Processing of mining feedstocks using kinetic pulverization and separation

A process for producing a pulverized material comprising a homogenous mixture of a geological material derived from a mining feedstock and an additive, comprising:

• providing the mining feedstock comprising the geological material;
• admixing the additive with the mining feedstock;
• subjecting the mining feedstock to a kinetic pulverization stage wherein the mining feedstock is fed into a kinetic pulverizer and subjected to self-collisions created by vortices within the kinetic pulverizer to produce the homogenous mixture of the geological material and the additive;
• and
• withdrawing the homogenous mixture from the kinetic pulverizer;
• wherein the additive is admixed with the mining feedstock concurrently with or before the kinetic pulverization stage.

A system comprising:

• a kinetic pulverizer configured to receive and process a mining feedstock comprising a geological material to produce a pulverized material;
• a treatment unit for treating the mining feedstock, the pulverized material, and/or material within the kinetic pulverizer, the treatment unit being configured for:
• incorporating a chemical additive, a leaching liquid, and/or a friable additive;
• subjecting the mining feedstock to a pre-treatment;
• and/or
• subjecting the pulverized material to a post-treatment;
• a pulverizer conveyor system configured to transport the pulverized material downstream;
• and
• an extraction unit configured to receive the pulverized material from the pulverizer conveyor system and extract a valuable component therefrom.