Maybe you are in the early stages of planning a mineral processing plant, or perhaps you are hoping to expand your current operations to a different location, and you’re going to start fresh. Or, like many others, you are looking into the ever-expanding field of mineral processing as a future career. No matter why you’re curious about mineral processing plants, it’s essential to have access to valuable information about how they operate.
At Kemper Equipment, we have plenty of experience working with mineral processing equipment, and we understand the ins and outs of these sophisticated tools and systems. So, if you’re looking for more information about mineral processing plants, you’ve come to the right place!
What is a Mineral Processing Plant?
When defined simply, a mineral processing plant is where machinery separates commercially valuable materials like metals or minerals from waste materials such as other rocks. These commercially valuable materials can be everything from sand to gold, and each requires a different system of machinery to extract properly, sort, and separate.
There are several components to mineral processing, but it usually happens like this:
- Ore, which is found in the waste rock known as gangue, is harvested from the source.
- The ore is run through a crusher to begin the process of breaking it down into separate pieces.
- Machinery such as screening equipment or hydrocyclones separate the valuable materials from the gangue.
If you’ve read Mineral Processing Plant Design, Practice, and Control, you know that ensuring your materials come out well separated and uniform in size is essential to your success. It is challenging to sell poorly sorted or variable-sized minerals and materials. Many industries require specific sizes and expect a certain quality in their product. That’s why you need the right equipment to ensure proper separation and size uniformity.
What Types of Minerals Can a Plant Process?
Mineral processing plants can handle many different types of materials. Some of the most common include salt, sand, coal, soil, limestone, and in some cases, materials beyond aggregates like fertilizer.
What Type of Machinery is Necessary for Mineral Processing?
Mineral processing plants are customized to suit the operation’s needs, but there are several kinds of machinery you can expect to see. Mining and hauling equipment and screening and washing equipment are common. Depending on the operation and what materials are processed there, you may see one or several crushers.
Each operation is unique in its needs, and when you choose to work with the experts at Kemper Equipment, we can help your business thrive with our design and build services. We are dedicated to optimizing and streamlining business, which is why we only work with the best equipment. If you have issues with your production facility or think there’s an opportunity for more profitability, get in touch with us. We can assess your current setup and work with you to design a better one!
Are There Any Challenges to Operating a Mineral Processing Plant?
As a plant owner or worker, it is crucial to understand that mineral processing is a complicated process that involves lots of moving parts. Because of these moving parts, there are many decisions to make, especially regarding the equipment used in the process. Some of the questions that may come up include:
- Are you processing something that can move quickly, or will you have difficulties with transportation?
- What types of transportation will you utilize for your product?
- What kind of equipment is best for your operation?
- Do you have a plan for routine maintenance?
- Will you be able to set aside funds to afford emergency repairs?
Just as each mineral processing plant has different equipment and setups, they will also answer these questions differently. You may note that some answers, like the best type of transportation for your product, will differ depending on the industry and where you are located.
Let Kemper Equipment Help You
When you’re ready to design and build the perfect mineral processing plant, you deserve expert attention to detail and the highest quality equipment on the market for your operation. At Kemper Equipment, we have been helping mineral processing plants optimize their operations and increase profitability for years. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how we can help you!
