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Abstract:Comminution tests are an important element in the proper design of ore beneficiation plants. In the past, test work has been conducted for particular representative reference samples. Within geometallurgy the entire ore body is explored in order to further identify the variation within the resource and to establish spatial geometallurgical domains that show the differential response to mineral processing. Setting up a geometallurgical program for an ore deposit requires extensive test work. Methods for testing the comminution behavior must therefore be more efficient in terms of time and cost but also with respect to sample requirements. The integration of the test method into the geometallurgical modeling framework is also important. This paper provides an overview of standard comminution test methods used for the investigation of ore comminution behavior and evaluates their applicability and potential in the geometallurgical context. Keywords: geometallurgy; comminution behavior; metallurgical testing BackgroundBefore concentration, metal ores have to be crushed and ground in order for the metal bearing minerals to be liberated. Sufficient size reduction by comminution is not only a prerequisite for any downstream physical separation, but is also the processing step within mineral processing that has the highest energy demand, and which, in practice, is often the limiting factor for plant capacity. Reliable OPEN ACCESS

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a b s t r a c tThe Rockliden massive sulphide Zn-Cu deposit contains minor amounts of Sb minerals. The Sb mineralogy is complex in terms of composition, micro textures and mineral associations. The main Sb minerals comprise tetrahedrite, bournonite, gudmundite and Sb-Pb sulphides such as meneghinite. The presence of these minerals is especially critical to the quality of the Cu-Pb concentrate. To study how they are distributed in a simplified flotation circuit and what controls their process behaviour Sb-rich drill core samples were selected from the Rockliden deposit and a standard laboratory flotation test was run on the composite samples. Scanning electron microscope-based automated mineralogy was used to measure the Sb mineralogy of the test products, and the particle tracking technique was applied to mass balance the different liberation classes to finally trace the distribution of liberated and locked Sb minerals. The mineralogical factors controlling the distribution of Sb minerals are mineral grain size, the degree of liberation, and associated minerals. Similarities in the distribution of specific particle types from the tested composites point towards systematics in the behaviour of particles and predictability of their distribution which is suggested to be used in a geometallurgical model of the deposit.

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