Tracking cobalt deportment from primary ore to copper tailings and determining reprocessing potential

The high demand for cobalt in the global energy transition is driving the mining industry to explore alternative and more ethical cobalt sources. Reprocessing of copper flotation tailings is a potential circular economy approach to managing mine waste and supplementing global critical minerals supply. Tracking cobalt deportment from primary ore, through the concentrator and into tailings is a critical first step in assessing the valorisation potential. The mineralogy, particle liberation properties and mineral associations strongly influence the recoverability of cobalt from tailings. This research integrated Micro-X-Ray Fluorescence (mu XRF), chemical assay, Mineral Liberation Analysis (MLA) and Advanced Mineral Identification and Characterization System (AMICS) to geometallurgically track cobalt deportment throughout an operating copper flotation circuit and into the fresh tailings. Cobalt was found to be hosted in several mineral phases, including cobaltiferous sulphides and pyrite. Detailed geometallurgical characterisation and deportment studies will assist in identifying mineral processing pathways to recovering value from copper tailings.