CanMicro: microwave-assisted comminution and sorting

矿物加工是在进一步加工之前分离矿石中所含矿物的实践。粉碎，或粒度减小，是矿物加工的第一阶段，并且是在矿物可以分离之前将矿物彼此分离所必需的。传统的粉碎效率低至1%，消耗采矿所用能量的30-70%，是通过使矿石受到外力来实现的，大量能量损失为热量、振动和噪音。CanMicro工艺使用微波将能量直接传输到所需的破碎位置，并在研磨前对矿石进行分选以去除贫瘠的材料，从而将粉碎能量降低高达70%。其他好处包括减少30%或更多的尾矿（废物）产量，以及提高生产率和下游分离工艺的效率。此外，CanMicro有潜力使不可行的项目经济，并延长目前矿山的寿命，为加拿大人创造更多的就业机会。虽然多年来人们已经认识到微波用于矿物加工的潜力，但扩大规模仍然是一个关键挑战。扩大规模的障碍包括缺乏对微波如何与矿石相互作用的基本了解，以及需要高功率和高吞吐量才能实现节能。研究目的是对矿石的微波适应性进行基础性研究，确定最适合微波处理的矿石类型，确定微波辅助粉碎和分选的操作重叠范围，建立一个原型（150千瓦，50吨/小时），可扩展到>1000吨/小时，并通过中试工厂测试证明粉碎过程中的节能和下游加工的益处。长期目标是使CanMicro技术商业化，这将使加拿大在采矿业绿色微波技术的开发方面牢牢地处于领先地位。

Mineral processing is the practice of separating minerals contained in ores prior to further processing. Comminution, or particle size reduction, is the first stage of mineral processing and is necessary to liberate minerals from one another before they can be separated. Conventional comminution, which is as little as 1% efficient and consumes 30-70% of the energy used in mining, is accomplished by subjecting ore to external forces and significant energy is lost to heat, vibration and noise. The CanMicro process uses microwaves to transmit energy directly to the desired location of breakage and to sort ore to remove barren material prior to grinding, reducing comminution energy by up to 70%. Additional benefits include a reduction in tailings (waste) production of 30% or more, and the increased productivity and the efficiency of downstream separation processes. Utlimately, CanMicro has the potential to make unviable projects economical and extend the life of current mines, resulting in more jobs for Canadians. Although the potential for microwaves to be used in mineral processing has been recognized for many years, scale-up has remained a key challenge. Barriers to scale-up include a lack of fundamental understanding of how microwaves interact with ores, and the fact that high power and high throughputs are required to achieve energy savings. The research objectives are to perform a fundamental study on the microwave amenability of ores, identify ore types that are most amenable to microwave treatment, determine the range of operational overlap for microwave-assisted comminution and sorting, construct a prototype (150 kW, 50 tph) that is scalable to >1000 tph, and demonstrate the energy savings in comminution and benefits for downstream processing through pilot plant testing. The long-term objective is to commercialize CanMicro technology, which will firmly place Canada as a leader in the development of green microwave technology for the mining industry.