Determination of Work Index of Enyigba Lead Ore, Ebonyi State, South-East Nigeria

Abstract

The determination of work index of Enyigba Lead Ore, Ebony State using the modified bond energy (Berry & Bruce) method was investigated. The test sample was obtained from Enyigba village in Ebonyi State. A reference material (granite) was sourced from Anguwan-Boro granite deposit, Sabo, Kaduna metropolis. A known weight of reference and test material were crushed, pulverized and ground using the laboratory ball mill machine. The cell used in grinding the two samples has twelve steel balls of diameter 3.5cm and 222g weight. The size analysis of the feed for both reference and test material was found to be 218.2 and 218.6µm, and a ball mill discharge was 189.9 and 188.9µm respectively. The granite as a reference material with work index of 15.13kwh/ short ton was used to calculate the work index of the test material which was found to be 14.37kwh/short ton, being the energy required to comminute one tone of the ore and confirmed to be within the range indicated by previous research work on lead ore.