1
25-089
The Advanced Cu Rougher Scavenger at Doe Run’s Buick Pb/Zn/
Cu Mill—Its Design, Construction, Operation, Expert Control,
and Its Wide Implications to All Doe Run Mills
Weishi Mang
The Doe Run Company, Boss, MO
Adam Steimel
The Doe Run Company, Centerville, MO
Brian Mangogna
The Doe Run Company, Viburnum, MO
Clay Mcnail
The Doe Run Company, Viburnum, MO
ABSTRACT
Together with innovatively applying modern flotation
reagents and developing the breakthrough mill enterprise
expert control and operating system, Doe Run Buick Mill
constructed an advanced large copper rougher scavenger
to process its complex Pb\Zn\Cu ore more efficiently. The
scavenger circuit, featuring its own motor control center, air
blower, multiple reagent loops and FrothSense+ ™ camera,
operates both mechanically and chemically to maximize
copper recovery and under expert control. Such scavenger
features can be applied to zinc rougher circuits for all Doe
Run mills to maximize Cu recovery during Cu special runs
when the zinc rougher becomes a copper rougher scavenger.
INTRODUCTION
The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) is a global supplier of
lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) concentrates, along
with Pb metal alloys. Doe Run’s Buick Mill is one of Doe
Run’s four concentrators in southeast Missouri. All four
mills produce Pb/Zn/Cu concentrates from mining and
milling metal sulfide ores utilizing conventional flotation,
with primary galena and secondary sphalerite and chalco-
pyrite minerals. All four mills operate Pb/Zn/Cu ores also
make copper concentrates from copper ores in separate “Cu
Specials” by converting lead and zinc circuits into copper
circuits.
To optimize Buick mill performance, four comprehen-
sive approaches were taken, each achieving industry-lead-
ing results:
1. Advanced data analytics. Applied advanced data
modeling, analysis, and visualization on mill lab,
XRF online, and PI process data. This line of critical
thinking and work led to defining and character-
izing the thermodynamics, kinetics, hydrodynam-
ics, and phase equilibria or the first principles of
industrial flotation (Mang et al., 2024d).
2. Modern selective flotation reagents of collectors
and depressants. Chemical reagents play a central
role in flotation select and use modern flotation
chemical reagents. A secondary modern reagent
system was built, automatically expert-controlled,
and proven to complement traditional bulk
reagents (Mang et al., 2024c). Five modern selec-
tive reagents were selected: copper collector, iron
depressant, lead collector, zinc collector, and lead
depressant (Mang et al., 2024b).
3. Flotation expert control on production line. It’s
a major focus for Buick mill which did not have
advanced process control (APC) beyond DCS. As
a result, Doe Run developed and applied an indus-
try-leading and comprehensive flotation expert
control system, named Digital One together with
Metso (Mang et al., 2024a). It started with imple-
menting FrothSense+ ™ (VisioFroth ™) camaras
and technology with OCS-4D© software. The first
copper flotation expert control system from libera-
tion to concentrate is being implemented based on
first principles of flotation at Fletcher mill (Mang
et al., 2024e).
4. Innovative utilization of current mill infrastruc-
tures. Doe Run’s state-of-art operational conver-
sion of Pb and Zn circuits to Cu circuit for Cu spe-
cials serves the best example of using same infra-
structures for multi-processing and multipurpose.
25-089
The Advanced Cu Rougher Scavenger at Doe Run’s Buick Pb/Zn/
Cu Mill—Its Design, Construction, Operation, Expert Control,
and Its Wide Implications to All Doe Run Mills
Weishi Mang
The Doe Run Company, Boss, MO
Adam Steimel
The Doe Run Company, Centerville, MO
Brian Mangogna
The Doe Run Company, Viburnum, MO
Clay Mcnail
The Doe Run Company, Viburnum, MO
ABSTRACT
Together with innovatively applying modern flotation
reagents and developing the breakthrough mill enterprise
expert control and operating system, Doe Run Buick Mill
constructed an advanced large copper rougher scavenger
to process its complex Pb\Zn\Cu ore more efficiently. The
scavenger circuit, featuring its own motor control center, air
blower, multiple reagent loops and FrothSense+ ™ camera,
operates both mechanically and chemically to maximize
copper recovery and under expert control. Such scavenger
features can be applied to zinc rougher circuits for all Doe
Run mills to maximize Cu recovery during Cu special runs
when the zinc rougher becomes a copper rougher scavenger.
INTRODUCTION
The Doe Run Company (Doe Run) is a global supplier of
lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) concentrates, along
with Pb metal alloys. Doe Run’s Buick Mill is one of Doe
Run’s four concentrators in southeast Missouri. All four
mills produce Pb/Zn/Cu concentrates from mining and
milling metal sulfide ores utilizing conventional flotation,
with primary galena and secondary sphalerite and chalco-
pyrite minerals. All four mills operate Pb/Zn/Cu ores also
make copper concentrates from copper ores in separate “Cu
Specials” by converting lead and zinc circuits into copper
circuits.
To optimize Buick mill performance, four comprehen-
sive approaches were taken, each achieving industry-lead-
ing results:
1. Advanced data analytics. Applied advanced data
modeling, analysis, and visualization on mill lab,
XRF online, and PI process data. This line of critical
thinking and work led to defining and character-
izing the thermodynamics, kinetics, hydrodynam-
ics, and phase equilibria or the first principles of
industrial flotation (Mang et al., 2024d).
2. Modern selective flotation reagents of collectors
and depressants. Chemical reagents play a central
role in flotation select and use modern flotation
chemical reagents. A secondary modern reagent
system was built, automatically expert-controlled,
and proven to complement traditional bulk
reagents (Mang et al., 2024c). Five modern selec-
tive reagents were selected: copper collector, iron
depressant, lead collector, zinc collector, and lead
depressant (Mang et al., 2024b).
3. Flotation expert control on production line. It’s
a major focus for Buick mill which did not have
advanced process control (APC) beyond DCS. As
a result, Doe Run developed and applied an indus-
try-leading and comprehensive flotation expert
control system, named Digital One together with
Metso (Mang et al., 2024a). It started with imple-
menting FrothSense+ ™ (VisioFroth ™) camaras
and technology with OCS-4D© software. The first
copper flotation expert control system from libera-
tion to concentrate is being implemented based on
first principles of flotation at Fletcher mill (Mang
et al., 2024e).
4. Innovative utilization of current mill infrastruc-
tures. Doe Run’s state-of-art operational conver-
sion of Pb and Zn circuits to Cu circuit for Cu spe-
cials serves the best example of using same infra-
structures for multi-processing and multipurpose.