Weir Minerals and Eriez Flotation announced a cooperative agreement to design and develop coarse particle flotation (CPF) systems. Course particle flotation facilitates more efficient separation, while also reducing water and energy consumption and producing safer tailings.
“This cutting-edge technology is a step-change improvement over conventional flotation systems,” said Eric Bain Wasmund, Ph.D., professional engineer, vice president of Eriez Global Flotation Business.
“The cooperation allows both companies to better connect the Eriez equipment with the slurry classification and conveying expertise of Weir Minerals. As mining companies look to optimize their plant and processes while also reducing their carbon footprint, we’ll see CPF being more widely adopted,” said Ricardo Garib, division president of Weir Minerals. “This agreement enhances Weir Minerals’ all-of-mine capabilities. From the pit to the processing plant, with leading brands such as Warman pumps, Cavex hydrocyclones, GEHO positive displacement pumps, Linatex rubber products and Enduron HPGRs, Weir Minerals takes a holistic approach to plant and process optimization.
“We have an Integrated Solutions team – made up of a diverse range of product experts, process engineers, design engineers and materials scientists, among others – that works closely with miners to deliver reliable solutions that help solve their specific problems. In the current regulatory environment and with an increased focus on ESG issues, miners are being asked to produce more with less and CPF systems are a vital technology that allows them to do that,” Garib said.
Eriez’s products include the HydroFloat Separator for coarse particle mineral concentration, which delivers the capacity of a density separator while maintaining the selectivity of a flotation device. Using a novel aeration system to disperse fine bubbles into a fluidized-bed environment, the HydroFloat Separator significantly increases the selective recovery of coarse particles by applying flotation fundamentals to gravity separation.
“Weir Minerals has a long history of innovative engineering and we’re excited to partner with a company like Eriez because its technology perfectly complements the solutions Weir Minerals currently provides. Ultimately, it’s about delivering the best outcomes for our customers,” Garib said. “We’re proud of the work we do to harness the latest technologies to efficiently process the minerals that will be essential for a future in which mass electrification will play a vital role in the transition to a low carbon economy.”