Abstract
Improvement in energy efficiency, productivity, and recovery of minerals during mineral processing can help in economic savings and meeting the requirements of high-demand elements. Microwave pretreatment of ores has shown some potential benefits in these aspects. This research aims to study the impacts of microwave treatment on kimberlite ore as a major source of diamonds. Kimberlite samples were treated in a single mode microwave cavity with different powers and exposure times and then crushed using a single roll crusher. The crushed product was first separated by densiometric testing and then screened into different size fractions. The results show that microwave treatment leads to a reduction in specific crushing energy as well as a bigger concentrate fraction with respect to better liberation after single crushing attempt. This study emphasizes the potential application of microwave treatment on the kimberlite ore for better separation of dense minerals as well as improving energy efficiency during comminution.