A major iron ore mine faced challenges of low resource utilization and poor economic returns. Its ore is a complex mixed type containing multiple minerals such as magnetite, hematite, and limonite. Traditional magnetic separation processes could only effectively recover strongly magnetic magnetite, while large quantities of weakly magnetic hematite and limonite were lost with the tailings, resulting in resource waste and operational losses.
Solution and Core Equipment
To address this challenge, the project team introduced an advanced “ultrafine grinding-high-gradient magnetic separation” combined process. Its core equipment is the high-gradient magnetic separator, featuring two prominent characteristics:
High field strength and high gradient: Generates a magnetic field far exceeding conventional separators, exerting powerful magnetic attraction on fine-grained weakly magnetic minerals.
Precision Capture: Specifically targets finely ground, fully liberated micro-sized hematite and limonite for highly efficient recovery.
Outstanding Advantages and Implementation Outcomes
This solution delivered significant technical and economic benefits:
Substantially Enhanced Resource Recovery: Post-upgrade, the comprehensive iron metal recovery rate saw a marked improvement, yielding over 150,000 tons of additional iron concentrate annually—transforming former “waste” into valuable resources.
Substantial Economic Benefits: The project generates substantial annual profits for the mine while significantly reducing environmental impact and tailings pond maintenance costs through decreased tailings discharge.
Broad Technical Adaptability: This successful case provides an efficient, reliable technical pathway for processing similarly complex, difficult-to-process ores, demonstrating the immense potential of advanced magnetic separation technology.
This case demonstrates that selecting high-performance magnetic separators tailored to specific mineral characteristics can effectively overcome bottlenecks in traditional processes. It represents a key technology for achieving efficient and clean utilization of mineral resources, possessing high value for widespread adoption.
