Iron recovery, dry stack tails approved for Altiplano’s El Penon plant at Farellon

Marilyn Scales | December 16, 2021 | 10:41 am News South America Copper Gold Iron Ore 
Conceptual image of La Penon mill at the Farellon copper-gold mine in Chile. Credit: Altiplano Metals.

Altiplano Metals (TSXV: APN) has received approval from the Chilean mining authority to include an iron separator and a high-efficiency water recovery circuit at its El Penon mineral processing facility to support the Farellon iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) mine near La Serena, Chile.

The dewatering stack will generate a dry tailings product that can be moved and stored in an environmentally efficient manner, replacing a conventional tailings dam system. In addition, the dewatering stack circuit will reduce the overall freshwater consumption needed at the plant by approximately 75%. 

The mill flowsheet includes conventional flotation and a filter press to produce a 26.5% copper concentrate with gold credits. The addition of three magnetic separators and a drum filter will produce a 61% iron concentrate for sale. Together, these processes will reduce the amount of tailings material by 50% compared to similar plants treating ICOG ores. The tails will be thickened, filtered and reduced to 10% to 15% moisture content before stacking. The water recovered will be recycled.

Altiplano says the plant will produce 1,850 tonnes of iron concentrate and 300 tonnes of copper-gold concentrate each month.

The new mill is to be operational in the first quarter of next year. Visit www.APNMetals.com.

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