Pulverized minerals are produced at specialized processing plants. These plants supply mineral products ranging from sizes of approximately 1 micrometer to more than 75 micrometers aerodynamic diameter. Pharmaceutical, paint, plastics, pigment, rubber, and chemical industries use these products. Due to the specialized characteristics of the mineral products and the markets for these products, pulverized mineral processing plants have production rates that are less than 5% of the production capacities of conventional crushed stone plants.
In dry processing systems, the mineral aggregate material from conventional crushing and screening operations is subject to coarse and fine grinding primarily in roller mills and/or ball mills to reduce the material to the necessary product size range. A classifier is used to size the ground material and return oversized material that can be pulverized using either wet or dry processes. The classifier can either be associated with the grinding operation, or it can be a standalone process unit. Fabric filters control particulate matter emissions from the grinding operation and the classifier. The products are stored in silos and are shipped by truck or in bags.
In wet processing systems, the mineral aggregate material is processed in wet mode coarse and fine grinding operations. Beneficiation processes use flotation to separate mineral impurities. Finely ground material is concentrated and flash dried. Fabric filters are used to control particulate matter emissions from the flash dryer. The product is then stored in silos, bagged, and shipped.
The moisture content of the material processed can have a substantial effect on emissions. This effect is evident throughout the processing operations. Surface wetness causes fine particles to agglomerate on or to adhere to the faces of larger stones, with a resulting dust suppression effect. However, as new fine particles are created by crushing and attrition and as the moisture content is reduced by evaporation, this suppressive effect diminishes and may disappear. Plants that use wet suppression systems (spray nozzles) to maintain relatively high material moisture contents can effectively control PM emissions throughout the process.
Depending on the geographical and climatic conditions, the moisture content of mined rock can range from nearly zero to several percent. Because moisture content is usually expressed on a basis of overall weight percent, the actual moisture amount per unit area will vary with the size of the rock being handled. On a constant mass-fraction basis, the per-unit area moisture content varies inversely with the diameter of the rock. The suppressive effect of the moisture depends on both the absolute mass water content and the size of the rock product. Typically, wet material contains >1.5 percent water.
A variety of material, equipment , and operating factors can influence emissions from crushing. These factors include (1) stone type, (2) feed size and distribution, (3) moisture content, (4) throughput rate, (5) crusher type, (6) size reduction ratio, and (7) fines content. Insufficient data are available to present a matrix of rock crushing emission factors detailing the above classifications and variables.
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Pulverized Mineral Processing
Pulverized minerals are produced at specialized processing plants. These plants supply mineral products ranging from sizes of approximately 1 micrometer to more than 75 micrometers aerodynamic diameter. Pharmaceutical, paint, plastics, pigment, rubber, and chemical industries use these products. Due to the specialized characteristics of the mineral products and the markets for these products, pulverized mineral processing plants have production rates that are less than 5% of the production capacities of conventional crushed stone plants.
In dry processing systems, the mineral aggregate material from conventional crushing and screening operations is subject to coarse and fine grinding primarily in roller mills and/or ball mills to reduce the material to the necessary product size range. A classifier is used to size the ground material and return oversized material that can be pulverized using either wet or dry processes. The classifier can either be associated with the grinding operation, or it can be a standalone process unit. Fabric filters control particulate matter emissions from the grinding operation and the classifier. The products are stored in silos and are shipped by truck or in bags.
In wet processing systems, the mineral aggregate material is processed in wet mode coarse and fine grinding operations. Beneficiation processes use flotation to separate mineral impurities. Finely ground material is concentrated and flash dried. Fabric filters are used to control particulate matter emissions from the flash dryer. The product is then stored in silos, bagged, and shipped.
The moisture content of the material processed can have a substantial effect on emissions. This effect is evident throughout the processing operations. Surface wetness causes fine particles to agglomerate on or to adhere to the faces of larger stones, with a resulting dust suppression effect. However, as new fine particles are created by crushing and attrition and as the moisture content is reduced by evaporation, this suppressive effect diminishes and may disappear. Plants that use wet suppression systems (spray nozzles) to maintain relatively high material moisture contents can effectively control PM emissions throughout the process.
Depending on the geographical and climatic conditions, the moisture content of mined rock can range from nearly zero to several percent. Because moisture content is usually expressed on a basis of overall weight percent, the actual moisture amount per unit area will vary with the size of the rock being handled. On a constant mass-fraction basis, the per-unit area moisture content varies inversely with the diameter of the rock. The suppressive effect of the moisture depends on both the absolute mass water content and the size of the rock product. Typically, wet material contains >1.5 percent water.
A variety of material, equipment , and operating factors can influence emissions from crushing. These factors include (1) stone type, (2) feed size and distribution, (3) moisture content, (4) throughput rate, (5) crusher type, (6) size reduction ratio, and (7) fines content. Insufficient data are available to present a matrix of rock crushing emission factors detailing the above classifications and variables.