attention is provided to energy savings in the comminution circuit during mineral processing, pumps are often overlooked. This paper presents a systematic review of slurry pumps and their digitalisation in the mining industry; this study is motivated by the need for sustainable pumping solutions following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) press release on climate change. The study delves into the impact of slurry on pump performance, shedding light on the significant energy costs associated with pumps, factors affecting this overlook and available techniques for measuring pump efficiency effectively. Furthermore, an analysis of pump application life cycle data across design, installation, commissioning and mature operation phases uncovers that pumps consume 18–28% of plant energy and 7% of site water. Despite the abundant literature on pumps, no holistic review of their sustainable deployment has been found. This paper introduces simple sustainability metrics to draw attention to this aspect and offers practical recommendations for achieving both power and water savings. These metrics are introduced as a new concept in this paper; they are inspired by field experience and incorporate a triangle of pump availability, efficiency and water utilisation. It is a simple and dynamic way to capture snapshots of pump operation and its overall sustainable performance over time. In addition, with the rise of digitalisation, the paper conducts a market review to explore available solutions for efficient monitoring and performance tracking. The review explores the substantial potential of digitalisation in monitoring the performance of slurry pumps, addressing their continuous health evaluation, and identifying sustainability improvements related to energy savings, water utilisation and embedded carbon reduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109731"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145003558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Construction and mechanism investigation of three-product gravity-magnetic combined separation columns","authors":"Lei Tian ,&nbsp;Cheng Chang ,&nbsp;Hua Zhang ,&nbsp;Panpan Fan ,&nbsp;Minqiang Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109755","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109755","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>To enhance the separation efficiency of magnetite, a three-product gravity-magnetic combined separation column was developed by utilising the differences in density and magnetism between magnetite and gangue minerals. Its separation and underlying mechanism were investigated through experiments, hydrodynamic simulations and gravity-magnetic coupling force field simulations. The equipment integrates multiple functions, including gravity separation, cyclonic classification, cyclonic separation and magnetic field cleaning and scavenging. Classification occurs in the column section above the feed inlet, where fine particles experience centrifugal forces, move upward and are discharged as tailings. Gravity separation primarily takes place in the middle and lower sections, where the tangential middling pipe and cylinder act as a vortex finder, enabling centrifugal gravity separation. The underflow discharges the concentrate, while the middling pipe removes the middlings. An axial magnetic field at the bottom of the cone promotes magnetite sinking, thereby improving both concentrate recovery and grade, while another magnetic field below the overflow port restricts upward movement of fine magnetite, reducing losses. At a feed flow rate of 0.8 m³/h, the total Fe content (TFe) of the concentrate, middlings and tailings was 68.25 %, 67.9 % and 67.84 %, respectively, with a concentrate recovery of 47.58 %. When the bottom magnetic field current was increased to 8 A, the concentrate TFe rose to 69.12 %, with recovery improving to 76.57 %. Applying an additional magnetic field at the overflow outlet further increased the TFe to 69.36 % and recovery to 86 %, thereby significantly enhancing separation efficiency. The results of the two-phase flow simulation were consistent with the experimental findings. Using COMSOL Multiphysics, the effect of magnetic fields on magnetite and quartz movement trajectories was simulated, clarifying the migration behaviour of magnetic particles under a gravity-magnetic coupling force field. Overall, the three-product gravity-magnetic combined separation column improves recovery and separation efficiency, simplifies the process flow and provides new insights for fine magnetite separation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109755"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gluconic-Acid-Functionalized Micropores in a Metal-Organic framework for selective separation of gallium ions","authors":"Kai Jia ,&nbsp;Ziyang Zeng ,&nbsp;Mengyuan Wu ,&nbsp;Congcong Han ,&nbsp;Yichuan Zhai ,&nbsp;Guosheng Li ,&nbsp;Jinhui Liu ,&nbsp;Yijun Cao ,&nbsp;Chongqing Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109721","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109721","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adsorption and recovery of gallium (Ga) ions from aqueous solutions are crucial for the sustainable utilization of this valuable and strategic metal resource. In this study, a novel metal–organic framework (MOF) adsorbent, MOF-808-GA, was successfully synthesized through postsynthetic modification with gluconic acid (GA). Characterization techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, confirmed the successful incorporation of GA molecules into the MOF-808 framework while maintaining its structural integrity. The adsorption performance of MOF-808-GA was evaluated in various solutions containing Ga³⁺ ions at different concentrations, along with competing ions such as aluminum (Al³⁺) and zinc (Zn²⁺), which are commonly encountered in resource recovery. MOF-808-GA exhibited exceptional selectivity and adsorption capacity for Ga ions, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 174.46 mg/g. The adsorption behavior was characterized by using various isotherm adsorption lines and adsorption kinetic equations across a wide range of Ga-ion concentrations. XPS and FTIR confirmed that free hydroxyl sites play a role in enhancing Ga adsorption. MOF-808-GA exhibited excellent stability and reusability, making it a promising candidate for practical applications involving resource recovery and recycling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109721"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144925109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ramichloridium apiculatum-mediated leaching of Mg and Si from serpentine: Process enhancement and kinetic modelling","authors":"Chengbing Chang ,&nbsp;Jianying Guo ,&nbsp;Shengyu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109743","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109743","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The leaching of Mg²⁺ is a key step in serpentine mineral carbon dioxide sequestration. Microbial-enhanced leaching of elements from serpentine offers significant advantages over traditional physical–chemical methods, including environmental friendliness, sustainability, and safety. However, challenges still remain due to the limited diversity of alkaline heterotrophic microorganisms suitable for serpentine bioleaching, the complexity of optimizing bioleaching conditions, and the unclear kinetic control mechanisms governing ion leaching during microbial action. In this study, the previously screened strain <em>Ramichloridium apiculatum</em> (CMS-1) was employed to activate serpentine. Bioleaching parameters were optimized by single-factor and response surface methodology (RSM) experiments. The regulatory mechanisms of Mg²⁺ and Si⁴⁺ leaching were elucidated by comparative analysis of different kinetic models. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results confirmed that the leaching models for Mg²⁺ and Si⁴⁺ are statistically significant at the 95 % confidence level, with R² values all exceeding 0.95, the normal probability plots of residuals and the residuals versus run plots further verified the reliability and validity of the regression models. For Mg²⁺ leaching, the order of significance for single factors and their interactions was C (temperature) &gt; B (inoculum size) &gt; AB &gt; AC &gt; A (initial pH) &gt; BC. For Si⁴⁺ leaching, the order was C &gt; AC &gt; A &gt; AB &gt; B &gt; BC; Under the optimized bioleaching conditions (initial pH 6.50, pulp density 0.5 %, inoculum size 1.3 %, temperature 34.9 °C), the leaching efficiencies of Mg²⁺ and Si⁴⁺ reached 22.70 ± 1.70 % and 20.28 ± 1.28 %, respectively, closely matching the predicted values (Mg²⁺ =23.15 %, Si⁴⁺=20.37 %). The leaching processes of both Mg²⁺ and Si⁴⁺ from serpentine were governed by a mixed control model, involving both surface reactions and diffusion through product layer. The activation energy for Mg²⁺ (<em>E</em>a = 44.26 kJ/mol) was lower than that for Si⁴⁺ (<em>E</em>a = 48.60 kJ/mol), indicating easier release of Mg²⁺. This preferential leaching resulted in the formation of a porous silicon-rich residue layer on the serpentine surface.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109743"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932880","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"pH-driven selective flotation of scheelite using a tailored hydroxamate collector: mechanistic insights from surface coordination and dissolution","authors":"Yuxi Lu ,&nbsp;Lei Huang ,&nbsp;Wenhao Jia ,&nbsp;Hong Zhong ,&nbsp;Wen Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109754","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109754","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The efficient separation of scheelite from calcium-bearing gangue minerals remains a critical challenge in mineral processing due to their similar surface properties. This study introduces N-dodecanoyl-N-phenylhydroxylamine (DPHA), a structurally tailored hydroxamate collector, to address this long-standing selectivity issue. Systematic flotation experiments demonstrate DPHA’s superior performance over conventional collectors (benzohydroxamic acid and sodium oleate), achieving effective scheelite recovery at low concentrations under alkaline conditions (pH ≥ 12) without auxiliary reagents. Mechanistic investigations through contact angle measurements, Zeta potential tests, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses reveal that DPHA’s ionic speciation at high pH facilitates selective chemisorption with calcium active sites on scheelite surfaces. Crucially, the reduced calcium dissolution from scheelite compared to calcite minimizes hydroxide competition for surface sites, enabling DPHA to overcome the inherent adsorption barriers in Ca-rich systems. The collector’s molecular architecture, featuring a hydroxamate headgroup for calcium coordination and a branched alkyl chain for enhanced hydrophobicity, synergistically promotes both selectivity and floatability. This work not only advances the flotation of tungsten resources but also provides a framework for designing surface-specific reagents in critical mineral recovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109754"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dual role of environmentally friendly tannin extract in lead−zinc separation: Elimination of Pb2+ activation and enhancement of sphalerite hydrophilicity","authors":"Qing Shi ,&nbsp;Yan Yang ,&nbsp;Binbin Li ,&nbsp;Yazhou Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109752","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109752","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces tannin extract (TE) as a novel organic depressant for the highly selective separation of galena from sphalerite under weak alkaline conditions (pH 8) without lime. Although the collector aniline aerofloat (AAF) exhibits excellent selectivity in single-mineral flotation, its performance is severely compromised in mixed-ore systems due to Pb²⁺ activation of sphalerite, significantly reducing separation efficiency. The introduction of TE effectively addressed this challenge, achieving 80 % galena recovery while suppressing sphalerite recovery to 24 % in mixed-ore flotation. XPS analysis revealed that TE eliminates Pb²⁺ activation on sphalerite surfaces, as indicated by the shift in Zn 2p₃/₂ binding energy from 1022.37 eV (Pb²⁺-activated state) to 1021.12 eV (near-native state), preserving the inherent surface properties of sphalerite. Furthermore, TE chemically interacts with Zn atoms in the sphalerite lattice through its active functional groups (–OH and –COOH), forming stable surface complexes that significantly enhance mineral hydrophilicity. Zeta potential measurements, FTIR spectroscopy, and contact angle analyses confirmed that TE adsorption substantially increases sphalerite surface hydrophilicity, thereby effectively regulating its flotation behavior. These findings demonstrate that TE achieves selective sphalerite depression through a dual mechanism: eliminating Pb²⁺ activation and enhancing surface hydrophilicity via chemisorption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109752"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144932869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prioritized extraction of gold and silver from lead anode slime by Cu(I)/Cu(II)-based catalytic wet air oxidation leaching method","authors":"Yang Zhang ,&nbsp;Baozhong Ma ,&nbsp;Yubo Liu ,&nbsp;Zhihe Cao ,&nbsp;Chengyan Wang ,&nbsp;Yongqiang Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109753","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109753","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lead anode slime (LAS) is an important industrial by-product containing gold and silver. The traditional treatment method has the problems of long gold and silver recovery process, low direct recycle rate, serious capital backlog, and difficult management of fumes. In this paper, a new strategy for extracting Au and Ag prior from LAS was proposed. The Cu(I)/Cu(II)-based catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) technology was used to leach Ag and base metals from LAS to enrich Au first. Then, Ag was selectively precipitated from the leaching solution by introducing NaI. Consequently, the whole extraction process consumed only 1.5 h, and the total recovery rate of Au and Ag were both 99.6 %. The enrichment factor of Au reached 30.2 and the occurrence form in leaching residue may be Au(Te, Se) intermetallic compound. The investigations on catalytic behavior and oxidation mechanism indicate reaction time has a power function with Cu amount. The main path of Cu(I)/Cu(II) redox cycle is the direct oxidation by O₂, while the oxidation by reactive oxygen species is the secondary path. Finally, the material flow of Ag, Au, Te, and Se was analyzed. The proposed process provides a reference for extracting of Au and Ag from similar materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109753"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144922374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel water pollution index for domestic water quality assessment in acid mine drainage-impacted mining areas","authors":"Christan Jay P. Balboa ,&nbsp;Joshua P. Pocaan ,&nbsp;Ronben Baute ,&nbsp;Aileen Orbecido ,&nbsp;Arnel B. Beltran ,&nbsp;Ana L. Santos ,&nbsp;Anne Jungblut ,&nbsp;Yves Plancherel ,&nbsp;Pablo Brito-Parada ,&nbsp;Carlito Baltazar Tabelin ,&nbsp;Vannie Joy Resabal ,&nbsp;Mylah Villacorte-Tabelin ,&nbsp;Irish Mae Dalona-Fernandez ,&nbsp;Dennis Alonzo ,&nbsp;Richard Herrington ,&nbsp;Robin Armstrong ,&nbsp;Paul F. Schofield ,&nbsp;Agnieszka Dybowska ,&nbsp;Maria Magliulo ,&nbsp;Mahsa Baniasadi ,&nbsp;Michael Angelo B. Promentilla","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109730","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109730","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A legacy copper mine in Sto. Niño, Barangay Ambassador, Tublay, Benguet, Philippines, has generating acid mine drainage (AMD), posing environmental and social challenges affecting access to clean water for domestic use in mine-impacted areas. With multiple water sources in the area, classification and prioritization of use, as well as treatment intervention are necessary. This study presents and develops a novel water pollution index (WPI-AMD) designed to assess domestic water quality in AMD-impacted mining areas. The WPI-AMD utilizes a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) tool called the weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) approach, integrating both additive and multiplicative functions to overcome shortcomings of existing water quality and pollution indices (WQPI). WPI-AMD includes careful selection, categorization, weighting, normalization, calibration, and aggregation of relevant geochemical parameters. Sampling was conducted in the legacy mine to determine the geochemistry of the identified water sources. The results show that WPI-AMD effectively evaluates AMD-impacted bodies for domestic use, providing more accurate assessment than other WQPI in terms of eclipsing percentage, agreement with expert judgement, and classification accuracy. Thus, WPI-AMD is a promising tool for water resource management in mining-affected areas, facilitating the classification of water bodies according to their suitability for domestic use and in identifying critically polluted water bodies that require intervention. The ability of WPI-AMD to integrate multiple geochemical parameters into a single, easily interpretable score makes it particularly useful for community members, policymakers, and environmental managers in addressing water quality issues in AMD-impacted regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109730"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144916275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The MiniBond test: A robust and cost-effective alternative for ore hardness characterisation and geometallurgical profiling","authors":"Diego Mesa ,&nbsp;Patricio Berríos ,&nbsp;Esteban Rodriguez ,&nbsp;Caillan Govender ,&nbsp;Portia Mudau ,&nbsp;Sergio Spichiger ,&nbsp;Roger Amelunxen ,&nbsp;Peter Amelunxen","doi":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109740","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mineng.2025.109740","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Efficient ore hardness characterisation is pivotal for effective geometallurgical modelling and mine planning. However, conventional Bond Work Index (BWi) tests, despite their established accuracy, are resource-intensive in terms of cost, time, and sample requirements. This article introduces the <em>MiniBond</em> test, a novel reduced-scale grindability assay designed to provide reliable BWi estimates using significantly lower sample volumes (approximately 600 grams). Extensive calibration across diverse mineralogical domains (over 80 ore samples) validated a high correlation (R<span><math><mrow><msup><mrow></mrow><mrow><mn>2</mn></mrow></msup><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn><mo>.</mo><mn>98</mn></mrow></math></span>) with the traditional Bond test and internal calibration errors consistently below 3%. Double-blind homologation and validation studies conducted collaboratively between Aminpro and Anglo American confirmed the test’s operational reproducibility across laboratories, achieving less than 5% variation. By significantly reducing the cost per test (approximately 80%) and enabling high-throughput testing, the <em>MiniBond</em> test enhances the density of geometallurgical datasets, improving geostatistical interpolation reliability. This paper presents a detailed description of the <em>MiniBond</em> test procedure, the extensive calibration and homologation campaigns, and discusses the practical implications and advantages of implementing this method for large-scale resource evaluation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18594,"journal":{"name":"Minerals Engineering","volume":"234 ","pages":"Article 109740"},"PeriodicalIF":5.0,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144911933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}