The mining sector is looking for new technologies to minimise its environmental impacts and to maximise its reserves. The need to increase the life of mines has led to investigations considering the options to maximise Brazilian bauxite mine reserves. This work evaluates the use of a flip screen in the loader bucket to recover ore from the overburden. The study investigates both the financial and technical feasibilities of this option. This device results in a decrease in the amount of waste and an increase in the life of mine. An average mass recovery of 48% is achieved. The concentration of the bauxite present in the overburden is possible using only screening and the oversized (>12.7 mm) product contains 40% of the available alumina, with less than 4% reactive silica and 0.5% organic carbon, which is acceptable for the Bayer process.
ABAL. 2008. Guia técnico do alumínio: Reciclagem. São Paulo: Associação Brasileira do Alumínio.
2.
ABAL. 2015. Anuário estatístico 2015. São Paulo: Associação Brasileira do Alumínio.
3.
BarabadyJ, KumarU.2008. Reliability analysis of mining equipment: a case study of a crushing plant at Jajarm bauxite mine in Iran. Reliab Eng Syst Safety. 93 (4): 647 – 653. doi: 10.1016/j.ress.2007.10.006.
Brandao GomesR, di TomiG, AssisS.2015. Impact of quality of iron ore lumps on sustainability of mining operations in the Quadrilatero Ferrifero area. Miner Eng. 70: 201 – 206. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2014.09.019.
6.
Brasil. 2018. Sumário Mineral 2016. Brasília. ISBN: 0101 2053.
7.
da Cunha RodovalhoE, Eyer CabralI.2014. Estimate of hourly productivity applied to elaboration and implementation of mining plans. Rem: Revista Escola de Minas. 67 (2): 221 – 227. doi: 10.1590/S0370-44672014000200015.
8.
DeshpandePV, ShekdarVA.2005. Sustainable waste management in the Indian mining industry. Waste Manag Res. 23 (4): 343 – 355. doi: 10.1177/0734242X05056994.
9.
El HajjTM, ChieregatiAC, Delboni JuniorH, PignatariLEC.2013. Illusory reconciliation: the importance of sample representativeness. Rem Revista Escola de Minas. 66 (3): 383 – 389. doi: 10.1590/S0370-44672013000300017.
10.
El HajjTM, GandollaMPA, SilvaPSC, TorquatoH, DelboniH.Jr.2019. Long-term prediction of non-processed waste radioactivity of a niobium mine in Brazil. J Sustain Min. 18 (3): 142 – 149. doi: 10.1016/j.jsm.2019.04.003.
GoodwinGC, SeronMM, MiddletonRH, ZhangM, HennessyBF, StonePM, MenabdeM.2006. Receding Horizon Control applied to optimal mining planning. In: Centre for complex dynamic systems and control. Callaghan: School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of New Castle. Automatica. 42:1337–1342. doi: 10.1016/j.automatica.2006.01.016
13.
GoronovskiA, VindJ, VassiliadouV, PaniasD, TkacszykAH.2019. Radiological assessment of the Bayer process. Miner Eng. 137: 250 – 258. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2019.04.016.
14.
GrocottSC.1988. Bayer liquor impurities: measurement of organic carbon, oxalate and carbonate extraction from bauxite digestion, light metals. Minerals, Metal MaterSoc. 833–841: 2367 – 1181.
15.
GyP.1976. Sampling of particulate materials, theory and practice. New York: Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company. 450p.
16.
HilsonG.2003. Defining “cleaner production” and “pollution prevention” in the mining context. Miner Eng. 16 (4): 305 – 321. doi: 10.1016/S0892-6875(03)00012-8.
LèbreÉD, CorderG, GolevA.2017. Sustainable practices in the management of mining waste: a focus on the mineral resource. Miner Eng. 107: 34 – 42. doi: 10.1016/j.mineng.2016.12.004.
19.
LiuZ, LiD, MaW, YanH, XieK, ZhengL, LiP.2018. Sulfur removal by adding aluminum in the Bayer process of high-sulfur bauxite. Miner Eng. 119: 76 – 81. 10.1016/j.mineng.2018.01.030.
20.
MachadoNAM, LeiteMGP, FigueiredoMA, KozovitsAR.2013. Growing Eremanthus erythropappus in crushed laterite: a promising alternative to topsoil for bauxite-mine revegetation. J Environ Manag. 129: 149 – 156. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.07.006.
21.
Oliveira CruzC, da Cunha RodovalhoE.2019. Application of ISO 31000 standard on tailings dam safety. REM – Int Eng J. 72 (1): 47 – 54. doi: 10.1590/0370-44672018720123.
22.
RodovalhoE, Orlandi PassosA, di TomiG, Soares TenórioJA.2019. Sequential glory hole approach as a new mining method for sustainable operations. J Mater Res Techn. 8 (5): 4788 – 4796. doi: 10.1016/j.jmrt.2019.08.025.
23.
ShouhouhiAJ, WilliamsD.2017. Volume change behaviour of mixtures of coarse coal reject and tailings. Mining Technol Trans Inst Mining Metall: Sect A. 126 (3): 163 – 176. doi: 10.1080/14749009.2016.1277649.
24.
StohardP, LaurenceD.2014. Application of a large-screen immersive visualisation system to demonstrate sustainable mining practices principles. Min Technol. 123 (4): 199 – 206. doi: 10.1179/1743286314Y.0000000068.
25.
Villas-BôasR.2001. A produção dos materiais e o meio ambiente. In: BarretoML, editor. Ensaios sobre a sustentabilidade da mineração no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro: CETEM/MCT ; p. 43 – 64.
26.
ZuckerbergM, RietJ, MalajczukW, StoneP.2011. Optimal life-of-mine scheduling for a bauxite mine. J Min Sci. 47: 158 – 165. doi: 10.1134/S1062739147020031.
