
CMI researchers from Colorado School of Mines conducted the activity for this highlight
Innovation
Reduced energy & water usage in the physical upgrading plant (PUG).
Achievement
- SEM & EDS revealed that the deposit’s RE minerals are unliberated & fine-ultrafine in particle size.
- For the present, removed ultrafine grinding & flotation from the process concept flowsheet.
Significance and Impact
- Exclusion of ultrafine grinding required for flotation.
- Removal of ultrafine grinding & flotation reduces the PUG plant’s CAPEX, OPEX, including energy usage.
Hub Target Addressed
- Energy and material efficient pyro- or hydrometallurgical processing.
- Developing processes to recover and separate REEs from traditional or unconventional sources.