
The coal-preparation plant was losing fine coal saleable product to tailings. It required additional fine coal treatment to maximise coal recovery yield and minimise tailings disposal costs. The required equipment was bulky and there was limited space available around the existing preparation plant.
The plant modification required diversion of the existing tailing thickener feed piping into a new flotation circuit located adjacent to the existing preparation plant, with the flotation tailings reporting to the existing thickener. Recovered flotation product would be directed into a new disk filter in the existing preparation plant. Dewatered product coal would feed onto the existing product conveyor system and the recovered effluent recycled to the thickener to minimise site water balance loss.