Mineral processing plant for copper and molybdenum recovery from mine tailings

Client: Astaldi SpA
Location: Tiltil, Santiago, Chile
Date: May 2014 – January 2016

The “Minera Valle Aconcaqua” plant was designed to recover, through flotation (pre-concentration and concentration), copper and molybdenum from the mine tailings coming from the Rio Blanco mineral processing plant, owned by Division Andina (Codelco).

Plant aerial view

Project Goals

• To identify the technical and organizational reasons which prevent the “Minera Valle Aconcagua” plant to obtain the expected copper productions;
• To define the optimal plant operating conditions and the technical measures to be implemented to achieve maximum production levels.

Activities performed

1. Analysis of the plant design data;
2. In situ check of the plant layout during operation;
3. Sampling of the tailings feeding the plant and execution of laboratory tests (chemical, physical, mineralogical analysis, flotation tests);
4. Plant operating data analysis;
5. Determination and validation of the optimal operating conditions;
6. Development of an in situ experimentation plan.

Plant’s technical data

PTR – MVA plant’s layout

Results

• Laboratory test results validation on the basis of plant’s operating data;
• Definition of the interventions to be realized and the operating conditions to be implemented in the plant to get maximum production rates.

Collaborations

CNR IGAG (Eng. Girolamo Belardi)