onversion of iron sand into high purity iron chloride and silicate sand products

Purpose and goal:

The project aimed to validate the applicability of EasyMining’s Sahara process on iron-rich silicate sand from Swedish mining and processing (Boliden), which is presently landfilled. Sahara allowed the production of iron chloride coagulant and cleaner silicate sand from this new material. The process required some modifications due to the different chemistry of the input material. The process can be more effective if the chemistry of the input sand material is altered during its production.

Expected results and effects:

The ferric chloride coagulant produced had a low impurity content per kg iron compared to the feed material and is suitable for use in wastewater treatment. There is potential to use such iron sand materials to supply Sweden´s needs for iron chloride coagulant (estimated at 30 000 tons of 40 % solution per year). The iron-depleted residue has the potential to be used as slag former in copper production, creating a more closed loop in this sector.

Approach and implementation:

Optimizations are needed for both Sahara and the production of the iron-sand feed to process this material in the best way. Controlling the chemistry of silica and iron in the starting sand is key to having a more efficient Sahara process with fewer steps and lower chemical demands. The process needs to be validated with sand in which the chemistry of silica and iron is controlled during its production phase in the mining sector.