Glencore Technology has successfully demonstrated a new application for the Jameson Cell, with test work at Antapaccay’s Tintaya Concentrator in Peru showing the potential to recover coarse copper-bearing particles from flotation tailings that would otherwise be lost.
As mining operations face declining ore grades and increasing pressure to maximise recovery from existing assets, opportunities remain to recover valuable minerals that are lost in the coarse fraction of flotation tailings. Conventional flotation cells can struggle to retain larger particles, leaving valuable material unrecovered even when the overall circuit is performing well.
The test work at the Tintaya Concentrator investigated the use of a modified Jameson Cell in a scavenger application, targeting coarse copper-bearing particles that would otherwise report to tailings. Minor modifications to the downcomer design and operating philosophy delivered meaningful recovery while retaining the simplicity of the standard Jameson Cell platform.
The pilot program recovered an average of 24.7% of copper-bearing particles larger than 150 μm and upgraded the recovered material by approximately 5.3 times.
Importantly, the proposed circuit concept requires only minor modifications to existing operations, the company notes. The recovered coarse concentrate represents a small recycle stream that can be reground and returned to the rougher circuit, avoiding the need for major plant redesign while offering the potential to increase overall copper recovery by 2-6%, depending on the application.
Dr. Chris Anderson, Principal Metallurgist, Glencore Technology, said: “Even well-performing flotation circuits can lose valuable coarse particles to tailings. This work shows the Jameson Cell can be adapted for a scavenger duty, recovering material that would otherwise be lost through a relatively simple addition to an existing circuit.”
Beyond the results themselves, the work highlights one of the Jameson Cell’s defining characteristics: adaptability. The project demonstrates how relatively minor modifications can extend the technology into new applications while retaining the core principles of a standard Jameson Cell, the company says.
Anderson added: “The Jameson Cell has always been a flexible platform, and this work demonstrates its ability to evolve alongside industry needs. Importantly, the concept remains fundamentally a standard Jameson Cell, allowing it to be commercially implemented at relatively low cost while creating an opportunity to lift overall recovery by 2-6%, depending on the application.”
While further validation across different ore types and operating conditions is planned, the successful pilot represents an important step in expanding the range of applications for the Jameson Cell, Glencore Technology says. As mining companies continue to pursue greater resource efficiency, recovery of coarse material from tailings could offer an increasingly attractive opportunity to unlock additional value from existing operations.
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