Mineral processing remains a key part of mining as it extracts valuable minerals from ores. Once the mined minerals are extracted, crushed, and sorted they have to go through separation to remove impurities from them. One of the common impurities that are found in mined minerals is metals including iron, cobalt, and nickel. Magnetic separation is by far the most effective way to remove metallic impurities from mined minerals. This process removes metals from minerals without altering their properties or any chemical reactions.
If you are a part of the mining industry where ferrous metals are commonly found in mineral ores GME Magnets offers specialized magnetic separators for various mineral processing applications. For companies that want to improve their mineral extraction process, this article provides an in-depth guide to magnetic separation. So if you want to separate metals from large quantities of mineral ore then keep reading to learn about the most effective technique for this purpose.
1. What is Magnetic Separation?
As the name suggests magnetic separation involves the use of magnetic force to separate magnetic materials from non-magnetic minerals. This method is popularly used in the mineral processing industry and the principle behind this technique is quite straightforward. This technique is popular in recycling and other industrial applications as well apart from mining where companies need to separate metals from non-metallic minerals. The advantage of magnetic separation is that it doesn't involve the use of any lengthy chemical reactions to dissolve the metals present in mineral ores. Compared to alternative metal separation methods such as Carbon extraction, Bioleaching, and Froth flotation magnetic separation is cost-effective, faster, and more effective.
Some magnetic separator designs can even remove non-ferrous metals from mineral ore which we will cover by the end of this article.
2. How Magnetic Separation Works?
A specialized magnetic separator conveyor is used to pass the mineral ore through a magnetic field thanks to powerful magnets installed along the path of the conveyor. However, other types of separators use a similar concept to separator conveyors but may use drums or magnetic pulleys instead. As the minerals pass through the magnetic field any metallic impurities get attracted to the magnet and get deposited on the magnetic surface while non-magnetic minerals continue traveling the conveyor and end up in a dedicated container. Now apart from the conveyor-based magnetic separators, there are also magnetic separators that can be used for removing metals from wet mineral ores by passing the ore through a strong magnet using water flow.
Not to mention there are specific magnetic separators for the type of metallic particles you want to extract from the mineral ore. Some magnetic separators are designed to extract thin powder-like metallic particles while others can remove larger particles and even magnetic debris. So despite the popularity of magnetic separator conveyor machines, there are additional options available to meet your specific mineral processing needs.
3. Types of Magnetic Separators
As mentioned in the previous section you can get specialized magnetic separators for a wide range of mineral processing applications. Here are the major types of magnetic separators you can buy at GME Magnet:
3.1 Magnetic Separator Conveyor
As mentioned earlier magnetic separator conveyors are the most common type of magnetic separators that combine conveyor belts with powerful magnets to extract metallic particles from mineral ore. A major benefit of magnetic separator conveyors is that they can be used to transport mineral ore while extracting metal contaminants. Combining two operations in a single machine makes mineral processing more streamlined and efficient.
Magnetic separator conveyors can be adapted to a wide range of applications apart from mining such as sorting recycled materials.
3.2 Overband (Suspended) Magnetic Separators
Overband or suspended magnetic separators are another common type of magnetic separation that is similar to the conveyor belt method. However, instead of moving the mineral ore on the conveyor belt, these types of magnetic separators are installed over the conveying path of the mineral ore.
Overband magnetic separators constantly rotate and remove metallic impurities from mineral ores as they pass under the suspended magnetic separator. The major benefit of suspended separators is that they automatically remove the metallic debris after separating it from mineral ore. As a result, you can run your mineral processing operations for longer without the need for manually removing metallic debris.
3.3 Magnetic Drum Separators
Magnetic Drum Separators are ideal for processing fine mineral ore thanks to their closed design. A magnetic rotating drum placed in the center of the drum separator is used to separate metals from the mineral content. Drum separators consist of a strong magnet enclosed in a rotating steel exterior which is responsible for collecting the metallic debris.
The mineral ore is usually fed from the top and falls evenly on the rotating drum inside the drum separator. While the metal content gets stuck to the exterior of the drum separator the non-magnetic mineral passes through this separator resulting in purified mineral ore. Thanks to the closed formation these types of separators are ideal for separating fine metal particles during mineral processing.
3.4 Magnetic pulley separators
These are some of the most effective types of metallic separators for conveyor belts used in transporting mineral ore. These types of separators are installed in the place of regular pullies and due to their magnetic nature separate magnetic impurities from the mineral content. The major benefit of using magnetic pulley separators for mineral processing is the automated separation of metallic debris from a constant stream of raw mineral ore.
Apart from these major types of magnetic separators, you can also get wet magnetic separators that use similar principles to drum-based separators. However, instead of removing contaminants from dry mineral ore, these alternatives remove metallic content from wet mineral ore with the help of constant water flow.
4. Importance of Magnetic Separation in Mineral Processing
Magnetic separation is a major advancement in mineral processing as it allows companies to extract valuable minerals from raw ore. Since most minerals are mined from underground sources there is usually a large concentration of metals that is difficult to separate without the use of magnetism. Here are some major advantages of using magnetic separation machines in mineral processing:
4.1 Enhanced mineral purity
Magnetic separation offers mineral processing operating with a significant advantage by removing metals at a rapid rate. By using very little electricity and with very little maintenance magnetic separators can speed up the mineral processing.
By rapidly purifying the minerals and removing metallic impurities magnetic separation gives you an edge in terms of speed and quality.
4.2 Reduced cost
Magnetic separation is not only faster but also cost-effective compared to other metal separation methods available today. There are no additional chemicals, or complex maintenance requirements associated with magnetic separation.
Once you install and set up magnetic separation for your mineral processing operation you can use these high-quality rigs for little to no cost.
4.3 High accuracy
Another reason why you should use magnetic separators for your mineral processing operation is because of the high accuracy of these machines. As long as you clean the magnetic separators and perform regular maintenance they will remove 100% of the ferrous metals from the mineral ore.
5. What are some common applications of magnetic separation?
Mineral processing is a large industry with various types of mining and extractions involved. At the core of the mineral processing industry is the concept of extracting, and purifying the mineral ore so that it is ready to be used as raw material for production. As a result, magnetic separation can be used as an integral part of any mineral processing operation where the removal of metallic particles from the mineral ore is involved. With that said here are some common applications of magnetic separation machines:
5.1 Iron Ore
One of the most common applications of magnetic separation is in iron ore extraction. Iron is an essential metal used in a wide range of manufacturing applications. But when iron ore is extracted it contains impurities that can be separated from the iron using magnetic separation.
Magnetic separators can extract iron from other non-ferrous minerals and you are left with pure iron that is ready for further processing.
5.2 Industrial minerals
Industrial minerals such as quartz and mica along with other essential minerals are also mined and contain impurities. Magnetic separation allows for accurate and fast removal of metallic particles making it suitable for industrial mineral processing applications.
5.3 Coal processing
Coal has long been an essential mineral used for fuel in the energy sector and other important industrial uses. When coal is extracted it contains metal contaminants with iron being one of the impurities.
Magnetic separation is one of many processes used for purifying coal and making it fit for the desired applications.
6. Magnetic Separator Designs
Magnetic separators are available in a wide range of designs and each design option caters to the needs of specific mineral processing operations. By choosing the right design for your mineral processing operation you can improve efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and bring down operational costs. With that said here are some magnetic separator designs you can get:
6.1 Drum magnetic separators
This design is ideal for separating coarse and fine magnetic particles from mineral ore. As the name suggests drum magnetic separators are designed to work by rotating a magnetic drum to collect ferrous particles such as iron from the mineral ore. The best part about this magnetic separator design is that it is fairly simple and easy to maintain.
You can find drum magnetic separators in various magnetic strengths, rotation speeds, and sizes. Each mineral ore falls differently on the magnetic drum so the right specifications of the drum separator are important to get the best possible efficiency.
6.2 Wet magnetic separators
As the name suggests the wet magnetic separator design is meant to work with minerals that are in a slurry form. These separators use a combination of water flow to move the mineral ore through a magnetic field and a magnetic core that collects all the ferrous particles.
This design is ideal for purifying hematite, magnetite, and ilmenite among other types of wet minerals.
6.3 High-Gradient Magnetic Separators
This magnetic separator design is less common compared to the other options mentioned in this article. High-gradient magnetic separators are ideal for removing weakly magnetic particles from the mineral ore. The key concept behind the operation of high-gradient magnetic separators is passing the mineral ore through a matrix of fine wires that possess a strong magnetic field.
Now as the mineral ore flows through this matrix with a strong magnetic field it separates weak magnetic particles. If you are working with minerals where precision and accuracy of magnetic separation are crucial the high gradient magnetic separators are a great option for you. Some minerals that benefit from the strong and precise separation ability of this design include quartz and kaolin.
6.4 Eddy Current Separators
The eddy current separators are a unique design for magnetic separators as they can even remove nonferrous metals such as aluminum, copper, and die-cast metals. These separators are ideal where the mineral ore contains nonferrous contaminants that need to be removed. However, these specialized types of separators are only used in very specific applications.
7. Conclusion
Magnetic separation is being adopted across the mineral processing industry at a rapid pace. If you weren't sure what magnetic separation machines were and how they can make mineral processing easier then this article should answer all your questions.
Moreover, if you were looking for some solid magnetic separators for your individual mineral processing needs then we have provided some reliable product suggestions as well. GME Magnet has been supplying high-quality magnetic solutions to a wide range of industries with a 100% success rate. So if you have any queries related to magnetic separation to help you find the best magnetic separator for you then feel free to get in touch with us.