Toll treating slags, wastes, coal and ores
Atoll offers technologies enabling the production of saleable products
from natural or waste products under a toll-treatment arrangement. Atoll
(Apic Toll Treatment (Pty) Ltd) is a joint venture between Bateman Titaco
and Mintek.
Jigging, used to recover alloys and metals from slag and waste and
upgrade coal and ores, is Atoll’s core technology. This technology
consistently produces an on-grade saleable metal product with recoveries
of greater than 95 % when processing material in the size range 1 mm
to 40 mm. Below this size range, product grades of 90 % are achieved
with recoveries of up to 70 %.
Since it was formally established in 1998, Atoll has rapidly established
an enviable track record of projects throughout the world.
The first BOO (build, own and operate) arrangement, entered into by
Atoll in 1999, enabled Transalloys Pty Ltd to process a 7M t slag dump
containing ferromanganese and silicomanganese. After crushing and screening,
the coarse and fine slag is passed through Apic jigs where about 95
% of the metal particles are recovered. Plant operation is continuous
and 150 t/h is being processed.
The most recent contract is from Middelburg Ferrochrome, in terms of
which a major jigging plant is being installed at Columbus, Middelburg,
RSA. With a design life of 10 years, the plant will have a capacity
to treat at least 160 t/h of ferrochrome slag. It will take one year
to complete and is scheduled for commissioning at the end of 2002.
An Apic jig to beneficiate 105 t/h of manganese ore was commissioned
recently for Burk Mining at Kathu near Sishen in the Northern Cape,
RSA.
In one of the first Apic jigs supplied overseas, Atoll is successfully
treating 80 t/h of ferrochrome slag at Varg on in Sweden. The jig supplied
to Comilog in Boulogne, France, reached its full production capacity
recently, treating 60 t/h of ferromanganese slag. The feed to the Comilog
plant is a blast-furnace slag, in contrast to most other Atoll plants
of this type which handle electric-arc- furnace slags.
Hernic Ferrochrome’s capacity to process both fine and coarse
ferrochrome slag at Maroelabult near Brtiz, RSA, was expanded by Atoll,
in joint venture with a local slag-handling operator, and the plant
is now processing about 85 t/h of slag.
In contrast to the large-capacity plants described previously, Atoll
also operates mobile Apic jigs, with processing capacities of about
30 t/h, to treat slags to recover ferromolybdenum in USA and ferromanganese
and ferrochrome in Brazil and India. There are several good prospects
for further contracts in eastern and central Europe and Australia.
Used in conjunction with jigging, Atoll’s DC open-arc furnace
technology has also created a unique capability to process fine ores
and dust, making it possible to remelt and refine fine material from
crushing plants and fine jigging plants. This Atoll service will be
expanded actively during the current year and will include the smelting
of stainless- steel, carbon-steel and electric-arc- furnace dusts and
related wastes. This is both an environmentally friendly and economically
viable service, as the high value of the metals recovered exceeds the
processing costs.
Clients may select any one or a combination of services from Atoll’s
menu, ranging from feasibility studies, process development and raising
finances, to plant design, supply, construction, operation and maintenance.
The BOO and BOOT (build, own, operate and transfer) arrangements too
are set up to suit client requirements. They can range from situations
where clients might wish to contract the plant’s whole operation
out to Atoll, to instances where finances are limited and Atoll might
even own the plant through a toll fee reimbursive arrangement.
For more details, please contact Nick Haywood
on +27-11-899-3269 or email ventures@batemanengineering.com.
VIEW PDF
