From Knowledge to Best Practices in Bioleaching

摘要

The huge industrial data recorded by several years in copper bioleaching operations represents an opportunity for the technology improvement. A systematic approach is being developed to get insights from the field data from an industrial process and to deliver the obtained knowledge with the aim to serve as the foundation for optimal industrial decision making even in presence of inherent process variations. The development of this Decision Support System (DSS) considers a Q-PCR array, a database for data logging and storage, the application of suitable statistical and computational tools for data analyses and knowledge acquiring and finally the creation of a system of knowledge translation to transform it into action (operational suggestions). The user can accurately retrieve data and design similar matches to the historic operation to get e.g. the expected metallurgical performance of a strip based on its mineralogical parameters. In addition, the user can get computed information and recommendations that should be analyzed. We will discuss the process followed to construct the base of knowledge of the DSS.