Research projects on Mineral Processing
As a principle, the research activities of the chair are material-related as well as process-related. Being an engineering discipline, the mineral processing subject is characterized by its reference to applications of industrial relevance. Therefore, the subject is driven by an applied research, making use of the results obtained from fundamental research. Research is both experimental and theoretical.
For the experimental investigation of individual processes but also in the consideration of combined processes, the lab facilities are well equipped with laboratory and bench scale equipment for all unit operations essential to mineral processing (e.g. different comminution equipment, various devices for physical separation). Furthermore, there are extensive possibilities for particle analysis and for chemical and mineralogical analysis. Besides their application in research and development, the facilities are also used within teaching. Within industrial scale investigations test are carried out based on sampling on-site.
The theoretical research aims at the physics-based description of the unit operations in mineral processing in terms of process models. In addition to a deeper understanding of the process the capabilities of predictive calculation of the process even with changed input variables (material flow parameters, control and design parameters) shall be provided. The model application within a simulation approach allows the analysis of complex processes. The development and application of methodologies for process design and optimization are additional, system-oriented research topics.
Current projects
-
REMinE – Improve Resource Efficiency and Minimize Environmental Footprint
REMinE (Improve Resource Efficiency and Minimize Environmental Footprint) is an ERA-MIN project with three collaborating partners; Luleå University of Technology (LTU) in Sweden, University of Porto in Portugal, and the Research and Development National Institute for Metals and Radioactive Resources...
-
MetalIntelligence
MetalIntelligence Project – Funded by Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions – EU Horizon 2020
-
Prep – Primary Resource efficiency by Enhanced Prediction
Project involves partners from the leading three types of deposits from different parts of Sweden. The project aims at development of an integrated modelling and simulation environment for conducting a comprehensive model-based prognosis for the beneficiation of primary mineral resources.
Completed projects
-
Charge dynamics of autogenous mills
A mill is autogenous when the grinding media is part of the feed (i.e. lumps of the material to be c...
-
Fine screening with electrically heated screen decks
Financed by LKAB/Minelco, Mineral Processing at LTU built a test station for a screen with heated de...
-
Wet low-intensity magnetic separators
A wet low-intensity magnetic separator consists of a drum, which in itself is not possible to magnet...
-
Flow and treatment of thick pulps
There is a global demand for effective use of energy and water in the mining industry, for example i...
-
Recycling of process water and influence of its chemistry on sulphide flotation
Recycling of flotation effluents through the ore processing plant is one of the ways of reducing bot...
-
Treaceability of raw materials in process streams
Traceability, defined as the ability to preserve and access the identity and attributes of a physica...
-
Simulation of mineral processing systems
By simulation of the whole or part of processes it is possible to make qualified estimates of the in...