Commercial products of the processing plant at the "Shalkiya" field are::
- lead flotation concentrate corresponding to the KC-7 brand;
- zinc flotation concentrate corresponding to the KC-4 brand;
It is planned to use modern, high-tech equipment with a high degree of automation at the polymetallic ore processing plant for stable operation of the technological process, achieving the required production indicators and minimizing the impact on the environment.
The enrichment process includes the following steps::
- coarse, medium, fine crushing in jaw and cone crushers and fine crushing in high-pressure abrasive rolls (HDI);
- shredding;
- selective lead and zinc flotation;
- fine post-grinding of the main zinc flotation concentrate
- dehydration.
Crushing and grinding processes are used to achieve the required particle size before useful minerals are discovered, and this factor is extremely important for the subsequent flotation process.
Flotation process based on the difference in physical and chemical properties of the surface of minerals. To separate valuable minerals from waste rock minerals, flotation enrichment uses chemicals called flotation reagents, which regulate the physical and chemical reactions of the process. The range of flotation reagents used is traditional for direct selective flotation of lead-zinc ores.
The design scheme of ore processing allows obtaining three enrichment products:
- lead concentrate;
- zinc concentrate;
- flotation tails.
Both concentrates go through a dewatering stage. Lead and zinc concentrates, after thickening and filtration to optimal humidity, are packed in big bags or in bulk in wagons, for subsequent transportation to the consumer. Flotation tailings without dewatering are sent to the tailing dump for further storage.
Today, as part of the design of a mining and processing plant with a production capacity of processing 4 million tons of ore per year, the process of digitalization of the project is considered, which implies a high level of automation (automated process control system level), the construction of BIM models (CAD level), the MES level is being worked out with the transition to ERP systems. Innovation and digitalization of processes play an important role in the development of the industrial sector in Kazakhstan and affect the improvement of production quality and risk reduction.
