FLOTATION
from the traditional BF / BOF process to the less CO 2 emitting DRI / EAF process , Quebec Iron Ore ( QIO ) developed an innovative flowsheet modification to upgrade the quality of its current product to meet the growing demand for DR grade iron ore .
The authors state : ” Although a reduction in grind size ( increased milling energy ) and use of traditional flotation can and is applied to generate a less than 2.5 % SiO 2 DR grade iron product , QIO , BBA and Eriez developed a coarse flotation upgrade process capable of producing a 1 % SiO 2 DR grade concentrate at nearly two times the target grind size and with improved global Fe recovery compared to conventional milling and flotation processes . Using a combination of hindered bed density separation and Eriez HydroFloat , this process also minimises dust generation during material handling and improves moisture control during transportation of the iron ore product due to the increased coarseness of the iron ore concentrate .”
This presentation will summarise the successful demonstration of Eriez HydroFloat technology at a laboratory scale to produce a coarse DR grade iron ore product with improvements in global flotation efficiency , maximisation of the target / required grind size , and minimisation of flotation reagent consumption ; all of which contribute to the decarbonisation of iron and steelmaking efforts .
Maelgwyn tests Imhoflot G-Cell at KGHM
Also at Flotation ‘ 23 the paper ‘ Application of pneumatic Imhoflot™ G-Cell in recovering fine particles : a case study of KGHM copper ore ’ will be presented , led led by Duong Huu Hoang , the Applied R & D Lead from Maelgywn Mineral Services plus his colleague Ahmad Hassanzadeh , with Paweł Kurzydło and Paweł Kwiatkowski from KGHM as well as Rainer Imhof , Lucas Pereira and Martin Rudolph from the Department of Processing at Helmholtz-Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology .
The depletion of deposits and ever-increasing metal demand requires the processing of lowgrade , complex , and finely disseminated ores and reprocessing of tailings . The authors say that even though flotation is capable of handling relatively fine particles , the use of conventional tank cells is limited in such cases . “ This study presents the results of applying a semi-industrial pneumatic G-Cell ( tangential feed to the separator vessel with 1.4 m diameter , throughput is 20 - 30 m 3 / h ) at KGHM Polkowice plant , one of the biggest copper concentrators in Europe . The testworks were conducted on three stream lines ie scavenger , cleaner , and final tailings using four different aerator designs with different operating parameters ( feed flowrate , air flowrate , and recycling load ). It demonstrated that G-Cell with advanced aerator concepts can be applied for
Maelgwyn ' s Imhoflot G-Cell has been trialled at KGHM ' s Polkowice plant , one of the biggest copper concentrators in Europe
plant expansions and retrofits to existing conventional cells to improve flotation performance , especially to reduce losses of fine copper-bearing particles to tailings .”
Black mass , the fine fraction from spent Li-ion batteries , needs to be recycled both for its valuable metal oxides and spheroidised graphite particles . Still , current recycling techniques show