Flotation '25 update: a final call for abstracts and two new sponsors

Flotation '25 is now only 6 months away and this, the 12th in the series, is expected to be the biggest, as flotation is ever increasing in importance as ore grades decline and become more complex. As with all the previous events since 2007, the conference will be held at the beautiful Vineyard Hotel in Cape Town.

Highlighting current trends will be four high-profile keynote lectures, from Jim Finch, Charlotte Gibson, Chris Greet and Liza Forbes and these will be supplemented by oral and poster presentations. There is now a final call for abstracts, which should be submitted to the conference website by the end of this month. 

Twenty companies have already offered sponsorship, and we welcome TAKRAF Delkor as the latest. TAKRAF Delkor refers to the integrated product brand of TAKRAF Group, a global leader in mining and bulk material handling technologies. 

Delkor specialises in liquid/solid separation and beneficiation equipment, offering solutions that enhance the efficiency and sustainability of mineral processing operations and they have been represented at eight MEI Conferences in the past, sponsoring Precious Metals '10, and Flotation '13 as Tenova Delkor, an Italian company which also operates under the umbrella of the TAKRAF Group. 

The new generation DELKOR BQR flotation cells, equipped with the latest MAXGen mechanism, achieve optimum operation through improved particle-bubble interaction, faster flotation kinetics and precise froth level controls. The cells are used in roughing, scavenging, cleaning and re-cleaning applications to process copper, zinc, PGMs, phosphates, graphite, slag and effluents. 

Ausmetec Pty Ltd, an Australian company specialising in advanced mineral processing technology, sponsored Flotation '23 and we welcome them back as a sponsor of Flotation '25. Founded in 2001 by Barry Lumsden during his PhD research at the University of Newcastle, Ausmetec developed the ProFlote technology, a patented magnetic conditioning system designed to enhance the recovery of fine paramagnetic minerals in flotation circuits .

Barry Lumsden (right) with ​Ishmael Muzinda of First Quantum, Finland,
at Nickel Processing '15 in Falmouth

The ProFlote system utilises high-strength rare-earth magnets encased in stainless steel tubes to create a magnetic field that aggregates fine paramagnetic minerals such as chalcopyrite, bornite, and pentlandite. This aggregation improves the flotation recovery of these minerals, leading to increased metal recovery rates in processing plants.​

ProFlote has been successfully trialed and implemented in various mining operations worldwide, including sites in Australia, South America, and Asia. The technology has shown to selectively increase the flotation of minerals like lead, zinc, copper, silver, gold, and nickel, while reducing losses associated with gangue and pyrite.

It's going to be an exciting four days in Cape Town, and the conference will be supplemented by an exhibition. All 23 booths in the main exhibition area, also the location for lunch and coffee breaks, have been sold, but three of the seven booths in the area outside the conference room are currently still available.

Hopefully we will share the magnificent view of Table Mountain with you in November!

#Flotation25