Metalloinvest has begun the implementation of fine screening technology at Mikhailovsky GOK. The introduction of new Derrick stack sizers at Mikhailovsky GOK’s beneficiation plant will improve the quality of merchant iron ore concentrate, increasing its Fe content from 65% to 67% by reducing the silicon dioxide content. The Company will invest 10.6 bn roubles in the project until 2022. The launch of fine screening technology is part of a comprehensive development programme at Mikhailovsky GOK, which aims to boost the efficiency of beneficiation processing, improve the quality of iron ore products and increase the volume of production. Andrey Varichev, CEO of Management Company Metalloinvest, commented that “The comprehensive modernisation of technological operations at Mikhailovsky GOK will enable the plant to reduce production costs and improve the quality and refine the assortment of its iron ore products. This will allow our Company to strengthen its position on the highly-competitive global iron ore product market.”

Fine screening technology has already been successfully implemented at Lebedinsky GOK, another Metalloinvest enterprise, since 2016. The use of Derrick stack sizers at the Lebedinsky GOK beneficiation plant facilitates the production of merchant iron ore concentrate with an Fe content of 70%.

The traditional beneficiation process for iron ore concentrate at Mikhailovsky GOK includes stages of dry magnetic separation, milling, classification, wet magnetic separation and desliming. Pilot tests, which took place at one of the sections of the crushing and beneficiation plant this year, confirmed the effectiveness of the introduction of fine screening technology.

The next steps in the implementation of the project involves replicating the technology in four sections of the beneficiation plant, as well as the construction of a separate beneficiation plant, with the installation of additional mills, magnetic separators and stack sizers.

Source : Strategic Research Institute, SteelGuru