REDUÇÃO DO CONSUMO DE ENERGIA DE CIRCUITOS DE MOAGEM COM A UTILIZAÇÃO DE PRÉ-CONCENTRAÇÃO DE MINERAIS SULFETADOS/SULPHIDE ORES GRINDING CIRCUITS ENERGY CONSUMPTION REDUCTION WITH PRE-CONCENTRATION

• Published in: Holos (Natal, RN) RN), 2014-05, Vol.30 (3), p.176
• Main Authors: Bergerman, M B, Neto, D, Tomaselli, B Y, Maciel, B F, Del Roveri, C, Navarro, F C
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• ISSN: 1518-1634; 1807-1600

The use of more complex ore comminution and concentration operations in the mining industry has been growing in the recent years, due to the decrease of ore grades and increase complexity of ores. One of the alternatives to deal with high capital and operational costs of a mineral processing plant is the use of the pre-concentration technology, using gravity concentration methods. With the use of such technology, it can be discarded, before the processing plant, a fraction of the ROM with less quantity of the interest minerals, thus reducing the mass of ore that will feed the plant. Significant benefits can be obtained from the use of such a technology, as for example the increase at the plant metal production without the need to increase the grinding and flotation capacities. The main objective of this work is to evaluate the pre-concentration technology to concentrate a zinc, lead and copper sulphide ore. It was also evaluated the difference in the work index of the pre-concentrated feed.