HIGH PROFILE
Transforming coal prep in Australia with next-gen intelligent dry sorting
MeiTeng’ s proven full-size dry coal preparation technology is being increasingly considered by Australian coal producers seeking wet processing alternatives rate in rejects below 1 %, or as low as 0.5 % under optimal conditions.
In 2021, MeiTeng developed TGS ®, an intelligent gradient-fluidisation separator for fine coal. As an alternative to conventional air-based separation technology, which has been in use for more than 30 years, TGS ® combines fluidised-bed and jigging principles to create a gradient-fluidisation separation process. It integrates X-ray identification, real-time separation monitoring, bed-level detection, precise airflow control and intelligent system control.
TGS ® provides high-precision separation for 3-80 mm coal, with up to 90 % reject discharge rate, coal misplaced rate in rejects below 3 % and the Ep value as low as 0.18. With a maximum capacity of 600 t / h, it supports fully automated, unmanned operation and automatically adjusts separation parameters in response to fluctuation feed conditions.
Combining TDS ® and TGS ®, MeiTeng’ s‘ Dry Separation Dream Plant’ delivers highprecision dry separation across the full coal size range, with a simple flowsheet, low energy use, high automation and modular design. Compared with conventional wet processing, it can significantly reduce both CAPEX and long-term OPEX.
Australia is one of the world’ s leading coal producers and a major supplier of high-quality metallurgical and thermal coal to the Asia-Pacific market, playing a critical role in the global coal supply chain. While its coal preparation technologies and mining operations are among the world’ s most advanced, the industry faces growing challenges arising from climate commitments, strict environmental regulations and pressure to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
These challenges are largely associated with conventional wet processing. High water consumption, complex process flows and challenging tailings management drive up capital and operating costs. As mining continues, declining ROM coal quality is making existing preparation plants less suited to current requirements. Upgrading or expanding ageing plants is costly, while new wet-processing projects often face lengthy approval processes. Recovering combustible material from legacy tailings is also difficult, while rehabilitating legacy tailings can be costly, further limiting industry development.
Australian coal producers have long explored dry sorting, with several early commercial trials. However, existing technologies still face challenges in meeting the requirements of large-scale Australian coal operations. Sensor-based sorting is suitable for coal, but limited R & D and application experience have slowed its broader development and adoption, leaving gaps in sorting accuracy and unit throughput. Conventional air-based separation, based on shaking-table principles, is constrained by its separation mechanism and the relatively slow technological development. It offers lower accuracy, limited automation, process instability, poor adaptability to coal quality variations and a narrow application range, making it difficult to meet the efficiency and operational standards of Australian mines.
MeiTeng’ s proven full-size dry coal preparation technology
MeiTeng Technology is a Chinese national high-tech company specialising in intelligent mineral sorting technology and equipment. Founded in 2015, MeiTeng has focused on sorting technology R & D and industrialisation, and was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2022.
In 2016, MeiTeng launched TDS ®, an intelligent sensor-based sorter for lump coal. Built on conventional sensing technology, TDS ® uses multi-source recognition algorithms to improve material identification. Its dedicated AI database, trained on extensive coal-processing data, enables accurate sorting across different coal types and operating conditions. Intelligent algorithms control the air-jet system in real time, while integrated monitoring supports stable long-term operation. Designed for 13- 300 mm coal, TDS ® process capacity up to 450 t / h for 50-300 mm feeding, with reject discharge rate up to 99 % and coal misplaced
Dr Sebastian Chu, Process Testing Engineer and Regional Sales Manager, MeiTeng Technology( Australia) Pty Ltd
Accessing global markets
“ Technology is evolving at such a rapid pace that we need to constantly reassess what we thought we knew,” said Dr Sebastian Chu, Process Testing Engineer and Regional Sales Manager at MeiTeng Technology( Australia) Pty Ltd.
As of 30 June 2026 MeiTeng had sold 498 TDS ® units globally( TDS + XRT) plus 30 TGS ® units sold globally. MeiTeng’ s dry separation technology has already been deployed at multiple sites in China, Mongolia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian markets. TDS ® has now been deployed across China’ s top 20 coal producers, replacing conventional separators such as dense-medium shallow baths, BATAC-type jigs, lump-coal jigs and dense-medium drums. It has become a widely adopted solution in new-build and expanded coal handling and preparation plants( CHPPs), with its technology and field
International Mining | OCTOBER 2026 51