Mineral Processing

Mineral processing concentrates extracted materials for further metallurgy, requiring robust piping systems due to the harsh mining environment.

From Ore to More

Mineral processing ensures that the extracted material is more concentrated and suitable for further extractive metallurgy procedures. The aggressive environment of mining sites presents a particular challenge for piping systems. Depending on the application, different materials for pipes, fittings and valves combined with the right instrumentation are suitable to transport sulphuric acid, sodium cyanide, hydrogenchloride, sodium hydroxide, carboxymethyl cellulose and other hazardous liquids and other hazardous liquids. GF Piping Systems' solutions are the right fit due to their excellent chemical resistance, reliability, temperature resistance and durabilitiy.

Success Story: Sustainable Lithium Recovery

Saltworks Technologies Inc., Canada

The Canadian company Saltworks Technologies Inc. specializes in industrial wastewater treatment. Thanks to modern skids, it is capable of extracting valuable raw materials from used process water, resulting in a sustainable source of lithium, nickel, or cobalt. In order to ensure consistently high quality, Saltworks chooses to install complete process automation solutions by GF Piping Systems in their skids and containers.

Please accept all cookies to view the youtube video content.

Applications

Ion Exchange

Ion exchangers can absorb unwanted ions in the water, thanks to selective synthetic resin beads, and release them during a regeneration process. The compact construction of ion exchange plants requires flexible piping solutions and components. GF Piping Systems provides complete solutions of high-quality piping systems warranting a maximum of flexibility while ensuring an entirely safe plant operation with a maximum uptime.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis technology is a filtering method by which contaminated water passes through a very fine membrane under high pressure and removes nearly all water pollution, such as minerals, bacteria and any further particles. Due to the fact that it needs no chemicals, energy consumption is low and handling is easy.

Dosing / Dilution

Chemicals for this process step require highly specialized and reliable workflows, especially with aggressive chemicals. Concentrated chemicals in small amounts are dosed in-line or through a static mixer that ensures correct dilution in the process. With a selective combination of pressure control valves, flow meters and control instrumentation, a plastic system by GF Piping Systems is easily constructed to customer specifications.

Adsorption

This process used to recover valuable metals from an aqueous solution, typically through the use of activated carbon or other adsorbent materials. The design of these piping systems must consider the chemical compatibility with the leachate, the potential for abrasion from the adsorbent material, and the need for easy maintenance and cleaning.

Leaching

Leaching involves extraction of a soluble constituent from a solid by solvent. Bacterial Leaching uses naturally-occurring bacteria to harmlessly oxidize ore that is high in sulfides, thus making processing of the ore much easier and more cost effective. GF Piping Systems provides a variety of suitable piping systems as well as measurement and control solutions to tackle this crucial mining application.

Solvent Extraction / Electrowinning

Solvent extraction and electrowinning is a two-stage hydrometallurgical process commonly used in mining to extract and recover metals, particularly coppper, but also applied to other metals like cobalt, nickel, zinc, and uranium. GF products are used in chemical processing and transport the liquids as the rafffinate is extremely corrosive to metals.

Evaporation / Crystallization

The evaporation/crystallization process in mining is a method used to extract valuable minerals from a solution by evaporating the solvent and forming crystals of the solute. In lithium extraction, the concentrated brine is processed through a series of chemical treatments or ion exchange processes to extract lithium. GF solutions are ideal to tackle these related process steps due to their chemical resistance of our piping systems as well as our Process Automation portfolio.

Elution

Elution in mining, particularly in gold processing, is a critical step where valuable metals are separated from activated carbon. Acid washing removes the target metal from the adsorbent by adjusting pH and temperature. The efficiency of the elution process can significantly impact the overall efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the mining operation.

Process Cooling

Water absorbs heat from the process stream by flowing through heat exchangers or jackets surrounding equipment. Chilled water systems by GF Piping Systems can be incorporated for even more effective cooling. Water cooling offers better heat transfer compared to air cooling.

Specialized Solutions

We support our customers worldwide throughout all phases of their mining projects from planning to commissioning.

FAQs

Can plastic pipes be used to convey materials containing chemical such as acid or bases?

Plastic pipes, fittings and valves from GF Piping Systems can be used to convey materials containing chemicals such as acids or bases. Our solutions have been used for decades in mineral processing applications. Our Chemical Resistance Tool is able to identify the right material for transporting all sorts of aggressive media to avoid leackages and protect the safety of employees as well as the enivronment. Our pipe-in-pipe double containment system CONTAIN-IT Plus has proven ideal for handling acids and other hazardous fluids.

How can mineral processing become more efficient?

Managing the water cycle has become increasingly important and complex. Intelligent Process Automation technologies and products of absolute reliability make valuable contributions to the future. GF Piping Systems offers comprehensive solutions for all applications throughout the water cycle, from chemical dosing systems and media filtration applications to ion exchange.

Georg Fischer Piping Systems Pvt. Ltd

96 Lal Bahadur Shastri Road

400083 Mumbai

India

GF logo on the headquarters building