Ore Sorting
Reject WasteBefore the Mill
Minpraxis evaluates sensor-based ore sorting for mining projects and operations, from grade heterogeneity to economics, for both bulk and particle sorting.
Expertise
Built on Research
Our team’s PhD research focused on sensor-based ore sorting for cave mines. At New Afton, that research led to a bulk sorting system being installed to identify and reject waste.
The same work, and the papers that came from it, shape how we evaluate sorting today.
Ore sorting papers in the Technical LibraryBulk Sorting
Sorting ore by the bucket or shovel, truck load or section of conveyor, before it reaches the mill.
Particle Sorting
Sorting individual rocks, one by one, after crushing.
How we evaluate sorting
Four Steps
Each study answers one question: can sorting work for this deposit, and does it pay?
Heterogeneity Analysis
How grade varies across the deposit, and at what scale it varies: the bucket, the truck or the individual rock.
Sensor Evaluation
Which sensors could tell ore from waste, based on the grade heterogeneity and the sensors available for the commodity, such as gold or copper.
Sorting Analysis
Sorting performance, through:
- Metal recovery with and without sorting
- Results at a range of mining and sorting cut-off grades
- Mass pull and rejection rates
- Mill feed grade improvement
Economic Feasibility
Whether sorting pays, tested through sensitivity analysis.
Completed studies
Ore Sorting Studies
Sorting studies for open-pit and underground projects.
Gold Project
Northwestern Ontario · Open pit
Sensor-Based Sorting Assessment
Heterogeneity analysis of drill core data, sensor evaluation using proxy elements for gold, and a preliminary economic evaluation of bulk sorting.
Copper-Gold Project
Northern BC · Block cave
Bulk and Particle Sorting Evaluation
Comparison of bulk and particle sorting options for the underground project, with a sampling plan for testing.
Copper-Gold Mine
South Australia · Sublevel cave
Remote Sensing for Caved Ore
Use of scintillators to monitor uranium, copper and gold in caved material, and identification of copper-barren gold ore.
Gold Project
Central BC · Open pit
Ore Sorting Trade-Off Study
Bulk and particle sorting flowsheets compared with options without sorting, including mass pull, recovery and financial analysis.
Talk to Our Team
Considering ore sorting? Tell us about your deposit and what you want to sort.