Talc is an indispensable strategic non-metallic mineral in the industrial field. Its unique lubricity, chemical inertness and high whiteness make it the core raw material for high-end ceramics, cosmetics, special plastics and other high value-added industries. However, natural talc often coexists closely with associated minerals such as magnesite, calcite, and quartz. These minerals are highly similar to talc in physical and chemical properties, resulting in the long-term dilemma of low recovery rate, insufficient product whiteness and serious waste of resources faced by traditional mineral processing technology. With the breakthrough of artificial intelligence sorting technology, the application of MINGDER intelligent sorting machine has injected new impetus into the development of talc mines, especially in the practice of the two major talc bases in Liaoning and Guangxi, showing subversive technical value and economic benefits.

The shackles of traditional technology: it is difficult to achieve both recovery rate and whiteness 

Traditional sorting of talc ore mainly relies on flotation, gravity separation and magnetic separation technology. The flotation process requires adjusting the pulp environment through acid and alkali, and adding a large amount of collectors and inhibitors, which is not only costly but also easy to cause water pollution. Taking the Haicheng talc mine in Liaoning as an example, the density of its associated magnesite is similar to that of talc (2.7-2.8 g/cm³). During the heavy medium sorting, a large amount of talc particles entered the tailings due to misjudgment, and the recovery rate was only 60%-70%; at the same time, the residual impurity minerals caused the whiteness of the concentrate to hover at 88%-90%, which was difficult to meet the high-end coatings industry's requirements for whiteness ≥94%.

In the Longsheng mining area of Guangxi, the problem of poor selectivity of reagents in the flotation process is particularly prominent due to the similar surface electrical properties of talc and calcite. The CaO content in the concentrate generally exceeds the standard to 4.5%, which is much higher than the upper limit of 1.2% for cosmetic-grade talc. More seriously, the traditional process has low separation efficiency for associated minerals, and a large number of valuable components are discarded with tailings, and the comprehensive utilization rate of resources is less than 60%.

AI sorting technology: cracking the "genetic code" of mineral identification

The core innovation of MINGDER's artificial intelligence sorting machine lies in the deep integration of hyperspectral imaging technology and deep learning algorithms, realizing the accurate "gene identification" of talc minerals.

Hyperspectral imaging technology can capture the characteristic peaks of talc minerals and analyze the unique spectral "fingerprints" of associated minerals such as magnesite and calcite. This "mineral DNA" detection accuracy can reach millimeter level, and even when faced with associated bodies of talc and calcite, impurities can be identified through texture differences.

The deep learning model is trained with millions of mineral images to dynamically optimize the sorting strategy. For example, based on the grain boundary differences between talc and calcite in Guangxi talc mines, the system can autonomously identify the typical rhombic cleavage characteristics of calcite and eliminate interference with edge detection algorithms, achieving a sorting accuracy of over 95%.

The execution system relies on a 0.1 millisecond high-speed air injection device, which can complete the sorting decision at the moment the ore flows through the sensor. The single-machine processing capacity reaches 60 tons/hour, and the energy consumption is reduced by 70% compared with traditional flotation, and no chemical agents are required throughout the process.

Liaoning and Guangxi: From technology verification to industrial upgrading 

In the industrial application of Liaoning Haicheng talc mine,MINGDER sorting equipment increased the talc recovery rate from 68% to 89%, and the concentrate whiteness jumped from 90.2% to 95.6%. The pre-sorting link reduced the subsequent grinding energy consumption by 30%, saving more than 2 million yuan in reagent costs annually.

The practice in Guangxi Longsheng mining area highlights the flexibility and environmental value of technology. For the complex symbiotic system of talc-calcite-quartz, the MINGDER team used transfer learning technology to complete algorithm iteration, reducing the CaO content of the concentrate from 4.5% to 1%, reaching the cosmetic grade standard.

Reconstructing the industrial ecology: a triple revolution in economy, environment and resources

The large-scale application of MINGDER intelligent sorting machines is promoting the transformation of the talc industry from "extensive processing" to "intelligent purification":

Economic benefits: The processing cost of a single ton of concentrate has dropped by 40%, which has promoted the upgrade of my country's talc exports from raw material grade (80-150 US dollars/ton) to high-end modified powder (600-1200 US dollars/ton);

Environmental benefits: 60% water saving in the whole process, 12,000 tons of flotation reagents reduced annually, and carbon emission intensity reduced by 50%;

Resource benefits: The guarantee period of my country's talc resources has been extended from 15 years to 30 years, alleviating the strategic risk of high external dependence.

Opening a new era of intelligent sorting of non-metallic minerals 

The successful cases in Liaoning and Guangxi have verified the universality and disruptiveness of artificial intelligence sorting technology in the development of talc mines. With the rapid promotion of MINGDER equipment to major talc producing areas such as Shandong and Jiangxi, this technology has not only set a "green mine" benchmark for the industry, but also provided a replicable solution for the efficient utilization of similar minerals such as calcium carbonate and fluorite. Driven by the dual goals of "dual carbon" and the high-end development of the manufacturing industry, AI sorting technology is leading the non-metallic mineral industry into a new era of "unmanned, refined, and zero waste."