Abstract:
The decreasing grades and increased complexity of ores have led to the utilization of mineral processing circuits with multiple stages, resulting in escalated capital and operational costs. One of the available alternatives to mitigate such expenses is pre-concentration, which involves the rejection of material with minimal or no economic value prior to fine grinding. When coarse guange is reject, significant reductions in comminution and concentration operation costs can be achieved. This study aims to conduct a literature review on the use of pre-concentration in Brazil, in order to present the current status of this operation in the country, both at industrial, pilot and laboratory scales, along with its advantages and disadvantages. The study indicates that Brazil is predominantly implementing dry pre-concentration, while also conducting analyses that consider the impacts of this stage on subsequent processes such as grinding and concentration. Finally, the importance of advancing studies in methodologies for analyzing the use of pre-concentration is emphasized, in order to contribute to the economical analysis of these process, in pursuit of more sustainable mineral processing practices.