Neo-Solutions specializes in identifying the right reagent chemistry for each process stream to promote increased production at the desired final concentrate grade.
Criteria used for selecting a reagent include:
- Mineralogy driven
- Variability in Ore Type
- Grade & Recovery Targets
- Optimizing Throughput
- Eliminating Process Bottlenecks
We bring a comprehensive approach to reagent selection for each application after studying the mineralogy, operating conditions, and process equipment capabilities.
Our Team Speaks the Language of “Mineralogy”
Understanding mineralogy is critical to solving most mineral processing issues. Our methodology consists of identifying the minerals associated with your ores and selecting the best reagent chemistry to achieve the desired separations.
The proper application of reagent chemistry in a mineral processing plant is also critical to the successful recovery of minerals containing valuable metals and non-metallic materials.
We can help you with the successful recovery of minerals containing these metals:
- Copper
- Molybdenum
- Gold
- Silver
- Platinum
- Palladium
- Lead
- Zinc
- Nickel
- Iron
- Rare earths
We can also help you with the successful recovery of minerals containing these non-metallic materials:
- Phosphate
- Sodium Carbonate
- Coal
- Potassium Chloride
- Sand & Aggregate
Neo-Solutions is SKILLED IN BOTH THE ART AND SCIENCE™ of applied chemistry to mineral processing operations. These core competencies draw on our team's wide-ranging experiences.
We support operations management in its implementation of treatment strategies to optimize grade, recovery, and throughput.
Mineral Processing Problems & Solutions
Common mineral processing problems include:
- Low mineral recovery
- Meeting target mineral grade, especially during ore changes
- Difficulty generating an optimum froth bed
- Mineral crowding on bubbles
- Slow flotation kinetics, leading to the target mineral being lost to coarser or finer size fractions
Neo-Solutions is the industry leader in foam management capabilities for froth flotation applications. Our surface modifiers are used to increase throughput, grade, and recovery when properly applied. Additionally, our team of experienced metallurgists can provide the level of support you need.
Our Mineral Processing Solutions include these considerations:
- Mineral surface modifiers often should be used to increase effectiveness of collectors
- Proper combination of frother and collector reagent selection can improve Froth Flotation, leading to improved grade and recovery
- Excessive frothing or foaming can be controlled with system compatible defoamer technologies
Interfering Gangue Minerals
Mine sites with depleted high-grade ores need to use a dynamic approach for maximizing production rates. These ore bodies typically contain gangue materials that cause operational issues, including low throughput, low recovery, and low grade.
We provide strategies for selectively rejecting interfering gangue mineral groups that contain:
- Talc
- Clays
- Sliming Clays
- Swelling Clays
- Smectite
Neo-Solutions has a core competency in dealing with these interfering mineral groups. Mine site waste-ore rankings often improve when our expertise is applied to a mineral processing operation.
Penalty Elements
Penalty elements can decrease concentrate grade, cause regulatory issues, and impact production of downstream refinery operations. The optimized removal of penalty elements requires a detailed study of the mineralogy combined with well-designed reagent selection and plant application plans.
The penalty elements we can help you reject include:
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Magnesium
- Bismuth
- Cadmium
- Phosphorus
- Fluorine
- Aluminum
- Silica
Neo-Solutions has proprietary strategies for optimizing processing plants that utilize sodium silicate.
Our metallurgists are here to support you.
Solving Common Mineral Processing Issues
Copper porphyry and skarn ore deposits can contain both primary copper minerals such as chalcopyrite and bornite as well as other secondary copper minerals. These minerals influence the chemical treatment strategies required to maximize recovery and concentrate grade.
Proper combination of Neo-Solutions’ mineral specific sulfide flotation reagents including frothers and collectors can improve froth flotation, leading to increased grade quality and/or recovery rates.
Most the secondary copper sulfide minerals, such as chalcocite, covellite, and digenite are typically associated with problematic gangue minerals.
These interfering gangue minerals may contain penalty elements such as:
- Arsenic
- Bismuth
- Cadmium
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Aluminum
Even valuable metals such as lead and zinc derived from galena and sphalerite minerals can penalize the salable copper product.
Where gangue minerals and penalty elements are present, specialized Neo-Solutions proprietary modifier products are beneficial to remove and minimize impact of penalty elements. Modifiers include:
- Dispersants & Depressants
- Rheology Modifiers
- Activators & Promoters
Reagents and operational programs for capturing the full potential in Polymetallic Separations
Separation of complex sulfides (also known as sulphides) and other polymetallic sulfides require a detailed chemical and operational strategy to maximize recovery and grade for each final product stream.
Mineral recovery product streams of complex polymetallic ores may contain one or more of these following valuable elements:
- Cu - copper
- Mo - molybdenum
- Au - gold
- Ag - silver
- Pb - lead
- Zn - zinc
- Ni - nickel
- Pt - platinum
- Pd - palladium
- Rh - rhodium
- Fe - iron
Mineral processing facilities are challenged with inherent problems. For example, the reagent scheme in a bulk Cu/Mo or Cu/Au/Mo flotation circuit may cause issues in downstream separation. Careful attention must be given to all reagents in the system.
Any reagent or operational upstream change will also impact the downstream phase of production. These inherent problems can be solved by selecting chemistries to promote the separation of multiple final product streams.
Neo-Solutions understands mineralogy and operational processes chemistries to assist you with optimizing your operations.
Our chemistries and operational knowledge can assist with maximizing your recovery and grade for each separation stream. Product line chemistries include:
- Depressants, Dispersants, Modifiers
- Rheology Modifiers
- Collectors, Frothers, other reagents
We also have NaHS (sodium hydrosulfide) replacement solutions for primary and secondary copper minerals (e.g., chalcopyrite, covellite, chalcocite) and other reagent solutions for depressing galena (Pb) and sphalerite (Zn).
Proper Application of Reagents are Critical to Success
The comprehensive or holistic approach to reagent selection requires an understanding of mineral processing plant process flow and operations. Treatment strategies need to consider these factors related to the performance and optimization of mineral processing operations:
- Grinding – Particle Size
- Deslime
- Cyclone Separation
- Hydrosizers
- Roughers
- Bulk Cleaning Circuits
- Cleaners
- Thickeners
Mineral processing filter plant cycle times and cake moistures often present challenging issues.
Neo-Solutions has a proven core competency in providing these products and services that result in reducing moistures levels in filter plant concentrate:
- Rotary Discs
- Belt Filters
- Vacuum Belt Filters
- Plate & Frame
- Filter Press
- Pan Filters
When moisture levels exceed the total moisture limit (TML), or are just too high, our technical representatives can provide you with a solution such as:
- Industry Proven Drying Aids
- Drying Aid Bench Studies & Minerals
- Processing Drying Aid Plant Trials
- Ability to rapidly demonstrate & measure effectiveness of moisture reduction
Our proprietary applications expertise and product line set us apart by giving you the advantage of consistently being able to help you meet your allowable transportable moisture limit (TML) specifications.
Delivering solutions that achieve the best results
Our employees are driven to solve our customers' problems and help them to deliver on their production and financial commitments. Our staff is composed of experienced metallurgists, chemists, and chemical engineers from the mining industry who are highly knowledgeable about operational processes and equipment.
We set ourselves apart by:
- Leveraging our experience to bridge the gap among mineralogy, chemistry, and process water
- Including onsite service and technical support with our product offerings
- Providing full trial support, including the training of plant personnel as required
Our people are recognized for collaborating with customers, which has resulted in several "industry firsts". Additionally, customers have successfully adopted our innovative approaches to chemical treatment strategies to de-bottleneck their processes.
The benefits resulting from our collaborations may include:
- Greater throughput from existing assets
- Postponement of debottlenecking-related capital investments
- Greater utilization of ores
Our team prides itself in always striving to exceed customers' expectations. We welcome the opportunity to solve your most challenging issues and meet your mineral processing needs.