TY - THES

T1 - Inducing micro-cracks improves the recovery in heap leaching operations

AU - Ahlqvist, Nils-Peter Johan

N1 - embargoed until null

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - The usage of leaching, and especially heap leaching, is a mining processing method that has increased quite a bit over the last decades. Given this focus there have been many scientific projects related to this method to improve its operation and in the end the recovery of the valuable mineral. Recent studies have been focusing quite a bit towards the damage to the particles to be leached. With particle damage in terms of micro-cracks of the leaching material, valuable minerals trapped inside the particle could be exposed to the leaching solution and retrieved during the process. New technologies within crushing equipment, HPGR and Vibrocone™ crushers, have shown impressive improvements in the generation of micro-cracks to the crushed product. Studies related to this have also shown an increase in the recovery of the minerals in leaching tests. Tests related to this study for instance show a difference in recovery from 8 to 26 % of a copper ore. The values are taken from a test carried or on a material crushed in a conventional Symons 7’ cone crusher and a Vibrocone™ crusher, operating side by side. The leaching test has been carried out over the same time period and with the same type of material.

AB - The usage of leaching, and especially heap leaching, is a mining processing method that has increased quite a bit over the last decades. Given this focus there have been many scientific projects related to this method to improve its operation and in the end the recovery of the valuable mineral. Recent studies have been focusing quite a bit towards the damage to the particles to be leached. With particle damage in terms of micro-cracks of the leaching material, valuable minerals trapped inside the particle could be exposed to the leaching solution and retrieved during the process. New technologies within crushing equipment, HPGR and Vibrocone™ crushers, have shown impressive improvements in the generation of micro-cracks to the crushed product. Studies related to this have also shown an increase in the recovery of the minerals in leaching tests. Tests related to this study for instance show a difference in recovery from 8 to 26 % of a copper ore. The values are taken from a test carried or on a material crushed in a conventional Symons 7’ cone crusher and a Vibrocone™ crusher, operating side by side. The leaching test has been carried out over the same time period and with the same type of material.

M3 - Master's Thesis (University Course)

ER -