The course begins with a multimedia-based introduction to the field of mineral and metallurgical processing, from the mining operation to environmental rehabilitation. The course then requires students to perform experiments and to analyse the subsequent data from a cone crusher, ball mill or HPGR, in-line pressure jig, hydrocyclones, flotation cell, leach cell, DC plasma-arc furnace and electrowinning cell. Here, the HPGR, ball mill, in-line pressure jig, flotation cell and DC plasma-arc furnace are pilot-scale units. Finally, students are required to develop a simplified process simulation of one of the above unit operations using a spreadsheet-based method.

*Course content subject to change