Modular MeTRIX®
technology demonstration plant commissioned
Bateman Engineering and Mintek have commissioned a modular demonstration
plant under their collaborative agreement to develop and implement
the MeTRIX® (MeTal Recovery Through Ion-eXchange) technology,
commonly known as resin-in-pulp (RIP) for the metallurgical sector.
The plant will be used to demonstrate the potential of RIP technology
for improving recoveries at various base-metal plants in southern
and central Africa, with a particular application being the re-treatment
of residues and waste streams. RIP is particularly suited for this
role, since it is effective on low-grade streams (less than 5 g/l),
and in the case of re-pulped residues, it lessens or eliminates the
costly solid / liquid separation step required in competing technologies.
A further important benefit is a reduction in the environmental consequences
of the waste.
The skid-mounted MeTRIX®demonstration plant,
designed and built by Bateman Engineering and Mintek, consists of
four adsorption stages of 2m³ each and an elution circuit.
It has a design throughput of 170 l/min (10 m³/h). A novel resin
concentration meter is used to monitor the resin concentration in
each stage, and is linked to a PLC / Scada system that controls the
resin inventory profile and the slurry and resin residence times.
The concept of modular, transportable process plants for mining and
minerals processing was developed by Bateman Engineering nearly three
decades ago, and has progressed steadily ever since, with new technology
being continually added to the range of modules made available to
clients. Most of these plants have been used for diamond recovery,
but the range has been expanded to cover other mineral processing
applications.
Mintek has been involved in the development of the RIP and associated
resin-in-leach (RIL) technologies since the 1980s.
Originally envisaged as an alternative to carbon-in-pulp for gold
recovery, RIP (using the Mintek-developed gold-selective strong-base
resin) has found a niche application for recovering gold from carbonaceous
preg-robbing ores, and is used in this role at the Barbrook mine in
Mpumalanga and at Penjom in Malaysia. More recently, RIP development
work has focused on base metals.
Successful laboratory and / or pilot-plant testwork has been carried
out on copper, nickel and cobalt recovery from laterite leached pulp,
and Activox® CCD underflows, copper from bioleach
CCD underflows, zinc from zinc refining residues, and vanadium from
waste streams.
For further information, please contact Bert Van Hege, IX Co-ordinator,
on +27 -11-899-3673 or e-mail technology@BatemanEngineering.com.
