Prerequisite: None
Course status: Option
Credit Rating: 8 credits
Total hours spent: 80 hours [30 hours lectures, 15 hours Tutorials, 15 hours Assignments, and 20 hours independent study]
Course Objective(s)
o This course intends to impart knowledge and skills to students on the principles, procedures, and techniques used in mineral processing.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
o Explain the principles and techniques used during mineral processing and separation.
o Describe various factors used to select different methods during processing and separation of minerals.
Course Structure
Introduction to Mineral Processing; Classification of minerals; Methods for minerals separation; Process water and waste management.
Course Content
Theories and practices of crushing, grinding, screening and classification of ore materials. Gravity separation processes jigging, shaking tables, flowing film concentration, dense media separation, washability curves. Magnetic and electrostatic separation, ore sorting, solid liquid separation flocculation, selective flocculation, thickening, centrifuge sedimentation, filtration, thermal drying. Floatation fundamentals applied to separation processes, surface adsorption and floatation reagents, mineral bubble interactions, floatation equipment, floatation kinetics, floatation of sulphides, floatation of non-sulphides, coal floatation, agglomeration. Process water and waste management.
Assessment
Coursework 40%, Final Examination 60%.
Key Textbooks:
1. Adams, M.D. (2016) Gold Ore Processing: Project Development and Operations. (2nd Ed.), Elsevier.
2. Wills, B.A. (2006). Mineral Processing Technology: An Introduction to the Practical Aspects of Ore Treatment and Mineral Recovery, (7th Ed.), Elsevier.
3. Fuerstanau, M.C. and Han, K.N. (2003). Principles of Mineral Processing. Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration, Inc.
4. Wills, B.A. (1982). Introduction to Mineral Processing. Elsevier.
5. Mehrotra, S.P. and Shekhar, R. (1995). Mineral Processing: Recent Advances and Future Trends. Allied Publishers Ltd.