Aixiang Wu

Technological assessment of a mining-waste dump at the Dexing copper mine, China, for possible conversion to an in situ bioleaching operation.

In order to extract copper metal from the waste dump of Dexing copper mine and resolve the environmental problems caused by acidic water and heavy metals, a dump bioleaching plant was designed based on a series of experimental investigations. The investigation shown that the low-grade of the dump, refractoriness of chalcopyrite, leakage of pad, small Acidithiobacillus population and low dump permeability are the main factors that contribute to the challenges faced by the plant. Stability of the high and steep slope of the dump is the other hidden danger to which much attention is not paid. To evaluate the potential unstability of the dump, the leaching process, ore surface erosion, particle size, chemical elements and mechanical properties of the waste rock in DCM were investigated through experiment in this paper.

Unsaturated flow and solute transport in a porous column using spherical ore particles

This paper dealt with the development of a two-dimensional (2D) mathematical model for column leaching and confirmed the important simulation parameters through experiment. The unsaturated state of the variably saturated flow column and the solute transport of copper ions were studied during leaching. The fluid flow problem was handled using the Richards equation on the premise of an ambient pressure column air, where the van Genuchten formulas were applied to define the nonlinear relationships of pressure head with the retention and permeability properties. The ore column permeability test gave a varied hydraulic conductivity, which was analyzed in the model. In the solute transport problem, the copper ion concentration was solved using the advection-diffusion-reaction equation whose reaction term was determined by the joint analysis of experimental copper leaching rate and the shrinking core model. Particle- and column-scale leaching tests were carried out to illustrate the difference and connection of copper extraction in both processes. This fluid flow and solute transport coupled model was determined through the finite element method using the numerical simulation software, COMSOL Multiphysics.

Effects of bioleaching on the mechanical and chemical properties of waste rocks

Bioleaching processes cause dramatic changes in the mechanical and chemical properties of waste rocks, and play an important role in metal recovery and dump stability. This study focused on the characteristics of waste rocks subjected to bioleaching. A series of experiments were conducted to investigate the evolution of rock properties during the bioleaching process. Mechanical behaviors of the leached waste rocks, such as failure patterns, normal stress, shear strength, and cohesion were determined through mechanical tests. The results of SEM imaging show considerable differences in the surface morphology of leached rocks located at different parts of the dump. The mineralogical content of the leached rocks reflects the extent of dissolution and precipitation during bioleaching. The dump porosity and rock size change under the effect of dissolution, precipitation, and clay transportation. The particle size of the leached rocks decreased due to the loss of rock integrity and the conversion of dry precipitation into fine particles.

Study on Grey Forecasting Model of Copper Extraction Rate with Bioleaching of Primary Sulfide Ore

A model GM (grey model) (1, 1) for forecasting the rate of copper extraction during the bioleaching of primary sulphide ore was established on the basis of the mathematical theory and the modeling process of grey system theory. It was used for forecasting the rate of copper extraction from the primary sulfide ore during a laboratory microbial column leaching experiment. The precision of the forecasted results were examined and modified via “posterior variance examination”. The results show that the forecasted values coincide with the experimental values. GM (1, 1) model has high forecast accuracy; and it is suitable for simulation control and prediction analysis of the original data series of the processes that have grey characteristics, such as mining, metallurgical and mineral processing, etc. The leaching rate of such copper sulphide ore is low. The grey forecasting result indicates that the rate of copper extraction is approximately 20% even after leaching for six months.

The solids concentration distribution in the deep cone thickener: A pilot scale test

Cemented backfill or surface deposition of paste tailings is increasingly being considered as a simple and effective means of reducing the hazards of conventional slurry deposition and recovering water for recycle. Although gravity thickening has been widely used in the mineral industry to increase the solids concentration of tailings, the accurate prediction of the concentration distribution in three-dimensions and discontinuous operational state has proven to be difficult. We investigated the axial and radial solids concentration distribution at discontinuous state in a pilot deep cone thickener as a function of bed height and residence time. The feed flux of lead/zinc tailings was 0.254 t·h−1· m−2 with a flocculant (high molecular weight anionic polyacrylamide) dose of 20 g/t. The thickened solids bed was sheared by a rotating rake at a rate of 0.2 rpm. The underflow was recirculated at a flux of 0.5 t·h−1·m−2, which can introduce additional shear stresses into the bed. The results of the bed density profile showed that, beside the clarification zone, the area below the feedwell could be divided into four zones: the dilution zone caused by free settling and diffusing action, the hindered settling zone in which the concentration was lower than the gel point, the unraked bed zone with a large concentration gradient and, finally, the raking zone with the highest slurry concentration and lower concentration gradient.

Temperature Effects on Rheological Properties of Fresh Thickened Copper Tailings that Contain Cement

Cemented paste backfill (CPB) is an economic and environmental friendly technique applied in underground mining for supporting surrounding rock and replacing the pillar. However, little is known about the temperature effects on CPB in mines having a large temperature fluctuation. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of temperature change on the rheological properties (e.g., shear stress and apparent viscosity) of CPB with copper mine tailings. Specifically, a series of rheological tests were conducted on 6 CPB samples using a Brookfield R/S+ Rheometer under various temperatures (2°C, 10°C, 20°C, 30°C, 40°C, and 60°C). Our results showed that both shear stress and apparent viscosity of these tailing samples increased with temperature rising from 2 to 60°C. Likewise, temperature has a significant impact on the Bingham yield stress of thickened tailings. The yield stress decreased from 122 Pa (2°C) to 112 Pa (20°C) and then increased to 152 Pa (60°C). Moreover, the pipeline transport pressure drop of CPB at various temperatures was calculated, illustrating an obvious effect on the paste pipeline transport. Compared with 20°C, the pressure drop under 2°C and 60°C increased by 11% and 22%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that the temperature plays an essential role in determining rheological properties of CPB and its engineering application in mines particularly with naturally fluctuating temperatures.

Investigation of the Sedimentation Property of Backfill Material on the Basis of Rheological Test: A Case Study of Iron Tailings

Sedimentation of filling materials could cause pipe blocking accident in mines. However, few quantitative characterization studies have investigated the sedimentation characteristics of filling materials. In this study, the sedimentation property of iron tailings with a cement-sand ratio of 1 : 4 and mass concentration of 73%∼82% was investigated based on rheology measurements. Results showed that shear stress increased as shear rate rose from 0 s−1 to 120 s−1. The shear stress increased as the filling material concentration increased as well. However, when the shear rate was reversed from 120 s−1 to 0 s−1, the shear stress presented an increase-constant-decrease change pattern as the mass concentration increases in the rheological curve. Accordingly, the sedimentation performance of iron tailings filling material was divided into three types: intense sedimentation (the ascending rheological curve) in the mass concentration range of 73%∼76%, slight sedimentation (the constant rheological curve) in the mass concentration range of 77%∼79%, and almost no sedimentation (the descending rheological curve) in the mass concentration range of 80%∼82%. The associated mechanism involving slurry mass concentration-rheological curves-sedimentation performance was illustrated. A correlation between the pipeline rheology and filling material sedimentation performance was established, which provides a practical guide to avoid pipeline blocking while transporting the filling material.

Correlative mechanism of hydraulic-mechanical property in cemented paste backfill

Hydraulic characteristic is a good indication of binder hydration, which determines the strength development of cemented paste backfill (CPB). Therefore, the hydraulic characteristic should be communicated with the mechanical property to provide an advanced knowledge that can help mine workers make a rational strategy and reduce the mining cycle. An experimental program was performed to obtain the hydraulic (monitored by suction and volumetric water content) and mechanical properties (unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test) of CPB at the 28 days curing age. According to the monitoring and testing results, the relationships between the hydration reaction rate and volumetric water content (VWC), suction and VWC, suction and UCS were established. The hydration degree showed a liner rise as the VWC decreased. Curves of the VWC and UCS were featured with a nonlinear reduction and nonlinear growth (both are exponential functions) as the suction rising, respectively. These established relationships validated the strong correlative mechanism of hydraulic and mechanics behavior for CPB. Also, the results of the present research indicated that the hydraulic characteristics and mechanical property were strongly coupled. These correlations and couplings will be of great importance to understand the hardening process of CPB and bring to a safe CPB field operation.

Use of high-resolution X-ray computed tomography and 3D image analysis to quantify mineral dissemination and pore space in oxide copper ore particles

Mineral dissemination and pore space distribution in ore particles are important features that influence heap leaching performance. To quantify the mineral dissemination and pore space distribution of an ore particle, a cylindrical copper oxide ore sample (ϕ4.6 mm × 5.6 mm) was scanned using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT), a nondestructive imaging technology, at a spatial resolution of 4.85 μm. Combined with three-dimensional (3D) image analysis techniques, the main mineral phases and pore space were segmented and the volume fraction of each phase was calculated. In addition, the mass fraction of each mineral phase was estimated and the result was validated with that obtained using traditional techniques. Furthermore, the pore phase features, including the pore size distribution, pore surface area, pore fractal dimension, pore centerline, and the pore connectivity, were investigated quantitatively. The pore space analysis results indicate that the pore size distribution closely fits a log-normal distribution and that the pore space morphology is complicated, with a large surface area and low connectivity. This study demonstrates that the combination of HRXCT and 3D image analysis is an effective tool for acquiring 3D mineralogical and pore structural data.