Yousef Ghorbani

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
• Professor (Full) at University of Lincoln

Integrated workflows for mineral resource estimation from exploration to mining must be able to process typical geodata (e.g., borehole data), perform data engineering (e.g., geodomaining), and spatial modeling (e.g., block modeling). Several methods exist, however they can only handle individual subtasks, and are either semi or fully automatable....

Witwatersrand-type gold deposits in South Africa are generally amenable to cyanidation due to their free-milling nature. However, the relatively easy-to-process gold ores have been mostly depleted, and the remaining ores are of low-grade combined with semi-refractory properties. Here, we use an integrated approach to understand the mineralogical an...

Rare earth metals (REMs) are indispensable for producing high-performance permanent magnets, key components in many clean energy technologies, such as wind turbines. However, the limited availability and environmental impact of rare earth mining, processing, and purification pose challenges for the green energy transition. This review paper provide...

We present here the first experimental science (consensus)-based mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM) method and its validation results in the form of national prospectivity maps and datasets for PGE–Ni–Cu–Cr and Witwatersrand-type Au deposits in South Africa. The research objectives were: (1) to develop the method toward applicative uses; (2) to th...

Geochemical surveys are a cornerstone for data generation in geosciences, facilitating resource exploration. Geochemical data is essential for identifying mineralized areas, understanding local geology and assessing environmental impacts. This paper aims to: (1) review the process of geochemical data generation to gain an appreciation of the charac...

Potassium-containing feldspars provide a high potential for producing potash, a product with widespread use in agriculture. The present work assesses applying the anti-solvent crystallization method for the purification and recovery of high-purity muriate of potash (KCl) from feldspar leaching solutions. Initially, screening experiments were carrie...

(((((Ma, L., Ghorbani, Y., Kongar-Syuryun, C. B., Khayrutdinov, M. M., Klyuev, R. V., Petenko, A., & Brigida, V. (2024). Dynamics of backfill compressive strength obtained from enrichment tails for the circular waste management. Resources, Conservation & Recycling Advances, 23, 200224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcradv.2024.200224)))))))))) Abstrac...

Mineral resources are important contributors to the global economy and societal wellbeing. Directly, they provide employment, revenue and taxes through the extraction, processing and sale of minerals. Indirectly, they are essential to all modern industries, including: energy, manufacturing, construction, biotic and abiotic resource extraction and a...

The primary goal of mineral prospectivity mapping (MPM) is to narrow the search for mineral resources by producing spatially selective maps. However, in the data-driven domain, MPM products vary depending on the workflow implemented. Although the data science framework is popular to guide the implementation of data-driven MPM tasks, and is intended...

Regional geochemical surveys generate large amounts of data that can be used for a number of purposes such as to guide mineral exploration. Modern surveys are typically designed to permit quantification of data uncertainty through data quality metrics by using quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) methods. However, these metrics, such as da...

The energy sector is currently undergoing a transition towards increased utilization of green energy technologies. The green energy transition relies heavily on metals, such as aluminium, chromium, cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel, rare earth elements (REEs), silicon, tin, titanium, tungsten and zinc, among others. However, this transitio...

This paper explores the application of machine learning in battery recycling, aiming to enhance sustainability and process efficiency. The research focuses on three key areas: (i) Investigating machine learning's potential in predicting battery recycling viability, optimizing processes, and improving resource recovery. (ii) Assessing machine learni...

In geospatial data interpolation, as in mapping, mineral resource estimation, modeling and numerical modeling in geosciences, kriging has been a central technique since the advent of geostatistics. Here, we introduce a new method for spatial interpolation in 2D and 3D using a block discretization technique (i.e., microblocking) using purely machine...

This comprehensive study focuses on the geometallurgical characterization of the complex Lappberget poly-metallic Zn-Pb-Ag-(Cu-Au) sulfide deposit at the Garpenberg mine, one of Sweden's largest and most significant sources of zinc, lead, and silver. The research explores the intricate mineralogy and texture of the ore, investigating its impact on...

Geochemical surveys contain an implicit data lifecycle or pipeline that consists of data generation (e.g., sampling and analysis), data management (e.g., quality assurance and control, curation, provisioning and stewardship) and data usage (e.g., mapping, modeling and hypothesis testing). The current integration of predictive analytics (e.g., artif...

Critical Raw Materials (or CRMs) are materials that are in high demand, difficult to replace and whose supply is prone to disruption. Various nations have defined CRM lists, although terminology, supporting data and assessment frameworks differ. The European Union (EU) has the longest published history of CRM lists with the first one published in 2...

Due to anthropogenic activities of arsenic, its contamination has been widely recognized as one of the most consequential environmental pollutants. This study aims to investigate the possible controlling factors in the amount of arsenic in copper concentrate of the Sungun processing plant-located in northwestern Iran. For this purpose, via utilizat...

Technology, in addition to supply and demand, is driving current advances in mineral processing. Over the past three decades, demand for various minerals has continued to rise, while the mineral processing sector has faced challenges such as the need for more sophisticated ore treatment, lower plant feed quality, and poorer plant performance due to...

Machine-aided geological interpretation provides an opportunity for rapid and data-driven decision-making. In disciplines such as geostatistics, the integration of machine learning has the potential to improve the reliability of mineral resources and ore reserve estimates. In this study, inspired by existing geostatistical approaches that use radia...

Remote sensing data is a cheap form of surficial geoscientific data, and in terms of veracity, velocity and volume, can sometimes be considered big data. Its spatial and spectral resolution continues to improve over time, and some modern satellites, such as the Copernicus Programme's Sentinel-2 remote sensing satellites, offer a spatial resolution...

Underground mining has historically occurred in surface and near-surface (shallow) mineral deposits. While no universal definition of deep underground mining exists, humanity's need for non-renewable natural resources has inevitably pushed the boundaries of possibility in terms of environmental and technological constraints. Recently, deep undergro...

The interaction and synergic effect of particle size on flotation efficiency were investigated by a comparison study between laboratories (size-by-size flotation modes) and industrial scale operational data (whole mixed size fraction). For this purpose, sampling was done from the feed, concentrate, and tailing of the flotation rougher cells of the...

Dry laboratories (dry labs) are laboratories dedicated to using and creating data (they are data-centric). Several aspects of the minerals industry (e.g., exploration, extraction and beneficiation) generate multi-scale and multivariate data that are ultimately used to make decisions. Dry labs and digitalization are closely and intricately linked in...

In exploration geochemistry, advances in the detection limit, breadth of elements analyze-able, accuracy and precision of analytical instruments have motivated the re-analysis of legacy samples to improve confidence in geochemical data and gain more insights into potentially mineralized areas. While a re-analysis campaign in a geochemical explorati...

Trainings play a vital role in the transference of knowledge between skilled and novice operators in the mineral industry. Evaluation is an important part of those trainings, but many trainings rely solely on the trainees’ feedback. This paper presents how technology enhancement can help produce more effective training evaluations to the mineral in...

Most known mineral deposits were discovered by accident using expensive, time-consuming, and knowledge-based methods such as stream sediment geochemical data, diamond drilling, reconnaissance geochemical and geophysical surveys, and/or remote sensing. Recent years have seen a decrease in the number of newly discovered mineral deposits and a rise in...

The efficiency of grinding and flotation process in copper-molybdenum processing circuit, largely affected by performance of thickeners and hydrocyclones devices. The goal of this paper is to investigate the effect of the rate-limiting factors on the performance of these devices and consequently on grinding and separation efficiency of the molybden...

The Assen Fe ore deposit is a banded iron formation (BIF)-hosted orebody, occurring in the Penge Formation of the Transvaal Supergroup, located 50 km northwest of Pretoria in South Africa. Most BIF-hosted Fe ore deposits have experienced post-depositional alteration including supergene enrichment of Fe and low-grade regional metamorphism. Unlike mo...

A sphalerite deportment study using QEMSCAN® was conducted to understand the distribution of the sphalerite grains with varying iron and manganese content during a multi-stage Zn-Pb-Cu flotation of a complex ore. In addition, the study aims to understand the effect of sphalerite chemistry in relation to grain size and liberation. Mineral chemistry,...

The concept of the 4th industrial revolution is becoming a strategic determinant of sustainability, success and competitiveness in the modern mining sector. The importance of digital transformation in the mining industry has long been debated, hampered in part by the conservative nature of the mining sector. Much of the debate has focused on choosi...

The supply and demand of minerals from 1950 to 2020 is examined by focusing on known causal relationships and historical drivers such as the Cold War, and how these have impacted the supply and demand of minerals. The complex, and often fascinating, events that have influenced supply and demand in the minerals market, including geopolitics, environ...

The world continues to experience a surge in data generation and digital transformation. Historic data is increasingly being replaced by modernized data, such as big data, which is regarded as data that exhibits the 5Vs: volume, variety, velocity, veracity and value. The capacity to optimally use and comprehend value from big data has become an ind...

Redox potential (Eh) control plays a significant role during sulfide mineral flotation by influencing the reactions on the surface of the minerals and accordingly the flotation behaviour. In this study, the metallurgical performance of typical copper sulfide minerals, molybdenite as well as gangue minerals (e.g., pyrite, tennantite, and enargite) u...

Geological and geophysical models are essential for developing reliable mine designs and mineral processing flowsheets. For mineral resource assessment, mine planning, and mineral processing, a deeper understanding of the orebody's features, geology, mineralogy, and variability is required. We investigated the gold-bearing Black Reef Formation in t...

Geoscientists deal with multi-scale/source data that are difficult to model and visualize using conventional tools. A move toward new data analytics and machine learning (ML) is challenged by several factors such as a lack of spatial constraints when using classic machine learning algorithms and irreproducible predicted versus observed values at a...

The type and dosage of flocculants used in the middle thickener of the copper-molybdenum plant, in addition to adjusting the quality of recycled process water, is very effective on the floatability of molybdenite. In this study, the effect of starch-based flocculant (wheat starch) were investigated on the efficiency of middle thickener and molybden...

Data-driven methods have increasingly been applied to solve geoscientific problems. Incorporation of data-driven methods with hypothesis testing can be effective to address some long-standing debates and reduce interpretation uncertainty by leveraging larger volumes of data and more objective data analytics, which leads to increased reproducibility...

There is a lack of skilled operators for mineral processing plants in the mining sector, which might be related to the challenge of creating trainings that addresses the operator’s daily work problems. In recent years, the use of simulator-based trainings as a tool to build competence has grown in many different fields. With the help of technologie...

Mine waste can create long-term and occasionally catastrophic environmental degradation. Due diligence of mine waste in the form of monitoring and maintenance requires a constant supply of societal resources. Furthermore, mine waste is unlikely to disappear with current mining methods and instead, it is more likely to accumulate at a faster rate du...

Transitioning to a decarbonized and circular economy is paramount for climate change mitigation and sustainable development. In this paper we assess the global production trends of cobalt, an energy-transition metal (ETM), and its supply sustainability. Accurate production forecasting of ETMs is essential to understand the dynamics of energy supply...

The quest for steady primary supplies of critical raw materials (CRMs) creates significant waste, which is inevitably generated at each phase of mining and mineral processing. Waste from extraction, separation and refinement of non-renewable natural resources is accumulated globally and creates not only environmental hazards but also economic possi...

Heap leaching is a firm extractive metallurgical technology facilitating the economical processing of different kinds of low-grade ores that are otherwise not exploited. Nevertheless, regardless of much development since it was first used, the process advantages are restricted by low recoveries and long extraction times. It is becoming progressivel...

Current advances and developments in automated mineralogy have made it a crucial key technology in the field of process mineralogy, allowing better understanding and connection between mineralogy and the beneficiation process. The latest developments in X‑ray micro-computed tomography (µCT) have shown a great potential to let it become the next-gen...

Gilsonite has a wide variety of applications in the industry, including the manufacture of electrodes, paints and resins, as well as the production of asphalt and roof-waterproofing material. Gilsonite ash is a determining parameter for its application in some industries (e.g., gilsonite with ash content < 5% used as an additive in drilling fluids,...

The complex mineralogy and low concentration of silver in polymetallic ores makes mineralogical characterization and extraction challenging. In this study, quantified mineralogical characterization of the flotation products from batch flotation tests was undertaken for a silver-rich zinc-lead ore using QEMSCAN® (Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals...

Qualitative and quantitative mineralogical and textural investigations were undertaken for the different sulfide minerals in the 1.89 Ga Lappberget deposit, with a focus on sphalerite and pyrite. Three sphalerite types were identified and associated with: (1) main massive sulfide mineralization, (2) Fe-Mn skarn ore, and (3) Ag-rich fissure veins. S...

Gilsonite is a natural occurrence of bitumen and consists of a complex structure of organic compounds. Gilsonite has a wide variety of applications in the industry, including the manufacture of electrodes, paints and resins, as well as the production of asphalt and roof-waterproofing material. Ash content of gilsonite is a determining parameter for...

Prediction of mineral liberation is one of the key steps in establishing a link between ore texture and its processing behavior. With the rapid development of X-ray Microcomputed Tomography (µCT), the extension of liberation modeling into 3D realms becomes possible. Liberation modeling allows for the generation of particle population from 3D textur...

The accelerated growth in global demand for Manganese coincides with the continuing depletion of high-grade ores on the earth's surface. This element is essential for diverse markets such as steel production, dietary additives, fertilizers, cells, fine chemicals, and some chemical reagents. Interestingly, there are large mineral reserves in the oce...

RawRaw materialsmaterialsMaterials (RM) are crucial for maintaining our standard of living internationally. The fourth industrial revolution and the energy transition are reliant on access to various RMs. High-tech RMs are usually extracted as by-products from ore deposits. To increase the production of rare high-tech RM, it is essential to modify...

The history of the metallurgical industry is rich with data. An enormous amount of data is generated from mining operations and industrial factories, and as deployment of new technologies such as on-line monitoring and in-situ instrumentation proliferate through the 4th industrial revolution, the quantity and quality of data will increase dramatica...

Particle size distribution is an important parameter in flotation process, which affects the floatability and therefore the flotation kinetics. This study aims to investigate the effects of particle size distributio n on flotation kinetics of bituminous coal. For this purpose, a series of batch flotation experiments were conducted in rougher stage,...

Advancements in modern mineral processing has been driven by technology and fuelled by market economics of supply and demand. Over the last three decades, the demand for various minerals has steadily increased, while the mineral processing industry has seen an unavoidable increase in the treatment of complex ores, continuous decline in plant feed g...

Industrial activities, such as mining, electroplating, cement production, and metallurgical operations, as well as manufacturing of plastics, fertilizers, pesticides, batteries, dyes or anticorrosive agents, can cause metal contamination in the surrounding environment. This is an acute problem due to the non-biodegradable nature of metal pollutants...

Metal accounting is becoming an area of growing focus because of the requirement for the resulting data to feed directly into financial reports. It is vital in the fulfillment of best corporate governance practices and to provide assurance on metallurgical processes. The current metal accounting practices deliver a number of important measures, but...

The Sungun copper-molybdenum operation in Iran uses a typical copper-molybdenum flowsheet to produce separate copper and molybdenum concentrates through flotation and regrinding of the rougher concentrates arising from the primary circuit. This site was used as a case study limited to the feed and products of the copper-molybdenum separation circui...

Urmia Lake is a shallow terminal Lake located in northwest Iran and it is one of the largest permanent Lakes in the Middle East. In this study, the changes in soil salinity at Urmia Lake were investigated using satellite images and the oldest salinity map of the area over a period of 45 years from 1973 to 2018. The distribution of salinity in 2018...

The original version of the article unfortunately contained an error in Table 9. In article PDF, Table 7 was inadvertently repeated in place of Table 9 instead of placing the appropriate table. However, the article available online is correct.

In mining the concept of sustainable development often encounters a paradoxical meaning as numerous mines in the past have closed due to exhausted amounts of ores. Despite the paradox, sustainable development and mining can be made compatible, if mining activities are carried out responsibly and sustainably. This holds true especially in the develo...

A less harmful approach for the environment regarding chalcopyrite concentrate leaching, using seawater/brine and caliche’s salts as a source of chloride and nitrate ions, was investigated. Different variables were evaluated: sulfuric acid concentration, sodium nitrate concentration, chloride concentration, source of water (distilled water, seawate...

Texture is one of the critical parameters that affect the process behavior of ore minerals. Traditionally, texture has been described qualitatively, but recent works have shown the possibility to quantify mineral textures with the help of computer vision and digital image analysis. Most of these studies utilized 2D computer vision to evaluate miner...

The purpose of this study was to produce novel eco-friendly organoclays for removing toxic elements from aqueous environment. In the present research, nano-bentonite (Bent) and nano-montmorillonite (MT) minerals were treated with novel ionic liquids including 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride ([Omim][Cl]), 3,3′-(hexane-1,6-diyl) bis (1-methyl-im...

Gilsonite as a natural occurrence of bitumen and due to the presence of carbon in its structure is a suitable adsorbent for a wide variety of pollutants. In this research, the adsorption of cyanide from the wastewater of gold processing plants using gilsonite were investigated. In this way, the effect of particle size of gilsonite, the weight and m...

The polymetallic Lappberget ore body represents one of the largest and most significant source for zinc, lead and silver in Sweden. The complex association and occurrence of sulfide minerals pose particular challenges during ore beneficiation. Therefore, this study aims to provide a detailed mineralogical assessment of the sulfide ore at Lappberget...

Geometallurgy has become an important tool for mitigating production risks and improving economic performance in the modern mining industry. Multiple definitions and visions of geometallurgy have been proposed during the last decades. Most of them define geometallurgy as a bridge between geology and mineral processing. Such a definition is rather c...

In this paper, the effect of the cupric and chloride ions concentrations on copper dissolution from chalcopyrite concentrate was studied in acidified media. Variables included three different concentrations of Cu2+ (0.5, 1.5, and 2.5 g L−1), four different concentrations of Cl− (0, 5, 7, and 10 g L−1), two different pH values of 1 and 2, and a cons...

The 58 Mt Lappberget Zn-Pb-Ag-(Cu-Au) ore body represents one of the largest and most significant polymetallic base metal sulfide deposits in Sweden. The complex mineralogical characteristics of the ore body pose particularly tough challenges for successful production forecast because of the mixed Zn-Pb-Cu base metals, the complex association of th...

X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) offers a non-destructive three-dimensional analysis of ores but its application in mineralogical analysis and mineral segmentation is relatively limited. In this study, the application of machine learning techniques for segmenting mineral phases in a µCT dataset is presented. Various techniques were implemented,...

Water scarcity dictates to limit the use of water in ore processing plants particularly in arid regions. Since wet grinding is the most common method for particle size reduction and mineral liberation, there is a lack of understanding about the effects of dry grinding on downstream separation processes such as flotation. This manuscript compiles va...

Gilsonite is a natural fossil resource, similar to an oil asphalt high in asphaltenes. To determine the effect of reagent regime on the kinetic order and rate of flotation for a gilsonite sample, experiments were carried out in both rougher and cleaner flotation process. Experiments were conducted using different combinations of reagent: oil – MIBC...

Gold production in South Africa is projected to continue its decline in future, and prospects for discovery of new high-grade deposits are limited. Many of the mining companies have resorted to mining and processing low-grade and complex gold ores. Such ores are technically challenging to process, which results in low recovery rates, excessive reag...

Kinetic models are the most important tool for predicting and evaluating the performance of flotation circuits. Gilsonite is a natural fossil resource similar to an oil asphalt, high in asphaltenes. Here, in order to determine the kinetic order and flotation rate of a gilsonite sample, flotation experiments were carried out in both rougher and clea...

In recent years, automated mineralogy has become an essential enabling technology in the field of process mineralogy, allowing better understanding between mineralogy and the beneficiation process. Recent developments in X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) as a non-destructive technique have indicated great potential to become the next automated...

A spatial model for process properties allows for improved production planning in mining by considering the process variability of the deposit. Hitherto, machine-learning modelling methods have been underutilised for spatial modelling in geometallurgy. The goal of this project is to find an efficient way to integrate process properties (iron recove...

The aim of this study is to apply process mineralogy as a practical tool for further understanding and predicting the flotation kinetics of the copper sulfide minerals. The minerals’ composition and association, grain distribution, and liberation within the ore samples were analyzed in the feed, concentrate, and the tailings of the flotation proces...

The main advantage of X-ray microcomputed tomography (µCT) as a non-destructive imaging tool lies in its ability to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) interior of a sample, therefore eliminating the stereological error exhibited in conventional two-dimensional (2D) image analysis. Coupled with the correct data analysis methods, µCT allows extractio...

The feed of mineral processing plants, usually consist of different minerals from various geological zones, which show different behavior in separation processes. In this research, samples from supergene and hypogene zones were provided to investigate the flotation behavior of copper minerals. Flotation experiments were carried out in three phases...

E-waste, or waste generated from electrical and electronic equipment, is considered as one of the fastest-growing waste categories, growing at a rate of 3–5% per year in the world. In 2016, 44.7 million tonnes of e-waste were generated in the world, which is equivalent to 6.1 kg for each person. E-waste is classified as a hazardous waste, but unlik...