Techno‐Economic Analysis of Low‐Grade Barite Beneficiation Using Aspen Simulation
Oluwafemi Fadayini, Lekan Taofeek Popoola, Usman Taura, Yuli Panca Asmara, Charles U. Ogbodhu, Adekunle Adedapo ObisanyaABSTRACT
Barite is one of the commercially available and multifaceted minerals in Nigeria which can facilitate the infrastructural development of developing countries. The techno‐economic analysis of its beneficiation is imperative to enhance economic reform policy of a Nation tailored towards socio‐economic advancement. This study presents a techno‐economic evaluation of the beneficiation of low‐grade Azara barite using process simulation. The beneficiation process was modeled using Aspen HYSYS V8.8 to analyze material balances and process performance. Feed samples with BaSO 4 compositions of 0.7071, 0.8117, and 0.7982 were simulated through the proposed beneficiation flowsheet, resulting in a purified product stream approaching a BaSO 4 composition of 1.00. Economic analysis was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a beneficiation plant. The estimated total capital investment was $2,391,772.57, while the annual operating cost was approximately $916,727. Based on the projected annual revenue of $2,573,086.62, the process demonstrated strong economic potential with a payback period of approximately 2 years and an internal rate of return of 50.13%. Sensitivity analyses proved net present value to vary directly with increase in product cost but inversely with increase in interest rate, operating cost, and raw material cost. The results indicate that the beneficiation of low‐grade Azara barite is both technically feasible and economically viable, supporting the development of local mineral processing industries and reducing dependence on imported drilling‐grade barite.