High-Purity Metal Extraction Using Machine Vision

Metals are essential for enabling the energy transition our society currently aims for. Before any
metallurgical process to extract metals from minerals, a mineral concentration step is first required
to minimize the energetic requirements of metal extraction. Froth flotation is a widely used process
to concentrate minerals. This process involves a series of steps to ensure its quality.

Initially, a rock containing, inter alia, the desired mineral (and consequently metal) is ground into a
fine powder. This fine powder is then suspended in water, creating a mixture. Reagents are used to
modify the surface properties of a few target minerals, rendering some hydrophobic and others
hydrophilic. A jet of air is introduced as fine bubbles into this mixture. Hydrophobic minerals can
then collide with and attach to bubbles, which will assist the flotation of these minerals to the top of
the reactor. When reaching the top of the cell, bubble-particle aggregates will form a froth layer,
which properties (e.g., thickness, bubble size distribution, movement speed) partly controls the
selectivity of the overall process. These properties are also indicative of the mechanisms taking
place in the flotation reactor.

The froth, enriched with the hydrophobic particles, is then collected from the surface to obtain the
mineral concentrate. Often, batch laboratory experiments are conducted to better understand the
process mechanisms and the influence of different operating parameters or reagent types. In batch
experiments, the pulp level in the reactor must be kept constant throughout the entire experiment to
assure that the froth layer may always be collected over the lip. An automated pulp level control is
fundamental to minimize the variability of laboratory experiments.

The aim of this thesis is threefold:

1. To determine the location of the pulp-froth interface during an experiment using a raspberry
pi camera — thus requiring an efficient image processing algorithm. Use this script for
assisting an automated pulp level control with a peristaltic pump.
2. Write an algorithm to quantify properties (e.g., thickness, bubble size distribution,
movement speed) based on top and side view cameras. Potentially use the results of this
algorithm as training data for deep learning models.
3. To establish the relationship between froth properties (e.g., thickness, bubble size
distribution, movement speed), operating parameters (e.g., reagent type and concentration),
and metallurgical responses (e.g., grade and recovery).

Solution:

1. The location of the froth will be determined using advanced machine vision techniques.
Machine vision systems will be employed to monitor and track the froth layer, ensuring
accurate detection and location and also the amount of water required.