Wheres can this UPI article be found that everyone keeps referring to??
The Drudge report times out.
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Announcement from ERM has made my day. :)
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IMHO, the Direct Shipment of upgraded ore tocreate a revenue stream with minimal outlay of capital is an ideal option forthe Storm Copper Project.
The copper ore and dolomitic gangueminerals can most likely be partially to fully liberated from each otherthrough simple crushing as per Liberation Classes image below.
In terms of upgrading the liberated orefrom the gangue mineral it should be possible to take advantage of thedifferences in the relative mineral density. The Storm Copper Projectmineralisation is hosted in a dolomitic sediment (white coloured waste streamwith a specific gravity, SG = 2.9) and the darker copper sulphide minerals ofchalcopyrite (SG = 4.2), bornite (SG = 5.0) and chalcocite (SG = 5.6),therefore the significant Colour or Specific Gravity mineral particle physical differencescan be used to separate or upgrade the valuable ore minerals from the gangueminerals. The balancing act is determining what an acceptable mass yield orultimate mass of valuable metal recovered will be. As seen from the liberationclasses, it’s a question of how much of the unliberated copper minerals youwant to throw away or treat later. The factors that drive this can be theproduct grade (% Cu in the final product) which your customer (a coppersmelter) will happily accept. The copper smelter feed could be driven byminimum copper content (>20%Cu), level of contaminants or impurities in theDSO (arsenic, lead, selenium, & fluoride), moisture content of the ore andparticle size (top size) for materials handling purposes.
To achieve the chalcocite-dolomite separation,the company has indicated the possible application of a dry processing routeusing the Steinert Ore Sorting Technology. The Steinert KSS-XT CLI sorter unitapplied a combination of colour detection, laser 3D detection, Inductionsensing and X-Ray transmission analysis.
STEINERT KSS | XT CLI for optimum sorting results in your application • STEINERT (steinertglobal.com)
Minimise slag heap disposal costs and recover valuable residues • STEINERT (steinertglobal.com)
https://youtu.be/JhPu2AA4cv4
https://youtu.be/-gyUTgonRfk
https://youtu.be/x9yiZAzMiUg
A trial was undertaken in Perth andachieved extremely encouraging results,
Steinert Ore Sorting on Drill coreSTOR1601D – April 2022 announcementProduct
Mass (kg)
Copper Grade (%Cu)
Mass Yield (%)
Cu Recovery (%)
1 Feed
5.47
4.16
100.00
2 Very High Density
0.56
53.90
10.24
82.12
3 High Density
0.51
10.30
9.32
14.29
4 Low Density
4.40
0.30
80.44
3.59
5 Combine Very High & High Density
1.07
33.12
19.56
96.41
(Note: I backcalculated the feed grade to be 6.72% Cu, given the density assays were basedon Portable XRF readings then the accuracy of the copper grade may beover-stated)
A Direct Shipment Ore (DSO) grading 53.9%Cu product from 10.2% of the original feed mass allowed 82% of the copper metalunits to be recovered from the Very High Density fraction.
Interestingly, if you want to sacrificesome grade then a combination of the Very High Density and High Densityfractions could occur. This would provide the copper smelter with a DSO productgrading 33.1% Cu containing 96.4% of the recoverable copper metal units with amass yield of 19.6%. Therefore, 80% of the feed mass can be rejected to thewaste stream with a loss of only 3.6% of the copper metal units. Essentially,the ore and gangue minerals are fully liberated from the simple crushing stepundertaken.
An alternative Specific Gravity separationroute is via Dense Media Separation (DMS) with its results yet to be publishedby AW1. Dense media separation (DMS) is a mineral processing technique used toseparate valuable minerals from waste rock based on their difference indensity. In DMS, a dense medium is created by mixing a liquid with a solidmaterial, such as sand or magnetite. The density of the dense medium is thenadjusted to be slightly greater than the density of the valuable minerals andslightly less than the density of the waste rock.
The ore is then fed into a DMS unit, whereit is suspended in the dense medium. The valuable minerals will sink to thebottom of the unit, while the waste rock will float to the top. The valuableminerals are then collected from the bottom of the unit, while the waste rockis discarded.
DMS is a versatile process that can be usedto separate a wide variety of minerals, including copper, lead and zinc. Thusmaking it ideal mineral processing methodology for upgrading the regional oresfound at Storm and Seal prospects. It is a relatively simple and efficientprocess, and it can be used to process a wide range of ore sizes, unlike OreSorting which prefers certain feed size presentation to work efficiently.
For copper and dolorite ore, DMS istypically used to separate chalcopyrite from waste rock. Chalcopyrite has aspecific gravity of 4.1-4.3, while most waste rock has a specific gravity ofless than 2.8. This means that the dense medium can be adjusted to have adensity of 2.9-3.0, which will allow the chalcopyrite to sink to the bottom ofthe unit while the waste doloritic rock floats to the top.
The benefits of using DMS for mineral processing of copper sulphides and dolorite ore:
· Increased recovery of valuable minerals: DMS can help to increase the recovery of valuable minerals from the ore by removing waste rock. This can lead to significant cost savings, as the higher-grade product or concentrate can be sold for a higher price.
· Product quality: DMS can help to improve the quality of the concentrate by removing impurities. This can make the concentrate more valuable and easier to sell and transport. However, the DMS processing route may be less selective in comparison to the Ore Sorting route.
· achieved thus transportation of only 20% of the original mass delivered from the mine will be required.
· Reduced environmental impact
MS is a relatively environmentally friendly process. It does not use any toxicchemicals, and it does not produce any harmful emissions.· Increased flexibility: DMS canbe used to process a wide range of ore sizes and ore types with minimal processplant adjustments. This makes it a versatile process that can be used in avariety of applications across the prospect. Whereas, Ore Sorting, needs to bere-calibrated or tuned to efficiently detect and separate the targeted valuableparticles. If it was used for the zinc / lead resource then an alternativedetection system may be required. However, the copper sulphide DSO project willprovide more than adequate work for the Steinert Ore Sorter configurationproposed.
· Simplicity: The DMS upgraderoute is significantly simpler and more robust to operate (eg. Pump/DMSdrum/DMS cyclone) when compared to a high tech X-Ray Ore Sorting system.
· A typical X-ray ore sorter cancost anywhere from $1 million to $10 million, while a dense media separationplant can cost anywhere from $500,000 to $5 million. The higher cost of X-raysorters is due to the fact that they are more complex and require morespecialized equipment and servicing.
· Overall, DMS is a valuableprocess that can be used to improve the economics and environmentalsustainability of copper and dolorite ore mining.
Ultimately, the best type of separator fortreating copper ore will depend on the specific needs of American West Metalsin this remote region. If the company is looking for the most efficient andversatile option, then an X-ray sorter is the better choice. However, if thecompany is looking for the most cost-effective option, then a dense mediaseparation plant is the better choice.
Either way the company is onto a winner for the DSO processing route.Last edited by Met2020: 21/06/23
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