OUTOTEC will design thickening technology for processing cobalt and copper tailings in order to extract more value from First Quantum Minerals’ Kolwezi project.
The processing technology is due to be used at the project in early 2009. It will include nine high-rate and high compression thickeners.
The high-rate thickener is 42m in diameter and will combine a new vane feedwell and a Directional Autodil feed dilution system.
According to the company, the system has undergone testing by the CSIRO, and has demonstrated advances in flocculant dispersion and effective feed dilution. The new feed dilution system delivers water into the feedwell in a controlled manner based on feed density, in order to complement the flow of the slurry feed.
The system will process tailings which are the remainder of mining in the 1950s. Conventional concentration techniques used during that time allowed amounts of copper and cobalt to be discharged into tailings dams. These will be processed to extract the metals.
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