tel
+86-21-6420 0566
In the field of mining, mineral processing agents have always played an important role. They can change the physical and chemical properties of the mineral surface and realize the separation of useful minerals and waste rocks. They can be called the "doctor" of ores and the "magician" of resources. With the rapid development of science and technology and the increasing requirements for environmental protection, the future development trend of mineral processing agents has attracted much attention. Let us discuss it in depth.
Under the strong promotion of the concepts of "ecological civilization" and "green mines", environmentally friendly mineral processing has become an inevitable trend in the development of the industry. Among traditional mineral processing agents, some products have problems such as strong toxicity and difficulty in biodegradation, which puts great pressure on the environment. For example, sodium cyanide, as a common mineral processing agent, has a significant effect in precious metal mineral processing, but due to its highly toxic nature, once it leaks, it will cause serious pollution to soil, water sources, etc. .
Nowadays, the research and development and application of environmentally friendly mineral processing agents are becoming a hot spot in the industry. New environmentally friendly agents such as bio-based collectors and degradable foaming agents are constantly emerging. Among them, bio-based collectors (such as sugar esters) have gradually attracted attention due to their wide sources, non-toxicity, and biodegradability. After a gold mine adopted bio-based collectors, the amount of cyanide used was reduced by 70%; degradable foaming agents (polyethers) are also gradually expanding their application ratio. At present, the application ratio of such environmentally friendly agents has reached 15%, and it is expected to exceed 40% by 2030.
From a policy perspective, the country is also actively promoting the development of environmentally friendly mineral processing agents. In 2020. the Ministry of Ecology and Environment proposed to encourage the use of cyanide-free or low-cyanide gold leaching agents to extract gold, and in 2023. the National Development and Reform Commission listed environmentally friendly gold extraction projects as encouraged industries. Driven by policy guidance and market demand, the market size of environmentally friendly mineral processing agents is constantly expanding. It is estimated that by 2028. the global market size of precious metal beneficiation agents will reach 61.15 billion yuan, of which the market size of environmentally friendly precious metal beneficiation agents will reach 8.838 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate of 13.86%; the market size of precious metal beneficiation agents in my country will reach 10.263 billion yuan, and the market size of environmentally friendly precious metal beneficiation agents will reach 3.303 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate of 13.76%.
With the rapid development of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things, the beneficiation agent industry will also usher in intelligent transformation. Intelligent technology will run through the entire process of research and development, production, and application of beneficiation agents.
In the research and development stage, through the analysis of a large amount of mineral data and agent performance data through artificial intelligence algorithms, it is possible to quickly screen out agent formulas with potential application value and shorten the research and development cycle. For example, machine learning algorithms are used to analyze the crystal structure, surface properties and other data of different minerals to predict the effect of a certain agent on a specific mineral, so as to carry out targeted agent research and development.
In the production process, the Internet of Things technology can realize real-time monitoring and remote operation of production equipment, collect equipment operation data such as temperature, pressure, flow, etc. through sensors, and use big data analysis technology to process these data, timely discover equipment failure hazards, achieve preventive maintenance, and improve production efficiency and product quality stability.
On the application side, the intelligent system can automatically adjust the amount and timing of agent addition according to the real-time changes in ore properties. For example, an online ore component analyzer is installed in the beneficiation plant to monitor the changes in ore grade and mineral composition in real time, and the amount of beneficiation agent added is automatically adjusted through the intelligent control system to ensure the stability of beneficiation indicators and avoid waste or insufficient agents.
With the increasing reduction of high-quality mineral resources, the mining and utilization of poor, mixed and fine ores are receiving more and more attention. The sorting of these complex ores is difficult, which puts higher requirements on the performance of mineral processing agents. Multifunctionalization has become an important direction for the development of mineral processing agents.
On the one hand, the development of a single agent with multiple functions has become a trend. For example, an agent can not only play a collecting role, but also have a certain inhibitory or activation function, reducing the types and amounts of agents used and reducing mineral processing costs. On the other hand, the development of agent combination formulas can improve the sorting effect of complex ores through the synergistic effect between different agents. For example, in view of the characteristics of rare earth ores that often coexist with gangue minerals such as quartz and fluorite, a composite agent system composed of collectors, inhibitors, activators, etc. is developed to achieve efficient separation of rare earth minerals and gangue minerals.
Taking ionic rare earth ores as an example, traditional leaching agents (such as ammonium sulfate) have problems such as ammonia nitrogen pollution. The newly developed calcium-magnesium complex salt based on magnesium sulfate or magnesium chloride replaces the ammonium sulfate leaching agent. Not only is the cost of the agent lower, the rare earth leaching rate can reach more than 90%, but it can also solve the problem of ammonia nitrogen pollution and make up for the lack of calcium, magnesium and other elements in the soil elements in southern China. It has good economic and environmental benefits.
In the increasingly competitive market environment, mineral processing reagent companies are paying more and more attention to the refined production of products. Refined production can effectively improve the stability and consistency of product quality and meet customers' demand for high-quality reagents.
In the raw material procurement process, the quality of raw materials is strictly controlled, and suppliers are strictly screened and evaluated to ensure the purity and stability of raw materials. In the production process, advanced production equipment and precise production process control are used to accurately control key parameters such as temperature, pressure, reaction time, etc., to reduce the quality differences between batches. For example, through the automatic control system, the conditions of chemical reactions are precisely controlled to ensure the stability of the quality of each batch of reagents produced.
At the same time, we should strengthen the inspection and monitoring of product quality, establish a complete quality inspection system, adopt advanced inspection technology and equipment, conduct comprehensive inspection of product composition, purity, performance, etc., to ensure that the product meets the quality standards. In addition, customized reagent products can be provided according to the special needs of customers to meet the special requirements of different customers in different mineral processing processes.
In the future, mineral processing reagents will develop in the direction of environmental protection, intelligence, multi-function and refinement. This is not only a need to cope with environmental pressure and improve resource utilization efficiency, but also an inevitable choice to meet market competition and promote the sustainable development of the mining industry. For mineral processing reagent companies, they should actively grasp these development trends, increase R&D investment, enhance technological innovation capabilities, strengthen cooperation with upstream and downstream companies, and jointly promote the high-quality development of the mineral processing reagent industry. For mining practitioners and related researchers, they also need to continue to pay attention to the development of mineral processing reagents, constantly explore new application fields and technical methods, and contribute to the development of the mining industry.
