Specific kinetic features of perovskite ore grinding

Perovskite is a promising source of titanium dioxide, rare, and rareearth metals. The titanomagnetite present in perovskite ores has the potential to become a valuable resource for Russian titanium metallurgy, which is currently facing a significant supply deficit. This study focuses on optimizing the comminution of perovskite ores to maximize mineral liberation while minimizing overgrinding. A comparative analysis of rod and ball milling was conducted based on process kinetics, evaluating specific mill productivity, energy consumption, grinding rates of target size fractions, fines generation, and the degree of perovskite and titanomagnetite liberation. Optimal grinding conditions for both rod and ball mills were identified. Rod milling proved most effective for coarse grinding, achieving a particle size of 0.6–0.7 mm with 15 % passing 0.071 mm. This ensures sufficient liberation of coarse-grained perovskite and titanomagnetite and is well-suited for gravity-flotation processing. A closed grinding cycle with screening at 0.4 (0.3) mm is recommended to minimize locked particles in the gravity circuit feed. For finer grinding to a flotation size of –0.2 mm, ball milling is preferable. In this case, to prevent excessive fines generation, it is advisable to pre-crush perovskite ore to achieve 32–36 % passing 0.071 mm before subjecting it to oversize screening at 0.2 mm. Under these recommended conditions, both rod and ball mills demonstrate high specific productivity for the target size classes (–0.4 mm and –0.2 mm), low energy consumption, and controlled fines generation.