McLanahan | Mining

Mining

Minerals processing is a broad term that includes a number of different processes and is, as a whole, one of the most important aspects of the overall mining operation. Most mined materials, from hard-rock ores to solid-fuel minerals such as coal, oil shale and industrial minerals, are subjected to some sort of size reduction and/or other beneficiation process. Often, several mineral processing operations are performed in sequence to produce a marketable product. It is extremely important during the separation and processing to make sure you fully understand the mineralogy of the ore and final product requirements, which is why McLanahan employs a team of process engineers to ensure your operation is as efficient, productive and profitable as possible. McLanahan’s line of minerals processing equipment can be used in all stages of the process. From crushing and sizing to sampling and dewatering, each piece of McLanahan equipment ensures that you will recover the maximum amount of valuable minerals.

Crushing

McLanahan offers a variety of crushing solutions to reduce minerals such as coal, salt, granite, copper and iron. Minerals are liberated from the waste rock and reduced in size through the primary, secondary and tertiary stages of crushing, by equipment that utilises impact, attrition, compression or shear forces. McLanahan crushers can reduce the minerals at your site to the size and shape you desire, using minimal power to achieve maximum volume and with minimal wear on the machine. The crushing requirements of your application will be determined through material testing at McLanahan’s in-house laboratory, ensuring crusher size and selection matches your needs.

Types of Crushers

McLanahan Mineral DDC-Sizer

Feeding

Transporting minerals through the initial and downstream process is an important task accomplished by the use of Feeders. McLanahan offers a range of feeders, as well as complete material systems, that are capable of loading and unloading minerals to and from other aspects of the process. These Feeders are programmed to feed material at a rate that matches the speed and capacity of a conveyor belt or crusher. McLanahan can also provide Feeders for sampling, testing and storing.

Types of Feeders

McLanahan Feeders

Dewatering

Dewatering is an important step in the processing of minerals. This step removes any moisture absorbed by the minerals during processing, which can increase the overall density of the particles. Removing the water makes the minerals easier to handle and more cost-effective to transport, as well as assists with the removal of undesirable material. Dewatering is most often achieved through wet classification, centrifugation or filtration. The water that is removed from the minerals can then be recycled back into the processing plant. McLanahan offers a wide range of dewatering equipment to remove moisture from minerals. Not only does McLanahan dewatering equipment produce a drier, drip-free product, it also aids in classifying the minerals for further processing.

Types of Dewatering Equipment

McLanahan Filter Presses

Sampling

McLanahan Mechanical Sampling Systems allow producers to analyse their material flow to help maintain quality standards and ensure their product meets contract requirements. They also allow consumers to verify the product they received meets their specifications. McLanahan’s Mechanical Sampling Systems are highly reliable and provide producers with a consistent sample every time. They are easy to maintain and safer to operate, as you don’t have to get close to the conveyor belt to collect a sample. All of McLanahan’s Mechanical Sampling Systems are designed to offer the producers the best solution to their sampling application, while meeting or exceeding international sampling standards.

Types of Samplers

McLanahan Sampling Systems

Scrubbing

Scrubbing removes deleterious materials and coatings from minerals prior to the downstream process. As a leading producer in rotary equipment, McLanahan offers scrubbing equipment that utilises material-on-material attrition to remove deleterious materials from your desired product. As the material turns on itself, the deleterious material is separated while the desirable product is moved to the next part in the process. Whether you need to remove loamy, soluble clays, tough plastic clays, soft rock, crusher dust or other friable waste fractions, McLanahan manufactures scrubbing equipment to meet the needs of your operation.

Types of Scrubbers

McLanahan Rotary Scrubbers

Tailings Management

To help minerals processing plants meet environmental and permitting regulations, McLanahan offers equipment to assist with your tailings management strategy. Both Thickeners and Filter Presses allow producers to potentially reduce or eliminate tailings/settling ponds, recover process water for reuse, get the solid fractions into a state that can be easily and safely stored, and create a potential saleable product from the fines recovered. Recovering fines reduces pond maintenance costs and extends pond life, while reducing or eliminating settling ponds increases site sustainability and frees up time and land space.

Types of Tailings Management Equipment

McLanahan Thickeners

Screening/Sizing

To separate minerals according to their size to create various final products, McLanahan offers a variety of screens. Depending on the machine, minerals are segregated into specific particle sizes by a tumbling action or vibrating action that separates the material. Smaller particles fall through the screen media, while larger particles remain on the screen deck to discharge at the end of the screening process. McLanahan’s screening equipment can also be effective for removing refuse materials, reducing fines generation and minimising crusher size.

Types of Screens/Sizers

McLanahan Vibrating Screens

What is Minerals Processing?

In general, minerals processing refers to the practice of processing ores and minerals to separate valuable minerals from waste materials. Generally, in mineral processing, minerals are recovered from their ores using several operations, including comminution, sizing, concentration and dewatering. The term “mineral processing” can be applied to a wide array of industries, such as gold, coal, nickel, aluminium, oil sands, phosphate, potash, copper, iron ore and many more.

Related Products

Need Some Help?

Our customer service team is here to help you 24/7. We can ship you parts, send field service technicians to your site and answer any questions you have. Whatever you need, we are here for you.