Selective Comminution Applied to Mineral Processing of a Tantalum Ore: A Technical, Economic Analysis

There is an increasing demand to simulate and optimize the performance and profit ofcomminution circuits, especially in low-grade ore processing, as is the case with critical metalsminerals. Recent research has shown that the optimization result is greatly influenced by qualityaspects of the products, such as cost, profit, and capacity. This paper presents a novel approach toperforming a multi-objective technical and economic analysis of tantalum ore processing to increasethe production of critical metals minerals. The article starts with mineral composition analysis tohighlight the potential of strategies for balancing the process layout for maximized production. Theintroduction of a combined technical and economic analysis presents the possibility of improving theprofit by rearranging the mass flow given the rock’s mineral composition. Results show that selectivecomminution can improve process capacity by 23% and decrease production cost by 10% for thepresented case