The AVANTIS project is developing innovative, water-lean and/or water-free technologies to improve the processing of vanadium-bearing titanomagnetite ores, supporting Europe’s transition toward sustainable and resource-efficient mining. Within Work Package 3 (WP3), our focus is on selective fragmentation and dry pre-concentration methods to produce two distinct pre-concentrates: an ilmenite-rich titanium pre-concentrate and an ilmenite-free vanadium pre-concentrate.

Since the start of the project, partners from the University of Oulu (Finland), AGH University of Science and Technology (Poland), and NTNU (Norway) have been testing three key fragmentation technologies: high-pressure grinding rolls (HPGR), high-voltage pulse fragmentation (HVPF), and the University of Oulu’s patented continuous compressing lamella crusher (CLC). Case studies on two types of Fe-Ti-V-bearing ores have shown that HPGR and CLC can significantly improve mineral liberation, in some cases by more than 20% compared to conventional jaw crusher and ball mill grinding, while producing less fine material. This is critical for water-free processing, as excessive fines are difficult to handle in dry separation.

Results so far are very promising. HPGR stands out as the most effective technology, consistently achieving high liberation rates for both magnetite and ilmenite, while CLC offers a viable alternative where HPGR is not available. Recent HVPF test results, now available, confirm that higher pulse energies yield better selective fragmentation. Among the tested energy levels (150, 500, and 900 pulses), the 900-pulse setting provided the highest overall liberation efficiency, especially for magnetite and ilmenite, with the largest share of particles exceeding 70% liberation.

Having partially achieved the project target of at least 20% higher liberation, WP3 has now progressed to the next phase: combining selective blasting (WP2) with fragmentation tests. Test work is currently ongoing on selected Fe-Ti-V blast ore, which will allow for a comprehensive “mine-to-mill” assessment of liberation performance and energy efficiency.

The next stage of WP3 will integrate these selective fragmentation methods with magnetic separation to produce high-quality pre-concentrates and validate an adaptable flowsheet for energy- and water-efficient beneficiation. Together, these results will contribute to a strong framework for sustainable processing of Europe’s critical raw materials.

Authors: Christiana OYINLOYE¹, Saija LUUKKANEN¹, Samuel HARTIKAINEN¹, Niina PAASOVAARA¹, Aris WICAKSONO¹, Damian KRAWCZYKOWSKI², Daniel SARAMAK², Dariusz FOSZCZ², Aldona KRAWCZYKOWSKA², Wladyslaw ZYGO², Minna MARKKANEN³, Tegist CHERNET³

¹University of Oulu, Oulu Mining School, Finland

²AGH University of Kraków, Poland

³Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), Espoo and Outokumpu, Finland