Iron ore beneficiation plant is used to increase the iron content and reduce the gangue content. Iron ore is upgraded to a higher iron content through concentration to meet the quality requirement of Iron and Steel industries.
However, each source of Iron ore has its own peculiar mineralogical characteristics and requires the specific iron ore beneficiation plant and metallurgical treatment for extraction from iron ore. The choice of the iron ore beneficiation plant depends on the nature of the gangue present and its association with the ore structure. Several iron ore beneficiation techniques such as Milling (crushing and grinding), washing, jigging, magnetic separation, advanced gravity separation and flotation are being employed to enhance the quality of the Iron ore.
In recent years, the emphasis was on development of a cost effective flow sheet of iron ore beneficiation plant for the low-grade iron ores to produce concentrates suitable for blast furnace, sinter or pellet making. Some of the development features in the processing side are jigging, innovations in spiral concentrator, autogenous grinding, column flotation, high gradient magnetic separators (HGMS), fine screening etc.
Jigging is a gravity-separation technique, where bulk materials are separated into light fraction, medium-density fraction and heavy-density fraction. It is one of the oldest methods of gravity concentration technique. A commercial Jig plant has been installed in South Africa to recover metal concentrate of 97% grade with 76% metal recovery.
Mineral iron ore beneficiation plant process including milling (crushing and grinding); washing; filtration; sorting; sizing; gravity concentration; magnetic separation; flotation; and agglomeration (pelletizing, sintering, briquetting, or nodulizing), is attached to the large mines to process low grade iron ore.
Due to the high density of hematite relative to silicates, beneficiation usually involves a combination of crushing and milling as well as heavy liquid separation. This is achieved by passing the finely crushed ore over a bath of solution containing bentonite or other agent which increases the density of the solution. When the density of the solution is properly calibrated, the hematite will sink and the silicate mineral fragments will float and can be removed.
High grade Iron ore beneficiation plant is processed by simple method of washing. The method of washing results in minimal quality up gradation and high loss of values in slime posing environmental problems. The technological improvements include introduction of Air - Pulsated jigs, spirals and slow speed classifiers, hydro cyclones, log washers, recuperates, floated density separators and wet high intensity magnetic separators and a wide range of process controls. Iron Ore recovery from tailings using high gradient permanent magnetic separator is one of the major innovation now a days. Termed as Ferrous Wheel Separator (FWS), it is a matrix type separator employing permanent ferrite ceramic type magnetic to generate high magnetic field gradients capable of separating magnetic / Paramagnetic material from non - magnetic. Ferrous Wheel Separator (FWS) is used for beneficiation of ultra fine hematite and taconite ore samples drawn from around the world.
SBM is a famous iron ore beneficiation equipment manufacturer in China, and offer crusher, screen, washing machine, grinding mill, magnetic separators and gravity separator for iron ore beneficiation plant. SBM also design iron ore concentration flow diagram for iron ore mine in China, Brazil, Australia, Russia, USA, India, Ukraine, Canada, Sweden, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Mexico, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Egypt, Sri Lanka, UAE, Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea, Angola, Indonesia, Iran, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Uganda, Colombia and Peru.