Experimental Study on the Effect of Pretreatment with High-Voltage Electrical Pulses on Mineral Liberation and Separation of Magnetite Ore

High-voltage electrical pulses (HVEP) technology was applied in grinding of a magnetite ore as a comminution pretreatment. The effect of HVEP pretreatment on grindability, liberation and separation performance of a magnetite ore was investigated by a systematic experimental study. The results showed that the pretreatment of high-voltage electrical pulses created some intergranular microcracks inside the ore, reduced the mechanical strength and improved liberation. This gave the additional advantage of further breakage, thereby reducing the energy consumption and grinding time. In addition, the HVEP pretreatment before grinding was potentially beneficial in the recovery of the liberated minerals in the subsequent magnetic separation.