Mineral Processing

Within mineral processing, different unit operations for comminution, physical separation, and flotation are combined into multi-stage beneficiation processes to produce ore concentrates, industrial mineral products with defined properties, and to enable the recycling of materials such as batteries. While mineral processing technologies have matured over recent decades, further development is required to meet increasing demands for resource efficiency and sustainability.

Within Work Package 3 (WP3) – Mineral Processing, CAMM focuses on developing innovative processing concepts, equipment, and optimisation strategies to improve resource efficiency while minimising energy consumption, auxiliary material use, environmental impact, and waste generation.

Comminution, Liberation, and Separation Processes

CAMM’s research in advanced mineral processing is conducted across three main areas: comminution, separation processes, and process systems engineering. Dynamic models of grinding mills and mill charge behaviour are developed using multi-phase computational physics to optimise tumbling and stirred media mill performance. This includes investigating how energy is utilised and how wear of grinding media and liners is affected by operating conditions, design parameters, and particle properties.

Mineral liberation is a key factor for the efficiency of downstream separation processes. Research therefore focuses on optimising target particle size and breakage mechanisms in relation to ore texture and mineral associations. Fundamental studies apply different stress modes and stress rates to a range of ore types to identify optimal liberation conditions and to develop advanced process models.

Innovative and Greener Processing Concepts

For fine-grained and complex ores, as well as fine tailings, the integration of mineral processing and hydrometallurgical processing is explored as a promising approach. Concepts such as raffinate milling, including leaching during grinding, are investigated to develop novel grinding circuits and improve overall resource efficiency.

CAMM also studies the effect of low temperatures on flotation performance, with a particular focus on oxide and silicate flotation. The aim is to identify new flotation reagents, suitable reagent regimes, and hydrodynamic concepts adapted to mineral beneficiation and tailings treatment in cold climate conditions.

Wherever possible, dry processing routes are promoted to reduce water consumption and ecological footprint. This includes ore sorting, dry primary comminution, dry screening instead of wet classification, dry concentration, and dry deposition techniques. Extending dry processing technologies to the sub-millimetre range is a key research priority.

Data-Driven Processing and Geometallurgy

New technologies for mineralogical analysis, such as hyperspectral imaging and computer tomography, are investigated for their potential in process design, monitoring, and control. A key challenge is linking mineralogical characteristics to processing properties in a generic and transferable way. To address this, CAMM develops data-driven models and soft sensors that support advanced process control.

Improving resource efficiency also requires processing systems that are flexible to variations within an ore body. Geometallurgy provides a holistic framework for linking ore properties with process behaviour. Within WP3, CAMM develops coherent geometallurgical methodologies that integrate testing, modelling, sustainability, and process flexibility to support optimised and resilient mineral processing systems.

Explore Mineral Processing