First jig for iron ore sector

Bateman India, part of the Bateman Engineering Group, has been contracted by an iron ore producer and exporter, located in the Hospet / Bellary iron ore sector of India, to supply a 2.5 m wide, three-compartment long Bateman-Apic Jig for an iron ore project near Hospet, in the Karnataka state in India, 11 km from the world famous heritage site, Hampi. This is the first jig to be supplied to the iron ore sector by Bateman Engineering.

The contract from the client covers the design, procurement, fabrication, supply and commissioning of the jig, which will process float ore (naturally liberated ore) to separate it from the siliceous rock. The jig will handle 150 t/h of feed, with a particle size of (-) 8 mm (+) 3 mm. The jig will also be able to process the fraction (-) 25 mm (+) 8 mm by only adjusting the process control settings.

The contract commenced in December 2007 and is due for completion in May 2008.

The suitability of Bateman Engineering’s Apic jigging technology for this application was proved in test work at Bateman Engineering’s offices in South Africa which showed good grade and recovery, well within the expectations of the client. The percentage iron in the product varied between 64.5 % and 65.5 % with an iron recovery of 80 % and an average mass recovery of 72 %. In addition to this, the jig can recover an additional 16 % by weight as middling product at a grade of 47 %, which would be utilised by the client in future.

Bateman-Apic jigs offer a cost-effective solution to the processing and upgrading of iron ores. However, as well as being suitable for the upgrading of both metallic and non-metallic ores, they are also applied for the recovery of ferroalloys from slag, coal washing and the washing of wastes. They are supplied as permanent-fixture processing facilities and modular process plants, either under turnkey (client owned and operated) or toll-treatment contracts. Pilot-scale units are available for process-development testing.

The jigs feature a specially developed fines gate and the JIGSCAN system, both of which have overcome the problem experienced worldwide in the handling of fine ferrous ores. The gate minimises the back mixing of fines before discharge, while JIGSCAN is a fully integrated and computerised automatic system providing improved control over product quality and higher yields of ‘on-specification’ product.

The product extraction system utilises a vibrating screen system for increased control over product discharge to increase product recovery.

The upgrading of ferrous ores by jigging has been done for many years internationally. In cases where the cut density exceeds 4.0 g/ml or where test work has shown that jigs offer sufficient performance, jigs are now the preferred route, as opposed to other density-separation techniques, due to their simplicity and low running costs.

For more information, please contact
Ramesh Mahadevan, Director and General Manager (Business Development) on +91-80-304 85105 or

C Venu Gopal, Engineer (Business Development) on +91-80-30485124, both Bateman India, or email enquiries@batemanindia.com.

Alternatively please contact Johan Coetzee, Jigging Business Line Manager, Bateman Minerals & Metals, on +27-11-899-2493 or johan.coetzee@batemanengineering.com

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