Study on Microwave-Assisted Grinding and Dissociation Characteristics of Bayan Obo Ore

To effectively separate the useful minerals from Bayan Obo ore, the grinding behavior and dissociation characteristics were studied in the research. The results indicated that while using 1 kg of sample at 4 kW for 60 s, the particle yield of the – 74 µm range increased by 13.66% compared with that of untreated ore. For the – 45 µm range, the particle yield increased from 38.93 wt.% for untreated ore sample to 55.23 wt.% for treated ore sample. The D(50) and D(90) of the treated sample grinding products were smaller than those of the untreated sample by 57.37% and 33.45%, respectively. In addition, the monomer dissociation degrees of magnetite and rare earth minerals increased by 13.49% and 29.18% compared to untreated ore while reaching 60.84 wt.% and 62.60 wt.%, respectively. Furthermore, the yield and dissociation degrees of fine particle (− 45 µm) of rare earth minerals increased by 19.29% and 12.55% compared to untreated ore. Many intergranular cracks and penetrating cracks were generated among minerals after the microwave treatment, which weakened the bonding strength of minerals and decreased the number of interlocked particles to facilitate the liberation of useful minerals during the grinding process.