Metallurgy & Mineral Processing – Over 10000 Members and Growing

Metallurgy & Mineral Processing – Over 10000 Members and Growing

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Hello and welcome to 911 Metallurgist’ Mineral Processing/Metallurgy Community Discussion Forums.
Please join me and other Mineral Processing Industry Professionals in a this uniquely friendly environment.

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Please SELECT YOUR TOPIC of interest (From List Below) to Read or ADD A TOPIC (Ask a Question):

Crushing, Screening & Conveying

All aspects of crushing, ore conveying and screening operation and maintenance: Discuss any type of crushers: gyratory, jaw, cone, roll, HPGR, impact, hammer, etc.  Crusher liner, lubrication, mantle, bowl, spider and all other components. Ore transportation on conveyor belts and through classification systems such as vibrating screens, grizzlies and feeders. Coarse or fine ore stockpile management questions are also welcome.

Grinding & Classification Circuits

All aspects of grinding and product classification systems; their operation and maintenance: Discuss any type of grinding mills: SAG, AG, rod mill, ball/tube mill or regrind (verti-mill/tower-mill, ISA, Detritors SMD).  Mill operating speed, density, circulating loads, liner, lubrication, and other components. Grinding media charging, usage and design as well as classification systems such as screens, trommels, hydrocyclones or spiral classifiers. 

Gravity Separation & Concentration Methods

Discussion any gravity recovery method of any metal. Centrifuges (Knelson/Falcon/others), sluices, spirals, jigs, shaker tables, panning on gold, lead, coal, tungsten, titanium or any gravity recoverable metal. Heavy/Dense Media "sink-n-float" separation or process where specific gravity can be used to separate something from another, discuss it here.

Froth Flotation (Sulphide & Oxide)

Discuss separations by froth flotation using chemical reagents on any/all minerals; fundamentals of flotation chemistry in sulfide or oxide or silicate minerals. Discuss flotation machines operation and maintenance. Any topics related to froth, grade/recovery, sequential, bulk, differential, training, mechanical or column flotation.

Hydrometallurgy: Leaching in Heap, Vat, CIL, CIP, Merrill–Crowe, SX Solvent Extraction

Hydrometallurgical processes: Leaching using acid, cyanide, chloride, or other: in-situ, in heap, vat, CIL/CIP agitated tank (Carbon activation, stripping/elution), autoclave leaching. SX solvent extraction, ion exchange, metal recovery by electrolysis or precipitation (Merrill–Crowe or others). 

Pyrometallurgy: Roasting, Smelting, Refining & Calcining + Electrowinning

All aspects of pyrometallurgical processes operations and maintenance are opened for discussion: Calcination, roasting, smelting and refining (flux, slag) as applied to any metal including but not limited to Au, Ag, PGM,  Fe, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb, Sn and the utilisation of furnaces in precious metals refining. ALSO, Electrowinning, Electrorefining, Electroplating of other metals like Al, Co, Mn, rare-earth and uranium,

Thickening, Filtering, CCD & Water Treatment, Tailings Disposal

The dewatering process is the removal of water from solid material or soil by wet classification, centrifugation, thickening, filtration. Discuss here topics related to Counter Current Decantation, tailings disposal and water treatment methods.

Laboratory Testing & General Mineral Processing Engineering/Design

Discuss your laboratory testing difficulties, methods and procedures. All mineral processing test topics: Sample preparation, grindability/hardness testing, flotation, leaching, thickening, sizing, etc. All research or engineering/design questions can be discussed herein. If you don't know what section to ask your question; post it here.

Assaying, Microscopy, Mineralogy & XRF/XRD

All assay methods (fire, Atomic absorption AA) for all metals including X-ray fluorescence (XRF), spectrometers in fieldéplant assaying and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by SCANning electron microscopy (QEMSCAN), general microscopy or mineralogy and mineralogical studies as related to geology and mineral processing methods.

Geology & Geometallurgy

All aspects of mineral exploration or production/mining geology and well as its cousin, the geometallurgy. Ore geo-variability, lithology, "ore typing" and reserve estimations. Drilling/blasting for fragmentation, and the whole Mine to Mill relationship.