" Application of Automated Mineralogy for Identifying Copper Losses in Flotation: A Case Study from a Moroccan Copper Mine."

This study employs automated mineralogy to assess the effectiveness of the Tarmante copper flotation circuit in Morocco. The circuit was evaluated using a black-box approach by examining the feed, concentrate, and tailings regarding modal mineralogy, liberation analysis, particle size distribution, and mineral relationships. Malachite, chalcocite, bornite, and modest amounts of sulfide minerals constitute the principal forms of copper. These minerals are typically located in conjunction with carbonate and silicate gangue minerals. The plant produces a concentrate with 27.6 wt.% Cu and recovers 71% of the Cu from a feed with 1.38 wt.% Cu. The liberation analysis reveals that only 46% of copper particles in the concentrate are fully liberated, with a significant portion remaining as composite particles. Three mineralogical indicators were established to quantify flotation performance: the Copper Loss Mechanism Index (CLMI), the Composite Copper Index (CCI), and the Concentrate Dilution Index (CDI). CLMI indicates that most copper losses result from insufficient fragmentation of coarse composite particles. A smaller proportion of the losses is attributable to flotation-controlled losses of fine liberated particles. CCI (about 54%) indicates that over half of the copper extracted in the concentrate exists as composite particles. The CDI (about 55%) indicates that quartz and carbonate minerals produce significant gangue dilution. The data indicate that integrating automated mineralogy with diagnostic indices effectively identifies flotation issues and enhances grinding and flotation selectivity.