Mechanistic Insight into Ceramic Ball in Regrinding of Titanomagnetite Rougher

Ceramic balls are utilized as grinding media for regrinding of titanomagnetite rougher, owing to its low liberation degree and intricate intergrowth with gangue minerals. Process mineralogy, regrinding experiments and EDEM simulations were adopted to investigate the influencing mechanism of ceramic balls on the regrinding performance of titanomagnetite rougher. The Dv(90) of titanomagnetite rougher is 198.19 μm, and the titanomagnetite is closely intergrown with gangue minerals, including chlorite, serpentine and ilmenite, in the forms of inclusions, interlocks and solid solutions with a liberation degree of 75.54%. The Dv(90) reduces to 39.86 μm, and the liberation degree of titanomagnetite increases to 92.86% after regrinding with ceramic balls. The grade was improved from 53.01% to 58.83% with a recovery of 96.19% after magnetic separation. EDEM simulation results reveal that raising stirrer speed elevated collision energy, increasing pulp density enhanced viscous coupling and particle capture, and improving media filling ratio boosted collision frequency. These findings demonstrate that ceramic balls could effectively refine product size, facilitate mineral liberation and improve concentrate grade, offering a viable pathway toward efficient utilization of titanomagnetite.