Congratulations to the CEEC Medal Winners

The Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution (CEEC) Medal is granted annually to authors of outstanding papers that present innovative approaches to enhancing energy efficiency in comminution and mineral processing (MEI Online). This year's Medal for Technical Research has been awarded to Laureate Professor Graeme Jameson and Dr Cagri Emer from the Centre for Multiphase Processes, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. The Medal for Operations was awarded to Kyle Bartholomew, Rob McIvor and Omar Arafat from Metcom Technologies, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, US for their AusIMM Mill Ops publication A guide to maximising ball mill circuit classification system efficiency (CSE), for operators and equipment designers.

I am particularly pleased that the University of Newcastle paper Coarse chalcopyrite recovery in a universal froth flotation machine, was presented at Flotation '17 in Cape Town, and was published in Minerals Engineering (134, 118-133) in April.

Cagri Emer and Graeme Jameson

The paper describes the development of a new froth flotation machine, known as the NovaCell. It can recover mineral particles over a wide particle size range, from the lower limit of flotation, to an upper limit which depends on the liberation characteristics of the ore. In a single device, the collection of the fines and the coarse particles takes place in separate environments. The finest particles are contacted with bubbles in a high-energy aerator, while the coarse particles are captured by bubbles in the gentle environment in a fluidised bed.

The NovaCell delivers two tailings streams, one of which has been de-slimed in the fluidised bed. It can be drawn from the Cell at a high percent solids, and is suitable for dry stacking without further dewatering, which could make it very attractive in the light of the new approaches being considered for tailings disposal. We will hear more about the NovaCell from Jameson and Emer at Flotation '19.

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