Project Details
The medium grade 59% Fe and 8.8% Silica orebody became viable, even with a 600km road haul.
Implementation of OreTech advanced sorting technology resulted in 63.07% Fe grade of Lump product and 74.4% product yield.
Geology
Paulsens East Iron Ore Project (PEIO) is located ~190km north of Paraburdoo in the southern Pilbara region of WA. The deposit consists of a ridge of hematite-altered conglomerate interbedded with lithic conglomerates, sandstones and siltstones.
The ridge has eroded over time forming hematite-rich colluvium deposits at the base of the ridge. The deposits were poorly sorted, consisting of haematitic detrital (target ore) comingled with silica and alumina rich lithic sediments waste product). Upgrading of such a deposit was only possible through ore sorting technology.
Aim
Deliver >62%Fe mine gate hematite product. A high Fe grade was imperative to justify long-distance haulage (600km to Port Hedland)
Scope
The scope of the operation was to mine the detrital ore deposits, crush and process through the ore sorter to produce above 62Fe lump product.
Processing
- 40Kt tonnes crushed at +10mm, -40mm sizing for 25Kt lump
- 20.2Kt of crushed lump fed through the ore sorter
Result
The Fe feed grade was very high relative to other projects at 59.46Fe. Ore feed ranged from 56.91Fe through to 61.8Fe.
Ore sorting had a very positive upgrade on the three (3) major components of iron ore. – Fe, SiO2 and Al2O3.
Significantly the ore sorter was extremely successful in eliminating the dominant lithology of silica-rich conglomerate waste in addition to the alumina rich siltstone.
- 20.2Kt crushed lump fed through ore sorter
- 6.1% relative increase in Fe @ +3.61% actual
- 49% relative reduction in SiO2 @ -4.33% actual
- 14.5% relative reduction in Al2O3 @ -0.42% actual
- 74.4% product yield