Tag Archives: mineral processing

Sandfire welcomes new Larox filter press at Motheo copper mine

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, , , , , ,

Sandfire says it has successfully commissioned a Larox permanent filter press at its Motheo copper mine in Botswana, as part of a planned debottlenecking process.

On May 25, Sandfire announced that it had successfully produced first copper concentrate at Mothe, with construction of the mine nearing completion and equipment commissioning activities over 92% complete for the initial 3.2 Mt/y processing capacity.

During the initial ramp-up of the Motheo process plant in the September quarter of 2023, it was identified that the OEM filter press installed during construction was unable to achieve design parameters, the company explained in a July 22 release. An interim solution using mobile filter units was implemented, enabling the operation to safely ramp up the production of copper concentrate at planned rates and specifications.

In parallel, an $8 million capital investment secured the procurement, installation and commissioning of a Larox filter press from Metso to support the long-term operational requirements of Motheo.

Sandfire Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Brendan Harris, said: “Commissioning of the new filter press concludes a challenging period for the Motheo operations team, and I congratulate them on their hard work and ingenuity. The new filter press removes significant complexity at the ‘back end’ of our processing circuit and provides the capacity needed to test higher rates of production as we debottleneck the operation.”

Jindex

Metso boosts slurry handling offering with addition of Australia-based Jindex

Mining equipment, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Water management, , , ,

Metso says it has signed an agreement to acquire Jindex Pty Ltd, a privately owned Australian company specialising in valves and process flow control, boosting its capacity to provide more comprehensive slurry handling solutions for the mining industry.

The company plans to combine its extensive experience and offering in slurry handling, hydrocyclones and mineral processing equipment solutions with Jindex’s valve offering as part of this transaction.

Tiago Oliveira, Head of Pumps business line at Metso, said: “This acquisition is yet another important step in the development of Metso’s Pumps business line offering to bring us closer to being our customers’ lifecycle partner of choice. Flow and isolation control play a vital role in ensuring smooth slurry handling to maximise the productivity and efficiency of minerals processing plants. In the past, we have collaborated with Jindex on many customer projects and are now glad to welcome the Jindex experts to the Metso team. Jindex has extensive expertise and strong capabilities in valve technology and control equipment, as well as in many types of slurry valve projects, and thus their products complement our offering well.”

Stephen Fowler, Managing Director, Jindex Pty Ltd, said: “This is a great development and an exciting next step. The Jindex product offering and our technical expertise in valves are an excellent addition to Metso’s Pumps business and will enable Metso to provide more extensive flow control solutions to the mining industry. We look forward to contributing our unique knowledge and experience as part of the Metso team, and providing enhanced outcomes to all our collective customers.”

Metso’s Pumps business line offers complete solutions for slurry handling and hydrocyclones, including equipment, parts, aftermarket and lifecycle services and digital services, the OEM says. The equipment offering includes slurry pumps, pipes, hoses, valves and hydrocyclones.

The acquisition is expected to be closed in August 2024. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value, which has no material impact on Metso’s financials.

Weir to highlight smart mining and portable crushing solutions at Electra Mining Africa

Comminution of minerals, Mining equipment, Mining events, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

At this year’s Electra Mining Africa exhibition, in Johannesburg, South Africa, visitors will be attracted to the Weir stand by innovations such as the Weir Modular Wheeled Plant (WMWP), a fully mobile crushing and screening plant, as well as the latest in the company’s cutting edge digital solutions for smart mining, the OEM says.

Supporting customers to mine for a more sustainable future, Weir will showcase not only its leading range of equipment and solutions, but the digital technology to further optimise its performance and reliability.

“Our exciting Motion Metrics mine operation monitoring systems will be one of the main features at the show,” Mufaro Muzvondiwa, Process and Products Director at Weir, says. “These systems provide mines with real-time particle size analysis of material carried on shovels, loaders, conveyor belts and haul trucks – helping to avoid blockages at the crushing stage and optimise the mine-to-mill value chain.”

Using stereoscopic vision combined with artificial intelligence (AI), Motion Metrics™ cameras leverage machine learning to enhance its predictive capabilities and provide actionable insights to customers, according to Muzvondiwa.

Another highlight will be Weir’s intelligent solution which features condition monitoring technology. This is portrayed through 3D conceptualisation, showing all associated benefits including safety, savings and maintenance optimisation.

“Visitors to our stand can witness the value of real-time monitoring in enhancing plant performance and optimising uptime,” Muzvondiwa explains. “This is where Weir is supporting our customers’ ambitions to be more cost effective by driving down their total cost of ownership of equipment while driving productivity and sustainability.”

In addition to the display of its latest pumps, screens, cyclones, valves, liners and ground engaging tools, Weir will also have its recently launched mobile crushing and screening plant at its outdoor stand. With Weir’s WMWP fully mobile plant (render, pictured) mounted on an on-road trailer, the plant can be moved to site and set up within a couple of hours – as a ‘plug-and-play’ solution – Weir says.

“This innovation has already generated great excitement in the aggregates and small-scale mining sector,” Muzvondiwa says. “The design provides a fully mobile plant, making it ideal for road projects requiring aggregate crushing at various points along the route.”

Muzvondiwa highlights that Electra Mining Africa, running from September 2-6, provides a useful forum to remind visitors of Weir’s concerted focus on partnerships for sustainable mining. This includes the extensive footprint of OEM service centres and partners across Africa, ensuring technical support is always available in close proximity to mines.

“In addition to our South African presence, we are present in countries including Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Botswana, Namibia, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia,” he says. “Our three manufacturing centres in South Africa also ensure high levels of local manufacture, to promote African economies and to streamline the supply chain to our customers.”

The combination of quality products and dedicated service means that Weir can be confident in the warranties and predictions it provides to customers regarding the productivity of its solutions. “This is demonstrated by our ability to enter into cost per tonne agreements with customers,” he says.

He adds that local skills development is also a priority for the company in building its service infrastructure, including its Mill Circuit University.

Metso to deliver Planet Positive thickeners, filters to Peru mine water treatment project

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Water management, , , , , ,

Metso has been awarded with a contract valued at around €15 million ($16 million) to deliver several thickeners and filters to a mine water treatment project in Peru.

Metso’s scope of delivery includes several high-rate thickeners operating in a high density sludge (HDS) mine water treatment application and automatic EBS series liquid filters with an electric self-cleaning mechanism for ultra-fine filtration.

The thickeners, which are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering, include the Reactorwell™ feed system and are specially designed bolted stainless-steel construction for high corrosion resistance and fast installation, the company says.

Brian Berger, Vice President, Thickening and Clarification at Metso, said: “We are pleased to continue working with this important customer in Peru to support their needs in mine water treatment with our Planet Positive thickening solutions. The environmentally sound high-rate thickeners will have an important role in ensuring a reliable operation and meeting the customer’s project criteria for high performance, fast installation and low maintenance.”

CDE unveils ProPress high-performance filter press at Hillhead

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining events, Water management, , , , ,

CDE, a leader in the design and engineering of sand and aggregate wet processing solutions for the waste recycling and natural minerals processing sectors, has unveiled its new ProPress high-performance filter press at Hillhead, in the UK, adding to its state-of-the-art water management and recycling systems.

Developed to meet the evolving needs of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste recycling, quarrying and mining sectors, the ProPress integrates the latest technological advancements to deliver exceptional operational efficiency and maximum water recovery, according to the company.

CDE’s ProPress, which features patent-pending technology, benefits from a flexible design and variable throughput that can be scaled to fit the processing volume of any operation.

Unlike traditional filter presses, the system is dual feed, meaning sludge is fed from both sides of the ProPress for improved efficiency and faster cycle times. Optimised sludge feed pressure also allows for faster dewatering to increase overall throughput, CDE says. This is further supported by an overhead beam design that ensures reliability by reducing stress on the unit and improving its durability.

The ProPress features plates that are 25% larger (2.5 m x 2 m), while greater chamber volume and fewer plates serve to provide maximum capacity on a smaller footprint and improve mechanical cycle times, according to the company.

Safe and efficient maintenance is made possible by integrated plate-shaking technology which addresses filter cake build-up within chambers to help reduce the need for manual intervention. An access walkway provides clear and unobstructed means to carry out maintenance safely and efficiently, and flush mounted drip trays reduce material entrapment and lock in place to provide a secure maintenance platform for operators, CDE says.

The design is supported by an innovative, multifunctional robot, which serves as the main workhorse for the ProPress, controlling plate opening, plate shaking, cloth washing, plate winch and the maintenance platform.

The CDE ProPress is available in a range of different sizes to suit markets and applications. It is also largely pre-assembled to expedite commissioning, allowing operators to get up and running quickly.

ProPress process

As materials are washed and graded, the water from that process accumulates silt and other residues to form a sludge. A challenging material to process, that sludge is pumped under high pressure into the CDE ProPress, which consists of a sequence of plates, the composition of which forms a series of chambers.

As sludge is pumped under high pressure through the press, solid materials build within the chambers to form a filter cake which is dewatered to maximise water recycling and recover a by-product with multiple applications.

With the CDE ProPress, owners and operators can recycle up to 95% of process water for immediate reuse in their wash plant while simultaneously cutting waste disposal fees by recovering a filter cake product that can be used for pipe bedding and landfill capping, according to CDE. This eliminates the need for settling ponds which typically require extensive maintenance, consume labour resources and incur significant costs.

Owners and operators can cut waste disposal fees by recovering a filter cake product that can be used for pipe bedding and landfill capping, according to CDE

CDE’s Business Development Director, Darren Eastwood, said: “Tackling the most challenging of materials is our expertise. We’ve poured over 30 years of engineering excellence into the development of the ProPress. We’ve listened to and worked alongside our customers around the globe to design a solution that is adaptable to their needs, be they in the waste recycling or natural minerals processing sectors.

“Those needs were clear: sustainable water management was key to minimise fresh water dependency and maximise water recycling, all while improving processing capacity, reducing operating costs, and minimising maintenance downtime. The ProPress is our response to all of this and more and it is already delivering for our customers. By the end of the year, the ProPress will be found on eight plants across three regions, processing around 1000 t/h of material.

“Our most significant product launch in recent years, the ProPress really encapsulates CDE’s purpose: to create our best world, a ton at a time. It represents a constant push for improvement to make our equipment, our customers’ operations and the sectors we operate in more efficient and less wasteful. We’re very pleased to finally bring this latest innovation to the wider market to help maximise the availability of our natural resources and reduce the industry’s waste burden.”

Hillhead 2024 is being held in Buxton, in the UK, and runs from June 25-27.

Weir opens new service centre in Port Hedland, Australia

Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , ,

Weir has officially opened its new Port Hedland Service Centre, strategically located in the heart of the Pilbara region, Western Australia.

The A$28 million (US$18.6 million) state-of-the-art facility strengthens Weir’s commitment to sustainable mining and is the flagship Enduron® high pressure grinding rolls (HPGR) service centre in the region, it says.

The new facility bolsters Weir’s national network of 16 service centres and will support customers and their operations across the Pilbara region, including the Iron Bridge project which incorporates Weir redefined flowsheets – the world’s first dry comminution circuit without tumbling mills. Port Hedland serves as a critical hub for the mining and resources industry in Australia, driving economic growth and success for the important iron ore region.

The Port Hedland service centre will deliver innovative engineering solutions and expertise, enhancing operational efficiencies and advancing sustainable progress across the Pilbara’s dynamic mining landscape, Weir added.

“With best-in-class technology and support, the centre features facilities for Enduron HPGR servicing, including tyre roller assembly and Linatex® rubber lining services helping customers to extend the life of their assets,” it says.

The centre is equipped to service Weir’s broader range of products and technologies, provide engineering and maintenance support as well as critical parts storage for faster service times for customers.

Kristen Walsh, Regional Managing Director at Weir Minerals, said: “The new centre at Port Hedland will support our key customers in the region, providing Weir’s best-in-class service and expertise. The A$28 million facility demonstrates our commitment to sustainable mining and with further investment planned, we will continue to support our ambitious growth plans in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.”

The next stage of development, set for 2025, will see an expansion of the team and specialisation in the repair and overhaul of various Weir processing equipment including Warman® pumps, Cavex® hydrocyclones and Isogate® valves as well as Enduron crushers and screens.

Metso expands modular VSF X solvent extraction offering

Base metals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Metso has expanded its solvent extraction offering with a wider capacity range and improved features, and is now also introducing the VSF® X solvent extraction plant with extended scope.

The modular VSF X plant, part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering, allows copper, cobalt, nickel and manganese producers, among others, to purify desired metals from the leach solution in a safe and sustainable manner. The VSF X technology can also be used in battery black mass recycling processes.

Olli Siltala, Product Manager for the VSF X solvent extraction plants at Metso, said: “Solvent extraction is a crucial step in the production of essential battery metals and is gaining wider ground in hydrometallurgy applications. This is driven by the growing demand for higher purity metals and the increasing use of minerals to empower the energy transition. Our customers are seeking reliable and environmentally sound production processes with lower plant life cycle costs. Metso’s VSF X solvent extraction technology meets these needs and enables an efficient and economical solvent extraction process step for various orebodies and recycled battery black mass.”

Siltala added: “Metso is an expert one-stop shop for solvent extraction technology. We can provide customers with a tailormade production process based on professional testing and piloting. The modularised plant offers excellent scalability and high quality with fluent logistics and fast-track delivery. The integrated plant consists of Metso’s highly productised proprietary equipment, like the VSF X mixer-settler, VSF X organic and crud treatment unit; Dual Media, Activated Carbon and GM filters, as well as new digital products such as DispersionSense™ and OA Sense™ topped up with process guarantees. We can also provide a broad range of services along with digital solutions to ensure optimised lifecycle performance of the plants.”

Metso has been developing solvent extraction technologies and delivering both equipment and processes for several decades. VSF solvent extraction technology is used in the largest copper solvent extraction facilities across the globe, according to the company. It has over 50 operational references for the VSF solvent extraction plants and 10 for the modular VSF X plants.

Mammoet taps Move3D engineering software to help with ball mill replacement at alumina refinery

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining services, , , , ,

One of the largest alumina refineries in Australia needed to replace an ageing ball mill critical to its operation, with Xtreme Engineering, a heavy fabrication company, partnering with Mammoet to provide a solution for the exchange and replacement of the old and new equipment.

The mill was located in the centre of the plant, making access challenging due to narrow clearances and thus the replacement operation required comprehensive engineering.

Recognising the complexity of the task, the importance of the refinery’s continuous operations and team safety, Mammoet used its engineering expertise and advanced technological capabilities to develop a bespoke solution aimed to facilitate a seamless exchange of the mill, all while minimising disruptions within the live plant, it said.

By employing its proprietary Move3D engineering software in combination with traditional 2D drawings, Mammoet engineers meticulously planned every aspect of the operation, taking into account the mill’s challenging location with tight clearances and limited accessibility.

Given the spatial limitations within the work areas, the use of hydraulic cranes or gantries was not viable. Recognising this challenge, Mammoet developed a solution that entailed the use of a ‘jack and pack’ system. With no as-built drawings available, Mammoet used a point cloud scan, provided by the customer, to generate an accurate representation of the plant in its current state within Move3D, facilitating a comprehensive visualisation of the entire operation.

The jack and pack system involved employing self-propelled modular trailers (SPMTs) with strategically positioned cassette towers. Four internal towers placed on the SPMTs, and four external towers positioned on the ground adjacent to the trailers. By adding or removing jacking cassettes, the team could control the height of the mill by redistributing the load between the internal and external towers via the SPMT’s hydraulic suspension.

The process commenced with the removal of the ageing mill. The internal cassette towers were pre-assembled to a specific height on the SPMT, which was then manoeuvred underneath the mill and then raising it until the mill was clear of its foundation. Leveraging the exceptional steering capabilities of the SPMT, the mill was then transported off site, skillfully navigating congested areas. The process was then reversed to install the new ball mill.

Liam Bradburn, Mammoet’s Engineering Manager, emphasised the role of Mammoet’s Move3D software in enabling the safe and successful replacement of the mill. “The customised jack and pack system allowed us to manoeuvre the mill in and out of the live plant with minimal disruption to the existing infrastructure and ongoing production.”

Weir Minerals completes Enduron HPGR first at mine site

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , ,

Weir Minerals continues to make inroads in the comminution market, with the company having achieved a major high pressure grinding roll (HPGR) milestone during 2023, Weir Group’s 2023 financial year results confirmed.

In a Weir Group report that highlighted flat year-on-year orders and a 16% increase in adjusted profit, the Minerals division noted a significant increase in its aftermarket solutions.

“This reflects growth in our installed base, and our increased strategic focus on this area,” Weir Group said in the results. “A particular highlight was an order from a large copper mine in South America, where our customer ordered Enduron® rollers for their HPGR.”

The installation will be the first instance of Weir Minerals’ rollers being fitted to a competitor’s HPGR, enabling the company to showcase the performance and reliability benefits of its technology, it said.

It concluded on this area: “More generally, the pipeline for our HPGR remains strong with a number of projects advancing materially throughout the year.”

Weir Minerals says the Enduron HPGR is a market proven model with the mechanical design to support efficient and durable skewing thanks to its unique bearing arrangement and control philosophy. It has a unique roll diameter-width ratio, which maximises throughput at the desired product grind. Self-adjusting cheek plates provide equal sealing distance as flanges at minimum costs, according to the OEM.

Alongside this, Weir Minerals also gained further market share in 2023 in mill circuit pumps, converting over 85% of its competitive field trials.

Superior Industries announces new heavy duty Guardian scalping screen

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, , ,

Superior Industries, Inc., a US-based manufacturer and global supplier of bulk material processing and handling systems is announcing what it says is another advancement in its lineup of Guardian® Horizontal Screens with a brand-new heavy duty scalping model.

The new HD scalping screen handles a maximum feed size of 457 mm, surpassing its medium-duty predecessor, which maxes out at 355 mm.

The HD screen is equipped with a perforated top deck, or punch plate, made of heavy-duty 19 mm AR steel. A slight slope facilitates the movement of feed material for efficient screening.

Superior says it manufactures more than a dozen models of its popular Guardian Horizontal Screen series in Columbus, Nebraska, one of its four American manufacturing facilities. Horizontal screens are available in two, three, or four-deck configurations.