Tailings Valuable Metal Recovery Technology and Solutions

Tailings Valuable Metal Recovery Technology and Solutions: Turning Environmental Liabilities into Valuable Assets

Introduction: Awakening the Sleeping "City Mine"

Against the backdrop of increasing scarcity of primary mineral resources and tightening environmental protection policies, the recovery of valuable metals from tailings has become an important pillar for the sustainable development of the mining industry. Historically stockpiled tailings ponds and newly generated tailings are not worthless waste materials, but a "city mine" rich in gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and platinum group metals and other valuable components. Carrying out the resource utilization of tailings is not only a business opportunity to tap the potential economic value and create new growth points, but also a social responsibility to fulfill the environmental responsibility and realize green transformation. In this paper, we will discuss the core process of tailings valuable metal recovery technology and cutting-edge solutions.

First, the core value of tailings recovery: economic and environmental win-win strategy

1. Maximization of resource value: tailings as a "zero-cost" raw materials (no need to mine), through advanced technology to recover the residual valuable metals, can significantly improve the overall utilization rate of resources and overall economic benefits of the mine life cycle.

2. Minimization of environmental risks: Tailings ponds are a major source of environmental hazards, including heavy metal pollution, the risk of dam failure and land occupation. Tailings recycling treatment can effectively reduce the amount of tailings stockpile, reduce environmental risks from the source, and help enterprises realize the goal of green mine construction.

3. Highly efficient return on investment: the project investment is mainly concentrated in the beneficiation process, omitting the high mining costs, which greatly shortens the payback period and usually recovers the cost within 2-4 years, with significant economic benefits.

Second, the core technology process: four-step accurate recovery, overcome the extraction problem

Successful recovery of valuable metals from tailings is never a simple copy of the primary mine process, but must be based on detailed diagnosis, using a highly targeted combination of technologies.

Step 1: Comprehensive Diagnosis and Feasibility Study ("Accurate Pulse Taking")
This is the cornerstone of a successful project. We use:

• Precise compositional testing: Using advanced instruments such as XRF and ICP-MS, we accurately analyze the type, content and presence of valent metals in the tailings.

• Process mineralogy study: With the help of MLA, SEM and other technologies, we identify the embedded characteristics, particle size distribution, dissociation degree and symbiotic relationship of the target minerals, which is the fundamental basis for selecting the recovery process route.

• Optional test and program customization: Through systematic laboratory tests and continuous expansion tests, simulate the entire recovery process to determine the best technically feasible and economically reasonable recovery process route and expected indexes, which provides scientific support for investment decisions.

Step 2: Precise pretreatment ("activation and preparation")
Create optimal conditions for subsequent sorting:

• Thickening and dewatering: use high-efficiency thickeners or dewatering screens to reduce the water content of tailings slurry and improve the stability of feed.

• Classification: Use hydrocyclone or high-frequency fine screen to realize " mud and sand separation ", and adopt the most suitable separation process for coarse and fine grains, which can greatly improve the recovery efficiency.

• Activation treatment: According to the characteristics of minerals, physical scrubbing, chemical activation or ultrasonic treatment is adopted to break the oxidized film on the surface of minerals, which significantly improves the floatability or leachability of target metals.

Step 3: Multi-technology joint deep recovery ("core extraction")
We have a comprehensive library of technologies that can be flexibly combined according to the characteristics of the tailings:

• High-efficiency gravity separation: for heavy minerals such as medium and coarse-grained monolithic gold, centrifugal concentrators, shaking tables and other equipment are used for pre-enrichment, which is low-cost and non-polluting.

• Enhanced flotation: recovery of valuable metals embedded in micro-fine grains. The core technology lies in our unique formula of highly efficient selective collector and combined inhibitor, and can be enhanced by microbubble flotation and other technologies.

• Advanced Chemical Leaching (ACL ): Treatment of difficult tailings for recovery of fine-grained embedded gold. We provide cyanide leaching and environmentally friendly non-cyanide le aching (e.g., thiourea, thiosulfate) and other solutions, as well as resin adsorption (RIP) and other high-efficiency precious liquid recovery systems.

• High Gradient Magnetic Separation: Highly efficient separation of magnetic minerals (e.g. magnetite, ilmenite) or removal of iron-containing impurities.

• (Bioleaching): for specific ores, offering this highly promising environmentally friendly future technology.

Step 4: Closed-loop management and green assurance ("sustainability")

• Solution metal recovery: For leaching precious liquids, resin adsorption (RIP), activated carbon adsorption or zinc powder replacement are used to efficiently recover valuable metals.

• Wastewater purification and recycling: Adopt deep purification system such as "neutralization-precipitation-membrane treatment" to realize full recycling of wastewater or discharge in compliance with the standard, and strive for "zero discharge".

• Tailings stabilization/harmlessness: Stabilize the final tailings to prevent heavy metal ions from precipitation and ensure its long-term stability and harmlessness, which can be used for downhole filling or safe stockpiling to completely solve the problem of secondary pollution.

III. Advantages of our solutions: customized to ensure success

• Customized design: We refuse "one size fits all". Each solution is customized based on the uniqueness of the customer's tailings, and provides modular design, supports phased construction, and flexibly adapts to the investment budget.

• Mature and Reliable Technology: The solutions integrate a variety of advanced sorting technologies that have been validated globally and have many successful cases at home and abroad, ensuring stable operation and reliable indicators.

• Excellent economic benefits: the cost of raw materials is nearly zero, and the core value of the project lies in our technological transformation capability, with high return on investment.

• Win-win environmental and social benefits: the whole process implements the concept of green recycling, which helps enterprises fulfill their social responsibility and enhance their brand image.

IV. Successful Cases

Project Name: A large-scale historical gold mine tailings storage redevelopment project

• Challenge: The tailings are heavily oxidized, fine-grained, and contain difficult-to-treat inclusions of gold, and the recovery rate of the traditional process is low and uneconomical.

• Our solution: Adopting the combined process of " Classification - Re-extraction (centrifuge) to enrich coarse gold - Enhanced flotation to recover fine-grained gold-carrying sulfides - Environmentally friendly leaching (RIP adsorption) to treat very fine-grained inclusions of gold ".

• Achievements:

  • Successfully realized the economic recovery of gold and silver, and the payback period of the project is only 22 months.

  • Completely solved the historical environmental problems of the tailing pond, which was highly recognized by the government and environmental protection department, and became a benchmark project of tailing resource utilization in the region.

V. Life-cycle technical service commitment

We provide "one-stop" service throughout the project:

1. Resource assessment and feasibility study: detailed tailings property diagnosis and selectivity test.

2. Process design and optimization: Based on the test results, we design the optimal process and equipment layout.

3. High-end equipment supply and system integration: Provide a full set of efficient and reliable specialized equipment and automation control system.

4. Installation and commissioning and production support: expert team on-site guidance to ensure that the project successfully reaches the standard and production.

5. Personnel training and long-term technical support: We train professional teams for our customers and provide continuous production optimization services.

Act now to unlock the hidden wealth in your tailings pond! Contact us fora quote on tailings valuable metal recovery technology and solutions.