A Review on Process Mineralogical Characteristics and Current State of Beneficiation Process of Mount Weld Rare Earths Mine in Western Australia

Jinyoung Je; Sujeong Lee

doi:10.32390/ksmer.2023.60.3.172

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2023 Vol.60, Issue 3 Preview Page Next Page

Technical Report

A Review on Process Mineralogical Characteristics and Current State of Beneficiation Process of Mount Weld Rare Earths Mine in Western Australia 서호주 Mount Weld 희토류 광산의 공정광물학적 특성과 선광 공정 기술 현황 고찰

30 June 2023. pp. 172-180

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Abstract

Global interest in securing a supply chain for critical minerals, including rare earth elements, is increasing in accordance with the intense promotion of energy transition and electric vehicle industry and the trend of de-sinicization. Australia is a major resource-rich country with the 6th largest rare earth (RE) reserves in the world and is operating the Mount Weld mine, the highest REE grade mine in the world. Although a beneficiation plant, which performs crushing, desliming, flotation, and filtration processes, is currently in operation, challenges to be solved include ingress of significant amounts of fine RE minerals from the desliming process into tailing and low degree of liberation of RE minerals such as goethite. Therefore, the mineralogy, process mineralogical characteristics, and current state of the beneficiation process of the Mount Weld mine were investigated. Based on the results obtained, the potential processes of recovering RE minerals from ultra-fine tailings were suggested.

Keywords

Rare earth element

Mount Weld

Process mineralogy

Beneficiation

세계적으로 에너지 전환과 전기차 산업 등의 공격적인 추진 및 탈 중국화의 기조에 따라 희토류 원소를 비롯한 핵심광물 공급망 확보에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있다. 호주는 주요 자원부국이자 세계 6위의 희토류 보유국으로 세계 최고 품위의 희토류 광산인 Mount Weld 광산을 개발·운영 중이다. 현재 파분쇄, 슬라임 제거, 부유선별, 여과 단계를 포함하는 선광 플랜트를 운영 중이나, 슬라임 제거 공정에서 상당량의 미립의 희토류 광물이 광미로 유입되고 희토류 광물의 단체분리도가 불량하여 불순물인 침철석을 효과적으로 선별·제거해야 하는 점 등 해결되어야 할 난제가 존재한다. 이에 Mount Weld 광산 광석의 광상학적, 광물학적 특성과 선광 공정을 고찰하고 초미립으로 이루어진 광미로부터 희토류 광물을 회수할 수 있는 잠재적 가능성을 모색하고자 하였다.

키워드

희토류

Mount Weld

공정광물학

선별공정

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Information

Publisher :The Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
Publisher(Ko) :한국자원공학회
Journal Title :Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers
Journal Title(Ko) :한국자원공학회지
Volume : 60
No :3
Pages :172-180
Received Date : 2023-05-23
Revised Date : 2023-06-07
Accepted Date : 2023-06-26
DOI :https://doi.org/10.32390/ksmer.2023.60.3.172

Journal of the Korean Society of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineers ISSN:2288-0291(Print) 2288-2790(Online) 한국자원공학회지

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