The multi-national company Steinert is one of the leading players in electronic sorting, and we welcome them back as sponsors of Physical Separation '19 in Falmouth in June. This is the 3rd time that the company has sponsored the physical separation series of events. Steinert sensor sorters use NIR, HSI and x-ray technologies to help mines recover more materials from what is normally considered waste rock, in some cases eliminating the need for expensive heavy/wet media separation.
There will be much interest at the conference as to whether electronic sorting might replace DMS at Cornwall's South Crofty tin mine, which is due to reopen in a couple of years time. Up to its closure in 1998 the mine had used DMS to pre-concentrate the ore, as did the Geevor tin mine which closed eight years earlier. It will be interesting to see if electronic ore sorting is considered for the new processing circuit at South Crofty.
The pros and cons of sorting versus DMS were debated in the posting of 22nd July, and Jens-Michael Bergmann, of TOMRA Sorting GmbH, Germany, another major electronic sorting company, who I am sure will also be involved with Physical Separation '19, stated that XRT ore sorting will find its place in the future among all other technologies. He felt that it is not a "one-size-fits-all" technology, but it can be an excellent alternative for DMS or jigging. Often the grade of a rock (small inclusions of e.g. tungsten or galena or other sulfides) can be "seen" without crushing it to a liberation size where gravity-based technologies start to function, which saves a lot of crushing or transport cost, even without any water, for instance close to the mine face. He said "economically it (electronic sorting) always depends on the individual circumstances and sorting objectives: particle size, feed rates, grades, liberation, water access, permitting issues, environmental considerations, and finally cost per ton. These, at sizes +20 mm, usually are much lower that those of DMS. Therefore, nowadays XRT-Sorting replaces even existing DMS plants in various applications".
The latest updates on Physical Separation '19 can be found at #PhysicalSeparation19.
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| Current Physical Separation '19 sponsors |
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Very encouraging remarks on the future of ore sorters; I am sure that sustained R@D done in close cooperation with manufacturers will bring down the costs of processing and ranges of sizes over which these dry techniques can be used .
ReplyDeleteThese are the major efforts needed now in Physical Separation processes.
Compliments to all involved in the forth coming event.
Glad to hear that more sponsors are on board for such a great conference. Need as many people to come together to support Physical Separation as possible. Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteIn my recent book "Sustainable Management of Coal Preparation", a separate chapter on dry cleaning process has been devoted.
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