Deterioration of mineralogical and physical characteristics of mineral raw materials results in the formation of the primary task for the comminution processes—reduction in the size of ore to obtain a material with a certain granulometric composition, which in turn is achieved by overgrinding of raw materials and, consequently, an increase in energy costs. The work aimed to justify the possibility of selective disintegration of mineral assemblages of polymetallic ores of various genesis at the stage of crushing based on in-depth investigation and revealing of interrelation and mutual influence of mineralogical-geochemical features, textural-structural and technological properties. Structural and textural features have been studied by the methods of computed X-ray microtomography. Experimental and theoretical investigations of mineralogical and technological parameters of raw materials, as well as research on crushing using different types of crushers, made it possible to substantiate the possibility of selective disintegration for polymetallic ores.

In this article, typomorphic associations of microelements in carbonaceous caustobioliths and oils are defined as indicators of naphthogenesis based on the analytical survey of the literature and our own research. Various approaches to the studying of crude oil genesis from the position of abiotic and complex approaches (polygenesis) are considered. Such approaches are relevant to the prospect and development of offshore oil deposits, localized at ultra-deep levels. For deep deposits, the most prominent hypothesis of oil origin is the abiogenious theory. In the foundation of that approach lays the assumption that hydrocarbons are formed mainly due to reactions of the formed mantle gases and the host rock. Key factors for these reactions to proceed are specific conditions concerning temperature, pressure, and specific catalysts. The article presents the results of thermodynamic and quantum-chemical modeling of the possibility of the organic and organometallic compound formation using the software package HSC Chemistry 6.0. Pointed out the possibility of a low molecular weight hydrocarbon formation due to the contact of ascending flows of mantle gases with cooling natural barriers. The primary synthesis proceeds with the interaction of fluid forms of H₂, CO_2, and H₂S. The estimation of the bonding energy depending on the structure of organometallic compounds was performed using the Avogadro software package. The program used the method of bond potential energy minimization to find the most stable structure of molecules. The metals nickel and vanadium, as the main companion metals of oil, are of the most interest from the position of analysis of their form of existence in the possible formation of hydrocarbons. Vanadium’s and nickel’s accumulation in asphaltene fractions of oils, probably, is caused by complex compounds of metalloporphyrin’s formation. In addition, the high sulfur content is probably associated with polymerization of organic molecules due to the formation of di-sulphide bonds. The method of cavitation extraction of organometallic compounds from oil and complex mineral–oil raw materials has been developed for experimental confirmation of microelements the extraction capability from oil raw materials.

Digital technology is being introduced into all areas of human activity. However, there are a number of challenges in implementing these technologies. These include the delayed return on investment, the lack of visibility for decision-makers and, most importantly, the lack of human capacity to develop and implement digital technologies. Therefore, creating a digital training simulator for the industry is an actual task. This paper focuses on the first step in creating a digital training simulator for the industry: developing a dynamic process model. The process chosen is flotation, as it is one of the most common mineral processing methods. The simulation was performed in AVEVA Dynamic Simulation software. The model is based on a determination of reaction rate constants, for which, experiments were conducted on a laboratory pneumomechanical flotation machine with a bottom drive. The resulting model was scaled up to industrial size and its dynamic properties were investigated. In addition, the basic scheme of a computer simulator was considered, and the testing of the communication channels of a dynamic model with systems, equipment and software for digitalizing was conducted. The developed model showed acceptable results for its intended purpose, namely, an exact match to the technological process in terms of time. This helps to account for inertia and a fast response on all tested communication channels, as well as being acceptable for the real-time simulation speed of the solver.

The mining industry is faced with the problem of depletion of reserves of easily beneficiated minerals containing valuable metals. The characteristic features of the ores involved in processing are fine dissemination; low content of valuable components; and similar physical, chemical, surface, and technological properties of minerals, among others. Under such conditions, increasing the efficiency of mineral processing becomes of primary importance. Creating highly efficient, environmentally safe technologies on the basis of deep study of the material, chemical, and mineralogical composition, as well as using and developing methods and techniques for testing mineral materials at successive stages of raw material transformation, enable to solve such problems. Criteria for assessing the flow of technological processes are presented in the article. A complex criterion is substantiated and proposed for quantitative assessment of the degree of physical and energy impact at the stages of ore preparation and flotation enrichment of mineral raw materials. The criterion is calculated on the basis of activation energy data calculated by differential and integral kinetic methods. In addition, an empirical indicator was introduced into the complex criterion, which allows increasing the accuracy of the calculated criterion. This criterion not only allows to estimate the degree of influence from the position of averaged estimation on the full interval of degrees of transformation from 0 to 1, but also gives the possibility to consider the required number of degrees of transformation; for example, if it is necessary to make estimations on narrow temperature intervals. The calculation of empirical parameters for the obtained criterion is carried out before and after the application of physical–energetic methods of influence using thermal analysis.

The article considers the possibility of improving the processing technology for gold sulfide ores based on respective simulation results. An alternative approach to establishing the floatability parameter is presented. The approach is implemented using JKSimFloat software and a floatability class distribution model based on experimental data. The problems of identifying the source data for designing an accurate predictive model are considered. In particular, the results of a floatability test with the separation of material into fast-, medium-, slow-floated and non-floated fractions are presented. Studies have been carried out to evaluate the hydrophobizing ability of the reagent associated with the determination of the contact angle, in order to compare the data obtained with the classical approach to establishing the floatability index. A comprehensive study of the flotation properties of minerals enables simulating the industrial process using the JKSimFlot software package. A process flow with two rougher, three cleaner and two scavenger flotation operations in pneumatic-mechanical flotation machines was adopted as the initial process flow for the modeling purposes. A comprehensive study of the flotation properties of minerals, when combined with the use of simulation modeling, allows identifying the possible ways to increase the efficiency of mineral processing, to select and substantiate a method for optimizing the process flow by selecting the best hardware design from a variety of options, and to avoid significant costs of full-scale experiments through the development of numerous process solutions at the laboratory test stage.The work was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 19-17-00096).

The growing demand for ferrous metallurgy products necessitates the introduction of technologies that increase the efficiency of the processing of iron-bearing raw materials. A promising trend in this area is the implementation of solutions based on the possibility of selective disintegration of ores. The purpose of this work was to establish the laws of selective disintegration of ferruginous quartzites based on the results of the study of mineralogical and technological properties of raw materials. We present data on the study of mineralogical and technological features of ferruginous quartzites of the Mikhailovskoye deposit. The data were obtained using X-ray fluorescence analysis and automated mineralogical analysis. Based on studies of the nature of dissemination and the size of grains of rock-forming and ore minerals, the tasks of ore preparation are formulated. The parameters for the iron and silicon oxide distribution by grain-size classes in the grinding products were established during the study. Based on empirical dependences, the grain size of grinding was predicted, at which the most effective release of intergrowths of ore minerals and their minimum transition to the size class of –44 µm should be achieved.