Minerals Tailings Dewatering Lab and Pilot Testing

Their tailings however posed several challenges:

• Very high capacity,
• A difficult to dewater particle size distribution consisting of a high proportion of fines and ultra fines,
• A small proportion of coarse solids consisting of very abrasive grit.

Broadbent offered a solution utilizing Broadbent proprietary tailings dewatering technology. Broadbent was chosen as a test partner because of the Broadbent broad range of continuous and batch dewatering centrifuges and reputation for very rugged centrifuges for abrasive applications and Broadbent’s extensive and experienced testing capabilities:

• Lab bench top
• Lab pilot scale
• Site pilot scale

Testing in the lab defined the properties of the tailings, and the type of dewatering equipment that would be most economical. The testing proved the tailings could be dewatered to a stackable product with very clean effluent liquid in Broadbent’s proprietary tailings centrifuges.