Xstrata Technology has commemorated the sale of its 100th IsaMill to the global mineral processing industry.
Chris Rule and Lindsay Clark
The 100th IsaMill was one among the four M10,000, 3-MW IsaMills deployed at South African projects run by Anglo American Platinum. African Rainbow Minerals and Xstrata Alloys are partnered in two of the projects. The IsaMill has been offering energy-efficient fine grinding and enhanced metallurgical recoveries since its launch in the beginning of 1990s.
As a part of the ceremony, Xstrata Technology has delivered a presentation to Chris Rule, who serves as Head of Concentrator Technology at Anglo American Platinum, to acknowledge this significant landmark and his partnership in this technology development.
Chris Rule stated that IsaMill stirred milling is an integral component of the concentrator flow sheet of the PGM industry in applications such as both FG and UFG concentrate regrind, and mainstream regrind. The launch of the M10,000 unit, a collaborative effort of Xstrata Technology, Anglo American Platinum and Netzsch, has increased the benchmark of higher product grade and metallurgical recovery for mainstream regrind applications through the modification of the slurry chemistry and the surface of the milled products as well as enhanced flotation kinetics and improved value mineral liberation,, Rule added.
Xstrata Technology’s General Manager of Mineral Processing, Lindsay Clark stated that this 3 MW system offered a high-capacity mill to the industry and drove the company’s technology to become a feasible form of regrinding against the vertical and ball mills. The technology has found applications in various precious metal and base metal operations as well as in magnetite regrind operations, Clark added.