Over the years, alternative procedures to the Bond grindability test have been proposed aiming to avoid the need for the standard mill or to reduce and simplify the grinding procedure. Some of them use the standard mill, while others are based on a non-standard mill or computation techniques. Therefore, papers targeting to propose a better alternative claim to improve validity, to reduce test duration, or to propose simpler and faster alternative methods for determining the Bond work index (w_i). In this review paper, a compilation and critical analysis of selected proposals is performed, concluding that some of the short procedures could be useful for control purposes, while the simulation-based procedures could be interesting within a process digitalisation strategy.

Mining is a crucial sector in the global economy, providing essential materials for various industries, including construction, electronics, and energy. However, traditional mining practices often have significant negative impacts on the environment. Therefore, integrating sustainable practices into mining has become vital. Grinding is a crucial stage in the mineral processing industry, essential in liberating valuable minerals from ore. However, it is also one of the most energy-intensive processes in mining operations, consuming a substantial amount of electricity. Understanding and optimising electricity consumption in the grinding process is essential for enhancing energy efficiency and reducing operational costs. The relationship between electricity consumption in the grinding process and the Bond Work Index (BWI) is a crucial aspect of mineral processing and energy management in the mining industry. Understanding this relationship helps optimise grinding operations and improve energy efficiency. This review paper continues a previous work, where possible alternative modified methods for estimating the BWI in a Bond ball mill are presented. An analysis of selected methods is also provided to assess and obtain an accurate value of the BWI, which is essential in the grinding process. The methods for estimating the BWI using the wet method are presented. It is shown how the BWI can be estimated using dynamic elastic parameters and how changes in the Bond ball mill affect the BWI value. New equations for calculating the BWI and alternative procedures for evaluating the BWI in samples of non-standard size are proposed. The paper presents a comparative analysis of all presented methods.

As water is essential to life and is an indispensable resource for ecosystems and their services and for nearly all human activities, the goal of this research was to evaluate the surface water quality of the Danube as it passes through the Romania–Serbia border in the nature reservations Djerdap and Iron Gate. The study aimed to assess the oxygen regime, nutrients and heavy metals contamination of the surface waters of the Danube on a length of about 240 km, between Bazias and Iron Gate II. Reference sampling and analytical methods (UV-VIS and AAS) were deployed to reach this goal. In addition, sediments were analyzed through back scattered SEM-EDAX for the elemental analysis of the sediment surface. Results obtained show a low environmental impact of heavy metals, while the Danube’s oxygen regime is under stress due to nutrients’ (nitrites and orthophosphates) significant concentration in the Danube surface water in the analyzed sector. Our approach can be applied to other water bodies in the area, to increase available scientific data together with societal awareness of the Danube’s environmental risks.