Patent ID: 6077441
Filing Date: 2000-06-20
Classification: B01D,Y10S

Abstract:
A mineral recovery process comprising a main separation stage of which mineral is slurried with water and separated into an enriched fraction and a dilute aqueous clay waste, and a waste sedimentation stage in which the dilute aqueous clay waste is sedimented in one or more settling lagoons to provide a substantially solid clay sediment and supernatant, and in which the waste sedimentation stage comprises feeding the dilute aqueous clay waste into a well, flocculating the dilute aqueous waste by mixing a polymeric flocculant into the dilute aqueous clay waste, sedimenting the flocculated dilute aqueous clay waste to provide a pumpable thickened clay sediment layer in the well and a supernatant layer, recycling the supernatant layer from the well back to the main separation stage.