Fine Particles Processing

It is vell known that fines and ultrafines can cause severe problems in mining and mineral processina. The decrease in the grade of ore combined with the arowinS demand for aineral products baa led to the minina and milling of increasing tOQnage or ore. Cl08ely linked with the problem of reduction in the grade of ore is. the more serious problem of the decrease in libration size. A direct cODsquence of tbia is. of course. an increase in the need for fine arinding and a need for techniques for beneficiation of fines. We must note at this point that technology for beneficiating ultrafine and colloidal mineral matters bas. for all practical purposes. yet to be developed. There are a number of probl~ms in this regard and there are a number of solutions appearina on the horizon. First. witb respect to grinding. In as much as comminution is the most energy consuming operation in mineral processing. every effort has to be directed at reducing the total energy consumption and for this we have to devise ~tbods by which intergranular rather than the usual. indiscriminate intragranular. fracture can be produced. And for that. first and foremost. we 'need to do basic studies to identify means by which applied force can be focused at the grain boundaries where the force is needed. There is also considerable oppor~unity ~o make use of beneficial effects that grinding aids can produce in enhancing liberation processes. Today there is hardly any work going on any, where to unders~and what precisely these grinding aids do and why.