High-efficiency and energy-conservation grinding technology using a special ceramic-medium stirred mill: A pilot-scale study

A pilot-scale grinding technology of ceramic medium stirred mill was proposed in this study. Based on the specific productivity and grinding efficiency, the appropriate grinding parameters were ascertained as follows: material ball ratio of 0.7, ceramic ball medium size ratio (10 mm: 15 mm: 20 mm = 3:2:5), stirring speed of 110 rpm, grinding concentration of 50%, and medium filling rate of 90%. The stable running experiment was op-erated for 36 h at the optimum grinding parameters, and the iron concentrate grade 65.01% and iron recovery 89.29% were obtained after two stages magnetic separations when the content of -0.043 mm was 81.50%. Min-eral liberation analyser (MLA) suggested that the liberation of iron from gangue was through grinding in the ceramic-medium stirred mill. Four NEUM-850 ceramic-medium stirred mills superseded the ball mills of second and third stage in the Aoshan concentrator, and the grinding unit consumption decreased by 48.38%. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

A pilot-scale grinding technology of ceramic medium stirred mill was proposed in this study. The appropriate grinding parameters were determined, and satisfactory iron concentrate grade and recovery were obtained during stable running experiments. Mineral liberation analyser (MLA) indicated that iron liberation from gangue was achieved through grinding in the ceramic-medium stirred mill. In practical application, the energy consumption of the grinding unit can be effectively reduced.