MechChem Africa February 2019

⎪ Materials handling ⎪

Plant process expert, Multotec, is reaping the economic rewards of applying spiral concentration technology to high value minerals as the demand for these, mostly used in cellular phones and electric cars, increases Spiral technology brings value to minerals

T he likely growth in the demand for minerals such as lithium and copper may be in linewith themass produc- tion of various electronic devices and the imminent prospects for electric car manufacture, saysGraeme Smith, application engineer, Multotec Process Equipment. “Experience in the field and in the compa- ny’s test laboratory has allowed Multotec to prove the economic impact of applying spiral concentration technology to get the best out of these high value minerals,” he says. He adds that spirals are proving their worth in helping producers become more efficient, potentially raising output levels while holding down the costs involved in downstream processing. “A number of customers mining minerals such as lithium, tantalite, copper and tin are already benefiting from using spirals to up- grade the value of their concentrate,” he says. The reason for the growth in demand for lithium, says Smith, is that it is important to battery production, while tantalite is used for resistors and capacitors, and copper and tin

are key contributors to electroconductivity. He quotes recent successes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe where copper mines where Multotec’s spirals have been installed have upgraded their product from 1-3% run-of- mine to 20%-plus of copper concentrate. The application engineer notes, by either replacing the mines’ conventional process- ing technique or augmenting it, miners can achieve an upgraded product, which can be sold as copper concentrate. “Spirals can also be applied as a bulk reduction strategy to achieve a higher-grade material for more efficient leaching,” he notes. By using Multotec spirals, tin producers in countries includingMorocco, the DRC and Spain have successfully raised initial head grades of 1-3% to levels of over 50% tin in concentrate. For those treating tantalite from a tailings operation in theDRC, spiral technol- ogy has performed massive bulk reduction and upgrading, while shaking tables clean of the final product. “Spirals enable these mines’ existing

Graeme Smith, applications engineer at Multotec.

downstream processes to become more productive and to ramp up production by maximising recoveries and reducing rand per tonne costs,” says Smith. “The company’s experience in modular plants brings value to customers, allowing spiral applications to be conveniently containerised for transport to and commissioning, even at remote sites,” he concludes. q

Above: Multotec’s experience in modular plants allows spirals to be conveniently containerised for transport to and commissioning at remote sites. Left: In test work in its extensive Spartan manufacturing and research facility near Johannesburg, Multotec has also succeeded in separating elements of lithium using spiral technology.

February 2019 • MechChem Africa ¦ 19