Magnetic and sensor sorting solutions company Steinert has set up a new test plant at Navachab gold mine, near Karibib, in Namibia. The test facility is available for testing in beneficiation and preconcentration processes (ore sorting).
Located in Namibia and onsite, John Knouwds, Steinert’s area sales manager for Southern Africa, is happy to assist miners who would like to test what sorting can do for their processes in the on-site test plant (john.knouwds@steinert.de). Knouwds says, that he is convinced that not only other miners but also the environment can benefit with the possibility of complete dry beneficiation from the technology - “preconcentration saves a lot of energy, water and thus money because one downstream equipment only processes material with valuable minerals.” The set up at the Navachab plant will enable Steinert to continue testing for various mines and processing projects throughout Southern Africa. The Navachab plant itself will be capable of conducting feasibility or sighter tests, which are a way to analyse the sensors’ ability to classify mineralised and non-mineralised material, as well as the efficiency of a theoretical separation. The test plant will provide tangible data of improved and sustainable production expectations for investors, and improve economic insights to better determine the opportunities associated with investments.
The new on-site test plant is a STEINERT KSS | XT CLI
It is a combination unit, capable of handling a throughput of between 5 t/h and 100 t/h with a 1 m working width. The unit includes an X-ray transmission sensor (XT) to identify atomic densities, two optical sensors - a colour sensor (C) and a laser sensor for 3D shape information (L) - and an induction sensor (I) that detects metals. The unit was developed as a response to increasingly complex requirements in material separation. “Steinert’s technology has taken a leap forward by offering multiple sensors on a single platform. This allows for higher classification abilities, higher processing capacities, higher recoveries and improved grades,” Knouwds explains. “Having the correct combination of sensors opens up further possibilities to clean up generated products beyond the extent originally required or to add sorting stages previously assessed as not feasible.” Specially developed Steinert software also allows for the design of new detection-algorithms, which can be implemented as needed to cope with new challenges.
