Alluvial Ore Beneficiation Production Line and Process: Highly Efficient Transformation from Sediment to Treasure

Alluvial ores, such as seashore alluvial ores, riverbed alluvial ores, etc., are the treasures formed by the deposition of heavy minerals (e.g., gold, platinum, cassiterite, ilmenite, zircon, rare earths, etc.) in the suitable zones after hundreds of millions of years of water current transportation, scouring and sorting. Compared with primary ores, they have the great advantages of being widely distributed, shallowly buried, no need for blasting, and the minerals have been preliminarily dissociated, which makes them a high-quality choice in the field of mining investment with low cost, quick results and stable returns.

An efficient and mature alluvial sand ore beneficiation production line is the key to transform these valuable resources into real gold and silver. This article will provide you with a detailed analysis of its core process and equipment configuration.

First, the core process of alluvial beneficiation production line

Alluvial sand ore beneficiation principle is based on the core of the useful minerals and veins (such as quartz, feldspar) between the density difference, particle size difference and magnetic/conductivity differences. Its standardized process can be summarized in the following stages:

Step 1: Raw material collection and pre-treatment

• Mode: Depending on the location of the deposit (underwater or on land), extraction is carried out using sand pumps/excavating vessels or forklifts/excavators.

• Feeding: Raw materials are fed evenly and controllably into the next stage through silos and chute feeders to ensure stable operation of the production line.

• Core - Screening and Washing: The material enters the tumbler screen or vibrating screen, and under the synergistic action of high-pressure water gun, it accomplishes two major tasks:

  1. Screening: separates materials of different grain sizes, usually pebbles, weeds and other waste materials larger than 10mm are discharged directly.

  2. Washing: to break up and crush the mineral sludge clusters bonded together, to dissociate the useful mineral monomers, and to lay the foundation for efficient sorting.

The second step: core gravity sorting - enrichment of essence
This is the "heart" of the whole production line, aiming at the initial enrichment of high-density useful minerals.

• Jigger: For coarse and medium-grained (e.g. -10mm) alluvial ores, especially gold, cassiterite, etc., the jigger utilizes the up and down pulsation of the water flow to make the heavy minerals settle in the bottom layer, and the light minerals are discharged from the upper part, so that the effect of separation is intuitive and highly efficient.

• Spiral ch ute: For fine-grained (e.g. -2mm) sand ores, such as ilmenite, zircon, rutile, etc., the spiral chute can continuously and stably separate the heavy sand (concentrate) from the light sand (tailings) by virtue of its unique design of the spiral chute and the combined effect of centrifugal force and film of the water flow, which has a large processing capacity and extremely low operating cost.

• Shaking table: As the "sculptor" of gravity separation, shaking table is used to process the coarse concentrate produced by spiral chute or jigger, through the reciprocating asymmetric movement of the bed surface, it can accurately separate minerals with different specific gravity, and obtain high-grade final concentrate.

Step 3: Selection and purification - excellence
The heavy sand (gross concentrate) after gravity roughing is usually a mixture of many kinds of useful minerals, which needs to be further separated and purified.

• Magnetic separator: utilizes the difference in magnetic properties of minerals for sorting. For example, magnetic ilmenite can be easily separated from non-magnetic zircon and rutile with a strong magnetic separator.

• Electroseparator: Sorting by utilizing the difference in mineral conductivity. It is the key equipment to separate conductive rutile from non-conductive zircon and quartz.

• Flotation machine: For some specific minerals (such as fine-grained cassiterite, scheelite, etc.), flotation can be used for recovery as a supplement to gravity separation.

Step 4: Dewatering and Tailings Treatment - Green Cycle

• Dewatering: The concentrate after sorting is dewatered by dewatering screen, thickener or centrifuge to form a product with low water content, which is easy to transport and sell.

• Tailings treatment: The sorted tailings (mainly quartz sand) can be used for construction sand, realizing resource utilization. Wastewater is recycled after treatment in the sedimentation tank, realizing the production goal of zero emission and green environment protection.

Production line configuration and equipment selection suggestions

We can provide the most cost-effective solution according to your specific ore sample characteristics (mineral type, particle size distribution, mud content, etc.) and production demand:

• Small mobile production line: integrated on trailer or crawler, flexible transfer, suitable for decentralized, small-scale alluvial sites. Core equipment: mobile trommel screen + jigger/spiral chute.

• Medium-sized stationary production line: large processing capacity, high degree of automation, stable return on investment. Core equipment: vibrating screen + spiral chute + shaking table + magnetic separator.

• Large automatic washing plant: suitable for super-large seashore sand mine or river sand mine, realizing full automatic control and maximizing efficiency.

Choose us to escort your alluvial sand mine investment!

The key to success in investing in alluvial sand ore beneficiation lies in choosing experienced and technically reliable partners. We offer you:

• Free mineral assay and analysis: accurately determine the value and selectivity of your ore.

• Professional process design: customized to ensure the highest recovery rate and economic benefits.

• Full set of equipment supply and support: from sand mining to concentrate dewatering, provide stable performance and high quality equipment.

• Turnkey project and technical service: responsible for installation, commissioning and training until the production line is successfully put into operation.

Contact us now for a free mineral processing program and quotation! Let your alluvial sand ore resources, with our professional assistance, maximize the value!