E. Spiller
Colorado School of Mines,
United States
Keywords: mining, conventional source, mineral processing, separations, rare earth elements, critical minerals
Summary:
The Bear Lodge Carbonatite deposit is set to become one of the largest producers of Nd-Pr oxide in the United States. Recognizing its significance for national and economic security, the Department of Energy has provided funding for Rare Element Resources' pilot-scale hydromet plant and a mineral processing thesis at the Colorado School of Mines through the Critical Minerals Innovation Hub. This project focuses on designing an uber-efficient, dry flowsheet that emphasizes the potential of transitioning from ‘traditional’ mill circuits to more efficient preferential processing. Preferential flowsheets are designed to utilize an orebody's natural characteristics. Due to the rare earth deposit's style of mineralization, we believe that the rock may 'preferentially break’ along veins and stockwork to produce a rare earth concentrate with minimal comminution. Therefore, this study emphasizes the implementation of novel processing techniques, such as attrition scrubbing, sortation, and preferential breakage, to challenge the "catch-all" implementation of flotation, boost processing efficiency, and deliver cost savings.