Mineral Processing Research
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.