Grant: Alliance Grants

The mining industry in Canada is the major consumer of energy amongst all of the industrial sectors. A substantial quantity of this energy is utilized for low efficiency particle fracturing in comminution. Microwave assisted fracturing has been investigated at the laboratory scale, for ores containing critical metals such as copper sulphide ores. Under laboratory conditions at relatively low powers, the energy used for microwaving often exceeds the energy savings in particle breakage. There is also evidence that such fracturing could benefit down stream processing, particularly in mineral concentration or metal recovery, enhancing its potential for commercial adoption. Most laboratory studies have utilized low power levels, leading to high specific energy inputs on fine particles. This has limited the enhancement in metal concentration or recovery, as the minerals might have been excessively treated, altering or damaging their surfaces. Recently pilot scale studies have been conducted by the applicants on sulphide ores with nickel and gold at higher powers of up to 150 kW for short durations with larger particles. These studies have shown that microwaves offer significant potential for microwave assisted fracturing, especially with the advantage of lower specific energy inputs. Additionally, this could further enhance the benefits in downstream processing. More research is necessary to determine the optimal conditions for various copper-rich raw materials such as the poryphory ores and polymetallic nodules. It is also essential to establish statistically reliable tests to understand the mechanisms, measure microwave impacts, and fine-tune the process. This research will be conducted with a number of industrial partners and the pilot scale research will be carried out at Sepro in Langley, B.C., utilizing their 150 kW pilot scale microwave system. Professors Chris Pickles and Farzaneh Sadri of Queen's University, will direct the research and train the students in the research program. Additional industrial partners in the project are, The Metals Company, Eriez and Ausenco.