With the worlds push towards sustainability, mining companies are examining ways to decrease their carbon emissions footprint and assessing their onsite options, which can range extensively.
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Within a plant, each process stage has untapped opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions, water, or chemical usage. The questions are always focused on ways to save on energy or reduce waste.
Flotation is a method widely used to separate and concentrate ores by altering their surfaces to a hydrophobic or hydrophilic condition is a topic engaged by many mining companies as one area that is being examined for ways to improve in terms of sustainability. Metso Outotec offers a number of options.
Optimize existing flotation operation
One of the first things to consider before considering major investments is whether the flotation machine is operating at its most efficient point, says Guillermo Bermudez, product development manager at Metso Outotec.
Optimizing a flotation cell involves verifying all aspects of your equipment to maximize process and mechanical performance.
Several areas need to be examined, Bermudez says, including:
Flotation process assessment, which begins with a comprehensive assessment of your flotation circuit to clarify what is working well and what may need improvement. Measuring the flotation performance is the first step to understanding how to operate more sustainably. Mixing mechanism rotational movement consumes the most energy in a flotation machine.. Rotor Speed Optimization is a straightforward method to ensure that only the required energy is utilized to achieve better or the same metallurgical performance.
High-quality spare and wear parts: Improved circularity of your flotation machine is possible when extending wear components life. The result is less raw material usage, reduced maintenance shutdowns and transportation which will ultimately lead to an improved handprint.
Upgrade existing flotation machine
Process optimization can only get you so far as you are working with the limitations of your existing assets, says Bermudez. If your float cell is an older model and restricted by design, you might consider upgrading your equipment.
Upgrades are a great way to get new life out of your existing equipment while only using a small portion of your budget. With many options to choose from, upgrades can be staged across multiple years, adding annual benefits while matching periodic CAPEX limits.
Three key upgrades can be considered to significantly decrease CO2 emissions as well as reduce energy consumption:
Optimizing and upgrading flotation performance can result in increased metallurgical recovery using existing equipment, meaning that the extra tons of valuable material have avoided the comminution step, which is by far the most energy-demanding portion in minerals processing, says Bermudez.
At one point though if the process changes place to high a demand on the existing equipment, then simply optimizing or upgrading may not be enough to match the new operational requirements. New equipment and technology should then be considered and can also bring significant production and sustainability benefits.
New equipment for additional energy and water savings
The latest addition to Metso Outotecs flotation equipment range is the Concorde Cell, which sets a new benchmark in high intensity pneumatic flotation by recovering unachievable fine and ultra-fine particles, resulting in significant revenue gains and minimizing plant operating costs, energy and water consumption per metal production targets.
The Concorde Cell technology for improving fine and ultra-fine particle recovery is Metso Outotecs proposition for more finely disseminated and complex orebodies. Combining the well-proven TankCell® with Concorde Cells is a low risk and high benefit approach for minerals processing flowsheets. The Concorde technology offers a superior recovery rate for fine and ultra-fine particles. The cell produces very high shear and extremely fine bubbles which increases recovery in particles under 20 microns.
The patented Concorde technology is the first fine and ultra-fine solution for complex and previously inaccessible ore types within various mineral processing flowsheets for gold, copper, nickel, platinum, silver, lead, zinc & molybdenum.
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The Concorde forced air Blast Tubes treat 100% of fresh feed combined with tailings recycling for improved performance, so it allows for finer grinding to get extra liberation without the risk of valuable particles being reported into tailings says Alejandro Yáñez, Senior Manager, Concorde Technology.
The Concorde technology enables efficient use of the Earths resources with increased recovery of fines and smaller plant footprint, helping miners to minimize energy and water consumption per metal production targets. The Concorde Cell is part of the Planet Positive portfolio, which focuses on the most environmentally efficient technologies (>100) in Metso Outotecs portfolio.
Sustainability and budgets Its about finding the balance
In the end, its about balancing your budget with your desired sustainability targets. The correct solution depends on your circumstances. An overall plant review is the best place to start with a holistic outlook to determine the best solution. Whichever option is chosen will influence your overall sustainability efforts and requires a cost-benefit analysis.
To help plant productivity reach targeted KPIs from a sustainability point of view in energy consumption, and carbon footprint) or from an efficiency perspective, like poor recoveries of valuable minerals, poor continuity, identifying the obstacle and analysing and identifying the root cause of theoretical bottlenecks is key to reaching a goal.
Having the right analysis, which is deep and concise enough is crucial prior to making an optimization decision, including assessing the mechanical status of your cell.
Bermudez says key questions to consider include: Have you studied the recent changes in your ore properties? Has there been major changes in the flotation feed? Have you assessed the viability of your operational strategy? Once the ore properties and its preparation have been properly addressed, then we can look into optimizing your cell performance.
Learn more at Metso Outotec.
Sign up for Metso Outotecs webinar on recovering ore value optimization here.
Choosing the right flotation device for your marine activities can be a challenge - especially with so many options on the market. For watersports like boating, stand up paddleboard and kayak fishing, new adventurers are unsure of whether they need a life jacket or a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), and how to choose the best solution for their planned adventures.
Heres a simple, short answer: a life jacket personal flotation device is a type of PFD.
Whichwe knowisnt helpful when it comes to making an informed decision about which option is better suited to your needs.
While wearing ANY life jacket or PFD is better than wearing NO flotation solution, having the best time possible out on the waterwhere your safety and comfort are both a prioritymeans choosing the best possible solution, not simply any flotation device.
Before we get into the specific difference between a life jacket and a PFD, lets break down each for a better understanding of your options.
EXPLORE FLOTATION
What is a Life Jacket?
While often used interchangeably with Personal Flotation Devices, life jackets and life vests are a unique and specific form of personal flotation. Why? Because to be rated as a life jacket, it has to be able to turn most unconscious wearers onto their back, and into a safe position where chances of drowning are reduced.
While most modern life jackets are made of foam, in the early days of their use they were filled with cork (even the British Royal Navy was using them in the early 19th century - issuing them to their sailors). Eventually, the cork vests became standard issue for lifeboat crews, with cork giving way to kapok, a buoyant cotton-like material and finally to foam.
Life jackets, while bulky and cumbersome, are still used today; specifically for off-shore vessels where rescue may be delayed. Many cruise ships and ferries crossing open water will carry these on board should they run into trouble.
What is a PFD?
The umbrella that all individual flotation solutions fall under, a Personal Flotation Devices are a piece of flotation gearmost often in the form of a vest or a suitthat is strapped to or donned by an individual for the purpose of preventing drowning in a body of water.
Evolving from some of the earliest forms of personal flotation, and thanks to incredible advances in inflatable technology and innovate materials development, today there are five types of PFDs as identified by both Transport Canada and the US Coast Guard (who work together, alongside industry, to set a Consolidated North American Standard). The types of PFDs span vests tailored to specific environments through to throwable devices designed to bed thrown to a conscious person in the water, and all the way to devices engineered for unique and specific uses - only.
With most recreational users choosing a PFD that falls in the Type II or Type III category, heres how you can make the best-vest choice for your marine adventures.
To sum it up, and keep it simple, the difference between a life jacket and a PFD comes down to two main elements: level of protection and comfort. Because PFDs are engineered and designed for all day wear, they are built to be comfortable, and entice wearers to keep them on without thinking about it. In contrast, and while traditionally quite uncomfortable, life jackets offer the highest level of protection both for staying afloat and turning unconscious wearers onto their back; an important element when prolonged immersion in water in riskier environments present themselves.
Knowing the difference, how do you choose what the best option for the adventures youre embarking on? There are two important questions to ask yourself...and theyre outlined for you over here.
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