Mineral processing plant site selection using integrated fuzzy cognitive map and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process approach: A case study of gilsonite mines in Iran

摘要

Selecting the most suitable location for a mineral processing plant is of vital importance for achieving the highest throughput and lowering overall costs. The aim of the research is to select the best location for a gilsonite processing plant (Kermanshah Province, Iran). First, laboratory scale concentration experiments were conducted to determine the most suitable concentration technique for the material from all gilsonite mines nearby. It was concluded that, one production line is enough to concentrate of the material from all mines by flotation method. Afterwards, the effective criteria for locating the processing plant were identified as processing, facilities and infrastructure, mining, environmental, geographical, social and cultural, legal, geological and finally technical and technological factors. Considering the multiplicity of effective factors and interactions between them, fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) method is used for ranking of the factors. A survey for the evaluation of each factor was conducted through interviewing a number of experts in various mining engineering fields. Then, the FCM method was used to determine the weights of each factor. The results show that distribution of mines is the most important factor. In order to determine the appropriate site for installation of the plant, 4 sites were selected in the vicinity of larger mines by investigating the geological maps, using Geological Information System (GIS), aerial photos and objective visits. In order to obtain the global weights of alternatives, the local weights obtained from FCM and FAHP methods were combined. According to the results, site No.4, located at longitude 34 degrees 18'28 '' and latitude 45 degrees 41'49 '' was proposed as the best location.