Innovative equipment for wet mechanical mineral processing
BOHLE Aufbereitungstechnik GmbH is active in the fields of consulting, engineering and distribution of stand-alone machines and integrated plants in the German and international wet mechanical mineral processing industry. Since 1998 the technological goal of these activities has been to innovatively convert and introduce classical mining technology to the forward-pointing mineral processing markets of the modern minerals and aggregates industries.
With its affiliate consulting firm Bohle Ing.-Beratung founded in 1995, since 01.05.2011 the company has been much more closely involved with the exclusive direct import of the mineral processing equipment from Multotec Process Equipment (Pty) Ltd., Kempton Park/South Africa to Germany and neighbouring countries in Europe. It imports primarily hydrocyclone systems, spiral concentrators, and, in future, magnetic separation systems and other apparatus and accessories for mineral processing. The Multotec Group is a company founded at a site in the Ruhr district and has been a leading player in mining and mineral processing sector in South Africa for 37 years. With its rapid growth, it is earning more and more global esteem. The company has now advanced to the largest polyurethane processor in the African continent. The standard green PU is the wear-resistant material used for the manufacturing of hydrocyclones (nominal diameter 40-350 mm), spiral concentrators and other wear elements. Fig. 1 provides a view of the final stage in the manufacturing of spiral concentrators to fulfil an order for over 300 heavy mineral spirals.
With the proven high-capacity cyclone programme in diameter range from 250-900 mm and their compression-moulded rubber range as wear-resistant modular replacement parts, Multotec supplies the cost-effective equipment alternative to conventional rubberized steel cyclones. It also supplies compact ring and in-line distributors with both cyclone systems. In addition special wear materials are available, e.g. ceramic or SiC. Fig. 2 shows a HC cyclone with replaceable compression moulded rubber wear elements.
With a new product series of magnetic separators and eddy current systems of Multotec Magnetics Division, the main mineral and recycling applications are covered. This series includes the following types of equipment:
• Wet drum magnetic separator as a low- and medium-intensity separator for the recovery of strongly to weakly magnetic minerals from slurries. Typical applications are magnetite and ferrosilicon recovery in dense medium separators; field strengths from 2000-8000 Gauss. Fig. 3 shows a typical model of a wet drum separator.
• Wet high-intensity magnetic separator for use in the recovery of fine-grained, weakly magnetic minerals from slurries. Typical applications are ilmenite recovery, cleaning of silica sand and kaolin slurries. High-intensity electromagnet up to 14 000 Gauss.
• Induced roll magnetic separator for concentration or purification of dry granulates in the size range 75 µm to 1.0 mm. Typical applications are heavy minerals such as ilmenite, zircon, rutile and garnets, tantalite and rare earth minerals with high-intensity electromagnets to 20 000 Gauss.
• Permanent magnet roll separator, suitable for the purification or concentration of dry granular materials in the size range 75 µm up to 40 mm with high-intensity rare earth permanent magnets up to 10 000 Gauss. The rolls are supplied with a diameter of 100 and 300 mm and with a width up to 1500 mm. Multiple pass configurations can be easily arranged. The permanent magnet roll separator is ideally suited for cleaning foundry sands.
• Overbelt magnetic separator for removal of magnetic foreign bodies above belt conveyors in cross-belt or in-line arrangement. As oil- and air-cooled electromagnets above belts with widths to 2400 mm and magnet-to-belt gaps to 1000 mm, or as permanent magnetic separators for belt widths to 1800 mm and working gaps to 600 mm.
• Dry magnetic drum separator as a low-intensity magnetic separator (1200 Gauss) with ferrite permanent magnets for magnetite iron ore concentration or removal of fine iron from dry powder granulates. The separator is also available as a medium-intensity separator with rare earth permanent magnets up to 7000 Gauss.
• Eddy current separator for proven use in the recycling of secondary raw materials and “Urban Mining”.
As Process Manager Europe, Dipl.-Ing. (TH) Bernd Bohle (Fig. 4) will draw on his many years of extensive experience to push the further development and consolidate the market position of the Multotec brand on behalf of Multotec Process Equipment (Pty) Ltd. and to continue to effectively combine customized problem solutions with a customer-oriented range of products and service.
