Metallurgical Expert

The future of the mining industry lies in its ability to find and develop new mineral deposits. According to the trends of the last years, rich deposits are disappearing and low deposits are appearing. The latter ones need the right and appropriate advice of a metallurgical expert at the moment of making any decision because no one wants to work with losses.

The proper evaluation of a new mineral processing plant is a complex and involved process requiring input from many disciplines including exploration geologists, mining engineers, mineral processors, economists and marketing specialists. The metallurgical engineer is a key member of the team, for it is he who has the task of finding a treatment process that is both economical and robust enough to handle the expected variations in ore types. Capital and operating costs are very sensitive to the process selected. Over the years, many projects have failed due to high operating costs resulting from unexpected metallurgical responses to mill feed ore blends. A better understanding of the nature and variability of the deposit means a lower risk for the investor.

The metallurgist confronts with the difficult decisions on advancing an exploration project to the feasibility and construction stages it has always been the dream of process engineers to know, with greater certainty, how various regions of the ore body will react in the milling and concentration processes. While bench scale test work is common and inexpensive, the results and information provided are somewhat limited due to the difficulty in accurately predicting the effects of re-circulating middling streams. The perspective and good eye of the metallurgist can help to take decisions when doubts appear in the most inappropriate moment.

For example, a process development for new projects involving flotation normally consists of bench scale studies followed by pilot plant testing and subsequent scale up to the industrial plant. The bench scale studies permit determination of basic parameters for the process. These parameters include such items as mineralogical and liberation characteristics, a preliminary treatment flow-sheets, flotation kinetics, reagent types and dosages, etc. The studies are also used to estimate the variability of the ore body by testing samples of different lithologies obtained from different zones within the deposit. Operationally, they are simple and inexpensive tests, and they are usually carried out in open circuit. The metallurgist must know to analyze the information obtained and give a conclusion.

Mineral ores need to be crushed, ground and reduced in size. During this process, ores travel along extensive conveyor belt systems, through vibrating feeders, electronic magnets and crushers, and flotation cells. The performance of the equipment must be carefully monitored by metallurgist so that the goals of the company can be achieved. In order to do this, it is necessary study each machine and each step due to the final result is consequence of the previous stages. An expert metallurgist can observe the problems and adopt the corrective solutions with promptness.

More and more, mining companies are looking for expert metallurgists who have technical, practical and manual skills for solving problems in mining operations. And they are not turning the corner.