research needs in mineral processing and …€¦ · mineral processing and hydrometallurgy geoff...

RESEARCH NEEDS IN MINERAL PROCESSING ANDHYDROMETALLURGY

Geoff Senior

Included in a firm’s technology strategy should be a ranking of R&D projects that reflects their significance for competitive advantage. No project should be approved without a rationale describing its effect on cost and/or differentiation.

Michael E. PorterCompetitive Advantage 1998

A link to commercial outcomes

Within BHP Billiton probabilistic tools and methods are increasingly being used to evaluate, understand and communicate research needs.

For the low grade resources and wastes program, we are looking to combine technical, business and risk management skills to create a pipeline of investment opportunities

But risks and uncertainties exist

NewOpportunities

BHPB investment process for low grade resources

NPV’sPr (S)

ValueDriver

Program

InvestmentPortfolio

Desktop/At Risk

Themes

Improvements

+

-

TollgateConcept

Pre-feasibilityFeasibility

Toolkit

Some value driver programs

Heap Leach

Grinding/Classification

Float-Leach for sulphides

Impurity Removal (solid/solid separations)

Research needs: Heap leach value driver

Overcoming passivation effects– Improved extraction rates– Simple chemical solution to active/passive behavior – Bacterial work a key focus

Different lixiviants– Many host rocks soluble in sulphuric acid

Improved amenability testsScale-up models

– Percolation effects– CFD modelling– Reduce development times

Research needs: Grinding/classification

GrindingImproved energy efficiency

– Microwave breakage– Mine-to-mill programs

HPGRDry GrindingUltrafine milling

ClassificationImproved classification efficiency

– Cylinder-cyclones– More values in the optimal size range

Research needs: Float-Leach value driver

FlotationCoarse particle flotation

– stronger flotation chemistries– improved hydrodynamics– recovery of low grade composites

Ultrafine particles– improved particle-bubble collisions– improved air dispersion

Oxidized materials– countering metal ion and hydroxide effects

Improved coarse recovery of nickel sulphides

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 10 100 1000

Mean Particle size (micron)

Ni R

ecov

ery

(%)

Pre Project Post Project

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1 10 100 1000Particle Size (micron)

Rec

over

y (%

)

Ni DistribnBeforeAfter

Improved recovery of fine nickel sulphides

Chemical process to remove oxidation products

Novel chemical process

Counters iron hydroxide effects

Invented by CSIRO

Innovation by BHPB

~2.5% recovery increase

IRR>15%; NPV= $30 m

High impact

Short time

Low cost

Extra 6,000 Ni tpa

Revenue up $71m p.a.

Added $300m NPV

50%

55%

60%

65%

70%

75%

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004Year

Ni R

ecov

ery

4

6

8

10

12

Thro

ughp

ut (M

t)

Before After Throughput

Mt Keith Recovery

Capex $12 m

Extra 2,850 Ni tpa

Revenue up $34m p.a.

NPV up $90m

Enabled higher throughput60%

65%

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004Year

Ni R

ecov

ery

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Thro

ughp

ut (M

t)

Before After Throughput

Leinster Recovery

Research needs: Float-Leach value driver

Concentrate Leaching

Overcoming passivation effects– Improved extraction rates– Simple chemical solution to active/passive behavior – Minimum process intensity for high extraction, but low Capex and Opex

(maintenance)

Atmospheric vs Pressure Oxidation– BioNIC and BioCOP– Optimizing biological processes

Improved settling characteristics– Complex rheology– Slow settling rates esp. after ultrafine milling

Research needs: Solid-solid separation

Removing key deleterious elements– Talc– Arsenic minerals

Novel combinations of proven unit operations– Gravity– Flotation– Magnetic separation– Leaching– Ore sorting

MgO removal process for key nickel operations– ~99.75% MgO rejection

MgO rejection 99.75%

Previously 99.5%

Small (~2% Ni loss)

Improves concentrate quality

NPV $107 m

MgO Impurity Removal

A world of opportunity for creative thinking and activity in mineral processing and hydrometallurgy

Back-up

Determine the probability of success {Pr(S)} for eachpotential investment opportunity

Recovery

Mining

Infrastructure

NPV

+-

• Agreed Pr(S)

• Pr (NPV=0) << 0.1(?)

• Validated inputs

• Independent review

Tollgate Entry:ValueDrivers

Pr

Tornado Diagram

Identify common drivers for value driver programs

Recovery

Mining

Infrastructure

NPV+-

Recovery

Mining

Infrastructure

NPV +

ValueDrivers

-

Opportunity 1 Opportunity 2

Research needs: Nickel laterite value driver

Atmospheric leaching

Beneficiation before leaching

Innovative combinations of atmospheric and autoclave leaching– Co-processing of limonite and saprolite– EPAL process

Different lixiviants– Chloride (?)

Some final observations

New discoveries are becoming less frequent and taking longer to develop.

Innovation is increasingly a key driver for releasing more value from what we already have. It competes, however, for funding with other value adding activities.

We are a capital intensive industry and need to leverage off existing assets wherever we can.

Significant value can be released by developing new processes, but also by enhancing existing processes or reducing or eliminating weaknesses in value chains.

Research needs: Solution purification and metal recovery

Efficient impurity removal– Fe, Al, Si & Mg removal from atmospheric leach liquors

Solvent extraction– Novel extractant for recovery of nickel– Improved selectivity against impurity metals– Higher efficiencies: CFD modelling

Ion exchange– Selected niche applications

Electrowinning– Improved cathode quality at higher current density

research needs in mineral processing and …€¦ · mineral processing and hydrometallurgy geoff...

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