Geometallurgical Concepts Used in Industrial Mineral Production

Abstract

Geometallurgy has developed since the 1970s, primarily on metallic ore operations. In parallel, industrial mineral operations have been optimized through detailed deposit knowledge and market development, without making specific reference to geometallurgical concepts. The Norwegian mining industry is dominated by industrial mineral and construction material operations, and, in this paper, key differences between the industrial mineral and the metallic ore sectors are investigated, along with their influence on the development and the use of economic block models and optimization methodologies. Further, the key levers and factors (mining method selection, processing route, scale, sequence, and cutoff policy) for value creation in industrial mineral operations are discussed, along with how and to what extent geometallurgy has been used. It is concluded that the five key levers cannot be used in industrial minerals operations as effectively as they are used in metallic ore operations. In industrial minerals, in situ strength variations are an important parameter in estimating key performance indicators such as recovery and product quality. When modeling the spatial variation in rock strength potential, additivity issues must be resolved by investigating the process the raw material is exposed to. The Norwegian industrial mineral sector has been using elements of geometallurgy but is facing unresolved issues related to strength variations and the use of measurement while drilling data.

Rare earths of the Murmansk Region, NW Russia: minerals, extraction technologies and value

“…However, this task faces certain methodological difficulties. To demonstrate them, we give a general formula for expressing the value of REE reserves (Ellefmo et al 2019):…”

“…However, this task faces certain methodological difficulties. To demonstrate them, we give a general formula for expressing the value of REE reserves (Ellefmo et al 2019): where V is the cost of resources cleared of extraction and processing costs, R is the cost of resources that can be extracted from the deposit at market prices of the current period, MC is the cost of extracting ore from the deposit, RC is the cost of ore processing to the state of the commodity product.…”

Data-Driven Synthesis of a Geometallurgical Model for a Copper Deposit

“…Geometallurgy, a concept defined around 1970, incorporates geological, metallurgical, and mine planning information to improve decision making in mining projects [1][2][3][4]. The notion of geometallurgy has modernized lately and currently incorporates the mine-to-mill concept and environmental variables, providing an even more complete view of the mining value chain [5,6].…”