Processing

As the first major magnetite mining and processing project in Australia, CPM is taking the lead in bringing a new approach to delivering large-scale downstream processing. The Sino Iron project is making it possible to produce steel from resources in Australia that have been considered low value until now. As opposed to hematite iron ore that is traditionally mined in Western Australia, the project will mine magnetite iron ore. Magnetite requires beneficiation before it can be exported for use in the steel making process and is a desirable and high quality product for steel mills.

Once operating, the project will mine about 140 million tonnes each year and the processing plant will handle approximately 80 million tonnes of material. This material goes through in-pit crushers before being transported to the concentrator. The crushed ore then enters giant grinding mills, the most powerful in the world. There will be six grinding mill lines, each using 44 megawatts of power and standing more than 17 metres high. The mills will produce a fine ore stream which enters magnetic separators to become a concentrate. The concentrate will be thickened and stored before being pumped 25 kilometres to the port, where it is filtered to reduce moisture. From there, the concentrate will be exported for use in steel making.