Altiplano Metals Inc. (TSXV: APN) is making strong progress with the construction phase at the El Peñón processing facility to support the Farellon Iron-Oxide-Copper-Gold (Cu-Au) mine located near La Serena, Chile.
The company reports that the magnetic separator and dewatering equipment have arrived at the El Peñón processing facility. In preparation for the installation, the civil work for the four concrete platforms required to support the construction and integrate the equipment into the final processing circuit has begun.
CEO, Alastair McIntyre, said the arrival of this important equipment highlights APN’s commitment to integrate our production activities with our processing operations while focusing on environmentally friendly methods to leverage our bottom line.
Magnetic Separation
The magnetic separation process uses the magnetic properties of the magnetite mineralization found within the material mined at Farellon.
Magnetic iron is recovered by processing the tailings generated from the Cu flotation through a series of three magnetised drums. This process attracts and traps the magnetic mineralization within the circuit.
The iron concentrate collected from the drums will be processed further using a disc filter to remove the water. The process will produce a concentrate expected at > 61% Fe with a moisture content of less than 15%. The full magnetic separation and dewatering process is expected to recover 82% of the water which can be reused in the milling and flotation process.
Drying Process for Final Tailings
Concentrates produced by the flotation process will be pumped to a conditioning tank where flocculant will be added to thicken the solution. In this equipment, the solids will decant and compress within their own weight.
The resulting precipitated solids are raked to avoid blockages, while the excess water is recovered as overflow and reused in the circuit. Using a high pressure flow, the solution is pumped to a chamber press filter and passed through concave plates to dry the concentrate and recover the water.
After each cycle, the plates are opened and the solids are removed and collected for sale. The same circuit is also used for the tailings generated from the copper flotation and the tailings from the magnetic separation processes. Final tailings will be stored in dry stock piles for removal.
Altiplano has generated greater than US$7.2 million from the recovery and sale of approximately 3.6 million pounds of copper with an average grade of 1.74% Cu (2018 Q1-2021 Q3).
Cash flow has been re-invested into equipment, underground drilling, expanding underground development, enhancing ventilation to increase productivity and capacity, and the commencement of the permitted El Peñón fit-for-purpose mill and flotation plant located 15 km from the Farellon site.
For further information please visit: https://www.metalsgroup.com/
