INCREASED REVENUE AND COST SAVINGS BY RECOVERING VALUE FROM PLANT RECIRCULATION AND TAILINGS WASTE STREAMS

Abstract

Effective recovery of fine coal and subsequent reduction in moisture to an acceptable level is mostly dependent on the following factors: (i) favorable economics, i.e., value of the product component obtained; (ii) capability and subsequent performance of the preparation equipment; (iii) extent to which the beneficiation of the total coal can be optimized; (iv) taking advantage of opportunities to generate other marketable proucts or materials that can be used within the main operation, such as roadbuilding, reclamation, and/or landscaping; and (v) cost and acceptability of the disposal method for the barren tailings. The success of this approach will be influenced by many other factors, not the least being the proportion of fines in the raw coal and the nature of the ultimate tailings. Hence, as mining and subsequent transportation and handling has become progressively more mechanized, the proportion of fines has increased and the justification for maximized fine coal recovery has also increased. However, the conundrum associated with including more fines is the added risk of increased moisture and the accompanying need for improved and cost-effective dewatering of both ultrafine coal and tailings. This paper will describe a successful pathway toward achieving the abovementioned five outcomes. The main drivers are also explained together with the contributing components of the new treatment circuits. Several examples of installations in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Russia will be descibed to illustrate the bespoke approach that is needed.