Trabajo ganador del área de Geología y Exploraciones del Foro TIS de PERUMIN 36.

Por: Jean Paul Bueno, Maylin Mendoza y Nickol Estrada, Nexa Resources.

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine through diamond drilling campaigns a new lithological domain, which we have named: "Mineralized Volcanic", which is economic and profitable for production. This mineralized volcanic has physical, chemical and mineralogical characteristics different from those we already knew, whose inclusion in the processes of extraction and mineral recovery, meant a great challenge for Cerro Lindo's professionals. For this it was necessary to combine several geological tools for its characterization (lithological, mineralogical, alteration and structural), the estimation of reserves as well as the application of the same in geometallurgy, to overcome the challenges encountered.

The various studies and assays allowed us to characterize this new domain to increase the resources and life of the deposit; but this led to an even more important challenge, how to feasibly integrate this new domain into our daily processes, both in operations and ore treatment. Strategies, methodologies, technological innovations were developed and connections were established between the geology-metallurgy and mining areas, thus making the exploitation of this new domain (mineralized volcanic) feasible.

By ultimately combining geology with metallurgy, we were able to propose these new work mechanisms in our operating and ore treatment processes, and to make a geological resource with limiting characteristics due to its mineralogy that did not adapt to the already known, whose designs and parameters of our plant were not yet conditioned for it, become a reality without losing sight of the best productivity, maximizing production, streamlining processes and, therefore, improving profitability.