CAMM WP1 Geometallurgy and 4D-Geomodelling

Bergforskdagarna 2013 27th - 28th May, 2013

WP1 - People and cooperation

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Ore geology Mineral processing

Process metallurgy

• Jan Rosenkranz • Pertti Lamberg • Abdul Mwanga • Mehdi Parian

• Christina Wanhainen • Pär Weihed • Glenn Bark • Cecilia Lund • Friederike Minz

• Caisa Samuelsson • Fredrik Engström • Andreas Lennartsson

ProMinNet

WP1 - Ongoing PhD projects 1. “Geometallurgical testing for ore comminution behaviour” (PhD student

Abdul Mwanga) 2. “Ore characterization of the Rockliden deposit in a geometallurgical

context” (PhD student Friederike Minz) 3. “Geological and process mineralogical study of the Malmberget iron ore”

(PhD student Cecilia Lund) 4. “Defining, Establishing and Piloting of Geometallurgical Model and

Simulation Framework for Iron Ores” (PhD student Mehdi Parian) 5. “Process modeling of copper smelter based on thermodynamics” (PhD

student Andreas Lennartsson)

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• Geologicalmodel

Mineralogy

• Particlebreakagemodel

Particles• Unit

processmodel

Particlebehaviour

• Simulation

Productionforecast

Characterisation of Antimony Mineralogy in a Geometallurgical Context

WP1 - Rockliden case study

Friederike Minz 1), Nils-Johan Bolin 2), Pertti Lamberg 1), Christina Wanhainen 1) 1) Luleå University of Technology, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering 2) Boliden, Division of Process Technology

Antimony (Sb) – Applications & “Fyndigheter”

• applications in form of metallo-organic and inorganic compounds in: – flame retardants (> 50%), technological products, etc.

Sb as critical raw material

• resources in Sweden:

– no primary resources – examples of prospects & anomalies :

• Bergslagen district (Fe-oxide & skarns, polymetallic veins), etc.

• Skellefte district (Zn-Cu polymetallic massive sulphide deposits): “[…] stringent controls on As and Sb levels in the smelter and refinery have resulted in several deposits being uneconomic […]” (Allen et al., 1996) Sb as a penalty? element

↘ Stibnite, St. Padman / Kutná Hora / Czech Republic.

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1cm

Rockliden Case Study

Geometallurgical challenges: • geographic distance to the Skellefte Ore District, • Sb content in Cu-Pb concentrate.

← Location of the Rockliden Cu-Zn-Ag massive sulphide deposit south of the Skellefte Ore District.

Inferred mineral resource: 3.53 Mt @ 4.2 wt% Zn ( Sp), 1.9 wt% Cu ( Ccp),

0.7 wt% Pb, 71 g/t Ag (New Boliden, 2013).

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Project Work Plan

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“Ore” Characterisation & “Ore” Testing (initial flotation tests)

microscopic studies (optical, SEM) & analytical tools (SEM/EDS, EPMA/WDS)

Testing of preliminary geometallurgical “ore” types → quantification of flotation-relevant “ore” parameters

Comminution tests evaluation of the impact of flotation-relevant “ore” parameters

prediction of the Sb content of the Cu-Pb concentrate

• Geologicalmodel

Mineralogy

• Particlebreakagemodel

Particles• Unit

processmodel

Particlebehaviour

• Simulation

Productionforecast

‼

‼

‼

1.

2.

3.

4.

Process Mineralogy – Approach to GeoMet Model

prediction of Sb content in Cu-Pb concentrate ?

– WHAT minerals? – HOW? – WHAT quantity? – WHEN? / FROM WHERE? (4D?)

• WHAT?

– Sb-bearing minerals

• HOW? – association of Sb-bearing minerals

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Rockliden’s Sb-bearing Minerals

mineral abbreviation ideal chemical formula preferred product* tetrahedrite Ttr (Cu, Ag)9Fe3Sb4S13 Cu-Pb concentrate bournonite Bour PbCuSbS3 Cu-Pb concentrate meneghinite Mene Pb13CuSb7S24 Cu-Pb concentrate boulangerite Boul Pb5Sb4S11 Cu-Pb concentrate jamesonite Jms Pb4FeSb6S14 Cu-Pb concentrate berthierite Bert FeSb2S4 tailings gudmundite Gd FeSbS tailings arsenopyrite Apy FeAsS tailings antimony Ant Sb ...

Chemical formula and abbreviations of Sb-bearing minerals.

*) preferred product of liberated minerals (cf. Lager, 1989).

Galena (PbS)

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Distribution of Sb-bearing Minerals

Distribution of Rocklidens Sb-bearing minerals in products of laboratory flotation tests.

?

? ?

?

?

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Association of Sb-bearing Minerals

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Sb / wt%

0 0.1

A

B

C

D

2 m

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Qtz-Ms-Chl

Amp-Bt-Plg

Tracing of ”Misplaced” Sb-bearing Minerals

gudmundite FeSbS

meneghinite Pb13CuSb7S24

tetrahedrite Cu9Fe3Sb4S13

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quantification of Sb mineralogy How to trace trace minerals?

automated mineralogy for all products of the process.

Process Mineralogy - Outlook

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Bour, … Ttr, Mene

comminution

↓

flotation

↓

Cu-Pb &

Zn conc.

& tailings

SEM

WHAT minerals? HOW? WHAT quantity?

WHEN (4D)?

Ttr , … Bour, Gd

Gd, … Mene, Boul

Ttr , … Jms, Bert

Rocklidens ore lenses &

>0.15wt% Sb-contour bodies

INCA mineral & GrainAlyser tools (at LTU).

Automated Mineralogy & Particle Tracking

Facilities at LTU: INCA Mineral

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Merlin HR-SEM

Acknowledgements Funding: • CAMM (Centre of Advanced Mining and Metallurgy) & Boliden Mineral AB (PhD project) • ProMinNET (Nordic network of Process Mineralogy and Geometallurgy funded by Nordforsk)

(travelling funds) • ALS Minerals Division (preparation of geological samples for chemical assays and analytical work) The following persons are thanked: • H. Raat and J. Lasskogen (Boliden) for their introduction to the geology of Rockliden and to the

geological interpretation of drill cores. • S. Varpenius, L. Palmu, K. Aasly, K. Eriksen, G. Bark, P. Semberg, I. Bhuiyan and J. Mouzon for help

and assistance with SEM/EDS and EPMA/WDS analysis. • S. Awe for insights into unconventional process solutions.

References

• Allen RL, Weihed P, Svenson, S-Å (1996) Setting of Zn-Cu-Au-Ag massive sulfide deposits in the evolution and facies architecture of a 1.9 Ga marine volcanic arc, Skellefte district, Sweden. Econ Geol 91 (6): 1022-1053.

• Awe S A, Khoshkhoo M, Krüger P, and Sandström Å (2012) Modelling and process optimisation of antimony removal from a complex copper concentrate. Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 22 (3), 675-685.

• Bergman T (personal com. 2013) - Sb as a commodity in Sweden, SGU. • Lager T, and Forssberg K S E (1990) Separation of antimony mineral impurities from complex

sulphide ores. Trans. Inst. Min. Metall. (Sect.C: Mineral Process.Extr.Metall.), 99 (C54), pp. 54-61.

• Lamberg P, Rosenkranz J, Wanhainen C, Lund C, Minz F, Mwanga A, and Amiri Parian M (2013) Building a Geometallurgical Model Using Mineralogical Approach with Liberation Data, Paper Number 14.00, GeoMet 2013.

• Minz F, Bolin N-J, Lamberg P and Wanhainen C (2013) Detailed characterisation of antimony mineralogy in a geometallurgical context at the Rockliden ore deposit, north-central Sweden. Process Mineralogy’12, Minerals Engineering.

• New Boliden Annual Report 2012, 2013. New Boliden, Stockholm, 132 p.. • Raat H, and Årebäck H (2009) Geology, grade and tonnage estimate of the Rockliden VMS

deposit, north central Sweden. Internal report Boliden Mineral AB, 2009-34, 2009, pp. 1-56.

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Thank you for your kind attention!