Separation of Metals from a Slag Using a Multi-cell Jig

David C. Yang, Ricus van Reenan, Vimal Bhimsan

Apic Toll Treatment (Pty) Ltd, Parktown, South Africa.
Mineral Technologies International, Inc., Morgantown, West Virginia, USA.
Mintek, Randburg, South Africa.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2003.22011                

Abstract

The emerging Yang jig technology offers sharp separation of fine particles by the difference in their specific gravity. Mixed particles are fed either wet or dry into an inlet near the top of a column that is packed by corrugated plates, and the pulse water enters near the bottom. Heavy particles migrate downward and light particles move upward with the drag force imparted by a net up-flow stream of liquid being channeled through a large number of jigging cells. The multi-cell design enables repetitive separation actions as the particles travel in opposite vertical directions and allows precise concentration at high capacities with no short-circuiting. When a steady-state condition is reached, particles are stratified in a well-defined density gradient. The concentrated heavy particles discharge from the bottom, while the light particles overflow through a top launder. Scale-up is nearly linear with the separator volume. This paper presents basic principles of the process and its applications for recovery of metals from slag, especially ferroalloys. A commercial jig plant has been installed in South Africa to recover metal concentrate of 97% grade at 76% metal recovery from minus 1mm ferrochrome slag far exceeding conventional gravity methods.

Keywords

Separation, Metals, Multi-cell Jig

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	D. C. Yang: "Device and Process for Gravitational Separation of Solid Particles," U.S. Patent No. 5,507,393, April 16, 1996.
[2]	D. C. Yang, and T. P. Meloy: “Gravity Separation of Minus 500 mesh Particles” (Paper presented at the SME Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado, March 1997).
[3]	Q. Dai: “Simulation of Packed Column Jigging” (M.S. thesis, West Virginia University, 1999).
[4]	Private Communication.
[5]	D. C. Yang, P. Bozzato, and G. Ferrara: “Packed Column Jig sets New Standards in Iron Ore Concentration” Proceedings of the XXI International Mineral Processing Congress, Rome, Italy, 23-27 July 2000.
[6]	D. D. Yang: “Iron Ore Beneficiation With Packed Column Jig,” Journal of Minerals & Materials Characterization & Engineering, Vol 2 No. 1, 43-512003