TECHNICAL SECTOR FOR THE INVENTION

[001 ] Massive ore bodies, narrow vein deposits or ore bodies that are non-viable due to lack of water for processing and concentration can benefit from specific mine planning, data-driven optimization, which combines mining with 'intelligent dry material preparation', all specifically combined to provide a new final concentration flowsheet.

[002] Tailings and low-grade stockpiles are areas where new processes are needed to recover additional value and reduce environmental impact. Real-time data collection combined with efficient, low-cost processing are essential.

[003] The reduction and unnecessary use of water, as well as chemicals, are equally important.

STATE OF THE ART

[004] The future of mining is ever increasing reduction in mineral grades, in addition to increasingly more complex ore bodies and ever more stringent environmental hurdles.

[005] The unnecessary crushing and grinding of the gangue. In mining, gangue refers to the useless (barren) mineral components of the host rock in which the valuable minerals are held. In most cases, valuable minerals occur in ppm (parts per million) values. Mineral processing involves separating the two components to extract the value. Unnecessarily processing of gangue increases cost and reduces plant capacity.

[006] Conventional crushing/grinding/flotation or autogenous grinding/flotation circuits are efficient for processing large volumes, but are inefficient for optimizing costs and mineral recovery. [007] Mills are known to destroyers of liberated mineral particles.

[008] Flotation is an efficient process for mineral concentration, but only in a very limited size range (« < 100 > 25 pm). Thus, closed milling and cycloning circuits are specifically designed to produce fractions within this size range to accommodate the flotation process.

See figure #1 ; Grinding and Flotation in closed circuit < 150pm.

See figure #2; Flotation - recovery curve.

[009] With milling and flotation circuits, in many cases, the liberation of minerals is a consequence, not the primary objective.

[010] The host rock, which is almost always more competent, requires more energy to grind and in the case of minerals that occur in ppm (parts per million) values, it is mostly completely barren, this also must be ground to fit the size range required by the flotation process.

[011] This problem is aggravated by cyclones used in a closed circuit with ball mills. The inefficient classification means that a large proportion of small, high density mineral particles also report to the cyclone U/F, which creates large mill recirculation loads and compounds the generation of ultra-fines (< 25pm).

[012] The result is unnecessary costs and a significant loss in value from the low recovery of mineral particles <25pm.

OBJECTIVES AND NEW FEATURES OF THE INVENTION;

[013] What is needed is a fully integrated system that uses data driven optimisation that combines mining, dry Sensor Based Ore Sorting together with dry material preparation to produce a specific and constant product despite variations in feed. The primary focus of this system is the preferential liberation of minerals with the minimal work as well as to create the ability to discard waste at every opportunity.

[014] Such a system offers an alternative to conventional milling and flotation circuits. THE NEW FEATURES OF THE INVENTION CAN BE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS:

[015] Data driven optimisation. RFID Tracking (Radio Frequency Identification) provides information for control, integration, optimisation and flexibility with the changes in the mining conditions and the dry Ore Sorting and material preparation processes for final concentration < 2.50mm.

[016] Mining. Using data-driven optimisation to design the mining method to discard waste at every opportunity as well as to specifically reduce fines generation < 10mm.

[017] Data-driven optimization. Separate RFID density tags are used to audit the ore Sorting process.

[018] Ore Sorting (SBS - Sensor Based Ore Sorting). Using the ore process to pre-concentrate and/or produce saleable products in fractions of size > 10 < 100mm. Dry process.

[019] Ore Sorting. It is important to note that Ore Sorting is a sophisticated data collection and decision-making process for waste reduction in fractions >10 < 100 mm.

[020] Ore Sorting Use of the ore Sorting circuit to retrieve the RFID tags and to record and disseminate the information.

[021 ] Roller Press (HPGR - High Pressure Grinding Rolls). Use of the crushing/roller press flowsheet to prepare a feed, with a size distribution 100% < 2.50mm for the final concentration process. Dry Process.

[022] Roller Press. The Roller Press uses data-driven optimization to control the pressure between the rollers to produce a constant product with a natural size distribution 100% <2.50mm independent of changing ore conditions.

[023] Roller Press. The ONLY objective of the Roller Press is preferential mineral liberation from the host rock with the lowest energy expenditure [024] Roller Press. It is used in closed circuit with the final concentration process to regrind ONLY the coarse fractions that contain economic grades requiring more mineral liberation.

[025] Mineral preparation < 2.50mm. All of the above processes, the optimization driven by data, mining, ore Sorting, material preparation via Roller Presses, are specifically designed to prepare a feed, with the highest possible grade and smallest possible volume, together with minimum grinding, energy consumption and without the consumption of water.

[026] Mineral recovery < 2.50mm. Dry ore Sorting processes, Roller Press material preparation in conjunction with wet processes, forms an interconnected, continuous and complementary process that offers an alternative to conventional processes that employ milling and flotation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[027] The invention consists of the following steps:

1. DATA-DRIVED OPTIMISATION

[028] RFID tracking is used, specifically for data-driven optimization to integrate the mining and subsequent processes as follows:

• Combined with the mining, to optimise ore extraction and minimize waste dilution. This is the first opportunity to reduce the amount of waste from further processing.

• Keep fines generation -10mm to a minimum in order to present the maximum possible volume of material for Ore Sorting.

• Track ore and waste streams leaving the mine to verify the respective destinations.

• Track ore samples, tailings, Ore Sorting, Roller Press and assays of the final concentrate to ensure correct data correlation. • Retrieve ore RFID tags via the Ore Sorters. The information can be sent back to the mine and forwarded to the processing.

• In case of entry of waste into the Ore Sorting circuit, the retrieval of the waste RFID tags can alert the mine and prevent more of the waste from entering subsequent processes, diluting the ore and causing unnecessary processing costs.

• Use separate RFID density tags to audit the Ore Sorting performance.

See figure #3; RFID Tracking.

2. MATERIAL PREPARATION FOR FINAL CONCENTRATION. TWO DRY PROCESSES

[029] Ore Sorting - the second opportunity to reduce the amount of waste:

• With iron ore, manganese and chrome, produce saleable products >10 <100mm.

• With minerals occurring in ppm values, produce a pre-concentrate >10 <100mm.

• Collects RFID tags, record and disseminate information.

• Uses RFID density tags to audit Ore Sorting machines.

• Ore Sorting can use a variety of sensors (in some cases more than one) for example, XRT (X-ray transmission) colour (ccd camera), laser, NIR (near infrared spectrometry) and EM (electromagnetic detection).

• These sources are combined with sophisticated algorithms (and an X-ray sensor in the case of XRT), image analysis and control of the valves to eject the selected particles.

• Ore Sorting uses data-driven optimization to reduce waste in fractions >10 <100mm.

• Ore Sorting is an efficient low CAPEX/OPEX process. • The ore with higher grade and reduced volume (pre-concentrate) is sent to the crushing/ROLLER PRESS and final concentration. Thus, also reducing CAPEX/OPEX requirements for these downstream processes.

• The ore Sorting circuit is a dry process.

See figure #4; Ore Sorting - Sensor Range.

See figure #5; XRT identification of high atomic density particles within the host rock > 10 < 100mm.

[030] Roller Press crushing and grinding circuit - the third opportunity to reduce the amount of waste.

• The ONLY objective is PREFERENTIAL MINERAL LIBERATION from the host rock with the minimum of work/energy.

• Data is used to vary the pressure between the two Roller Press rollers to specifically produce a product <2.50mm for final concentration independent of variations in the ore.

• In the case of minerals occurring in ppm values, the Roller Press preferentially liberates the minerals from the brittle and fragile matrix with minimal pressure and size reduction. This also reduces the generation of mineral particles smaller than 25pm which are more difficult to recover.

• In the case of minerals occurring in ppm values, the host rock which, is usually composed of harder and more competent material, preferentially breaks into much larger particles than the mineral particles. The majority barren or with low grades. The host rock composes the majority of the feed.

• The Roll Press circuit is a dry process.

• Roller Press is used in closed circuit with wet processes to recover the liberated minerals from the < 2.50 product. • ONLY the fractions that contain economic values that require additional liberation, are recirculated to the Roller Presses, the remainder is discarded by screening with specific apertures for each application.

• The product of the Roller Press < 2.50mm > 25pm is fed to a process specifically designed to recover minerals at the point of economic liberation, regardless of size. This process is free of chemical products.

• This process combination offers an alternative to conventional milling and flotation.

• Fractions <25 mm are treated in a parallel, dual chemical/physical/mechanical processes to recover the minerals and to recover and recycle the water from the final tailings.

• It has been proven, in many full-scale applications, that preparing material with a Roller Press offers power savings of between 20 - 30%.

• Energy savings will be greater with the combined Ore Sorting and final concentration processes.

See figure #6; HPGR preferential mineral liberation < 2.50mm.

See figure #7; Flowchart of preparation of dry material from I Press Rolls 100% <2.50mm.

3. FINAL CONCENTRATION CIRCUIT

[031] The final concentration circuit is SPECIFICALLY designed to produce a product with a NATURAL SIZE DISTRIBUTION of < 2.50 mm, produced by the crushing and ROLLER PRESS circuit.

[032] The ONLY objective of the final concentration plant are the recovery of mineral particles at the point of economic liberation, REGARDLESS of size, with only the regrinding of the coarse economic fractions that require additional liberation. [033] Preparing the size fractions. Using a combination of cyclones and high frequency screens, the Roller Press product shall be prepared as follows;

• Fractions < 2.5mm until the point of economic liberation, typically 400/500pm, shall be in closed circuit with high frequency screens and the Roller Press.

• Only the coarse fractions that require additional liberation should be recirculated to the roller presses. Non-economic fractions shall be discarded by high frequency screens.

[034] Final concentration. Fractions below the point of economic liberation typically 400/500pm > 25 enter a plant for final concentration.

• This process is chemical free.

See figure #8; Final concentration flowchart in closed circuit with HPGR < 2.50mm > 25pm.

• Fractions > 25pm enter a parallel chemical/physical/mechanical process to final concentration.

• Tailings from the process of concentration > 25pm enters a chemical/physical/mechanical process for liquid/solid separation. The water is constantly recycled back to final concentration processes.

See figure #9; Flowchart for ore/water recovery < 25pm.

See figure #10; Full, integrated, continuous flowchart < 100mm.