Abstract: This paper summarises the research progress made by the Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre （JKMRC） in the past 10 years on High Voltage Pulse （HVP） technology for ore pre-treatment. The researchers at the JKMRC took a different approach to prior research in which HVP was utilised as a crusher to pulverise ore particles to micron sizes，which consumed an excessive amount of energy. The research team instead uses relatively low levels of HVP energy to enhance ore processability， aiming to improve the productivity and economic benefits in the downstream processing circuit. Three potential HVP applications for the mineral industry have been developed: HVP to enable pre-concentration of ore； HVP to pre-weaken and reduce downstream comminution requirements； and HVP to improve downstream mineral liberation. The technique using HVP to enable ore pre-concentration was discovered and developed first-time in the world. A paper on the opportunities and challenges of HVP to enable gold/copper ore pre-concentration was awarded the internationally recognised 2017 CEEC Medal in the research category.

Key words: High voltage pulse, Ore pre-treatment, Energy efficiency, Pre-concentration, Ore hardness, Mineral liberation.