Use of diopsidite as a new grinding media for ball mill - phase 2

• Grant number: 16/08594-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: April 01, 2017
• End date: March 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mining Engineering - Ore Beneficiation
• Principal Investigator: José Francisco Marciano Motta
• Grantee: José Francisco Marciano Motta
• Company: Extraminer Comércio e Indústria de Minérios e Serviços Ltda
• Associated research grant: 15/07486-1 - Use of diopsidite as a new grinding media for ball mill, AP.PIPE
• Associated scholarship(s): 17/06915-1 - Use of diopsidite as a new grinding media for ball mill: phase 2, BP.PIPE

Abstract

In the ceramic industry - ceramic tiles, sanitary ware, color maker, refractory and isolators- raw materials are used in the powder form, usually under 0.074 mm diameter. In the milling process, the efficiency of production depends on a set of characteristics such as mill design, type of milling media and lining for ball mill, and operational conditions. This project deals with the grounding media called "diopsidite pebbles" as a substitute for flint and silica pebbles as well as alumina grinding balls to ground ceramic raw material and other industrial minerals. The diopside pebbles show density and Knoop hardness around of 3.10gm/cm³ and 6-8 GPa; Brazilian silica pebble, 2.65gm/cm³ and 6-9 GPa; and regular alumina ball, 3,4-3,6 g/cm3 and >10GPa). Despite the wear rate of the diopside pebbles be slightly higher than that of silica pebbles, laboratory studies have shown that diopside pebbles has much better performance than the silica pebbles to grind finer and faster. Thus, it was deemed appropriate to request support from FAPESP for the program PIPE Phase 2 because the experimental studies of Phase 1 were restricted to laboratory scale. The proposed project aims to extrapolate the survey, with grinding tests of raw materials into semi-industrial or industrial scale; study and equate the pebbles production method, from the mine to the final product; and better evaluate the use of diopsidite ceramics and other industrial sectors, both to show the benefits of "contamination" in the milling process and to expand the use of this material, as a by-product of the pebbles production. The working method provides the following steps: Project Organization; Bibliographic research; Field preparation; field work; chemical and mineralogy analyses; Technological testing; Data Processing; and preparation of partial and final report. The expected result is to confirm the possibility of a new product, the diopside pebbles, which can provide a more cost effective compared to traditional grinding media, to provide industrial grinding to ceramic raw materials to the Brazilian ceramic industry and perhaps for export. (AU)