MINERAL SEPARATION
the process of making lithium-based compounds for lithium-ion batteries , according to Marin .
“ Hard-rock mining of lithium-bearing minerals typically requires magnetic separation , especially on deposits where spodumene is associated with weakly magnetic gangue minerals ,” he said . Here , both low and high intensity magnetic separation are essential in the spodumene upgrade process .
And Eriez also has a hand in helping produce the high-purity quartz solar panel manufacturers require to facilitate the clean and renewable energy needed to decarbonise the grid .
This is where magnetic separation is , again , necessary for the magnetic purification of quartz extracted from deposits .
“ Typical contamination comes from wear and tear of equipment or the natural presence of ironbearing minerals ,” Marin explained . “ Obviously , the amount of iron-bearing minerals in a highpurity quartz deposit is low . Nonetheless , they must be removed using magnetic separation .”
Eriez has both wet and dry processing options for all sectors , with High Gradient Magnetic Separators and Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separators ( WHIMS ) being viable and effective technologies for the former , and the latter able to leverage the 2-m-wide Rare Earth Roll Separators .
Eriez ’ s hybrid wet drum solution , meanwhile , has , to this point , only received modest market attention , but Marin says the company recently completed a large sale to an operator in Chile , worth $ 2.2 million , and dispatched a 36-in ( 0.91- m ) diameter by 117-in wide drum to a coal processing plant .
Protecting the plant
Tramp metal exists in all mining operations , with the problematic contamination difficult to avoid , according to Bunting , a designer and manufacturer of magnetic separators for the mining and quarrying industries .
“ The nature of mining – extracting ore using large heavy equipment – results in a wide variety of tramp metal contaminating the mined material ,” the company explained . “ Such metal needs identifying and removing before potentially causing costly damage to processing equipment ( eg crushers , screens and conveyors ).”
Additionally , for many mining operations there is a maximum metal contamination content in the mined ore specified by the end customer – especially so in coal supplied to power stations .
Most mining operations involve a staged process of recovering the valuable ore , including size reduction ( crushing and milling ) to reduce the particle size and liberate the ore from the gangue and segregation into different sized fractions ( screening ). The processing equipment
AKW Equipment + Process Design ’ s separation expertise has been recognised at many industrial minerals and hard-rock mining operations .
As the company states , accurate engineering is crucial for the trouble-free and smooth operation of any mineral processing plant , with AKW viewing itself as not only a supplier of equipment , but also a supplier of “ unique and customised process solutions ” that are technically and economically optimised .
AKW ’ s engineering and plant design activities comprise the process evaluation , basic engineering , detailed engineering and plant realisation .
“ To keep our engineering offers at the highest service level – as , nowadays , a modern approach is a key differentiator – we are constantly investing in new working methods that improve our value proposition ,” it said .
One of the latest high-end tools used by the engineering team is a high-quality laser scanning technology called AKA-SCAN .
“ Our AKA-SCAN 3D laser scanner is specially designed for indoor and outdoor measurements in industries such as architecture , process engineering , construction or product design ,” the company explained . “ It transfers geometric and spatial information from the real to the digital world , to allow data usage for further analysis , processing , integration and documentation .”
The AKA-SCAN device and service creates precise , reliable and comprehensive 3D images of any environment within a short time and is particularly suitable when : n A customer ’ s production facility is old and lacking drawings ; n The production facility has a complex process flow ; and n The production facility is in protected / historical buildings that have strict controls when it comes to expansion or new equipment installation . The ability to provide a reliable evaluation of construction in challenging environments with photo-realistic and virtual images can also help minimise human error and data deficits , while generating significant cost advantages over conventional methods , the company said .
AKW concluded : “ Since the launch of our AKA-SCAN service , we have already been assigned by numerous customers to scan their facilities and plants , with excellent results and market feedback .”
used at both stages are most at risk of damage from tramp metal , according to Bunting .
Magnetic separators are routinely used in mining operations to prevent processing plant damage from tramp metal contamination – and this is technology that Bunting supplies .
Overband and suspension magnets , for instance , are positioned over a conveyor , with tramp iron attracted up and out of the conveyed ore . The ‘ suspension ’ design features a magnet block requiring the manual removal of separated metal from the magnet face , while the ‘ overband ’ design includes a self-cleaning belt that automatically transports captured metal to a collection area .
The magnetic field is produced using an enclosed casing of carefully arranged permanent magnets or an electromagnetic coil wound around a steel core .
The AKA-SCAN 3D laser scanner transfers geometric and spatial information from the real to the digital world , to allow data usage for further analysis , processing , integration and documentation , AKW says
These types of magnets feature widely on mobile crushers and screens in recycling and quarry applications , with electro overband or suspension magnets often proving a better fit for mining operations as they can penetrate the deeper layers of material on conveyor belts .
A 13-t electro overband magnet , designed and built by Bunting , currently operates at the Agnico Eagle-owned Kittilä gold mine , in northern Finland .
Over the border in Sweden , an iron ore mine is currently using two permanent magnetic head pulleys , both 1.2-m diameter , removing large tramp metal from iron ore prior to crushing and screening .
In this application and others , magnetic head pulleys replace the standard head pulley of a conveyor , helping separate larger and heavier tramp metal from the rest of the material flow .
10 International Mining | MAY 2022