US 12,325,030 B2
Method for the beneficiation of iron ore streams
Stephen Stretch, Padbury (AU); and Bohdan Ilich, Bicton (AU)
Assigned to FORTESCUE METALS GROUP LTD, East Perth (AU)
Appl. No. 17/622,928
Filed by Fortescue Ltd, East Perth (AU)
PCT Filed Jul. 2, 2020, PCT No. PCT/AU2020/050694
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 27, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/000020, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 7, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2019902359 (AU), filed on Jul. 3, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0258177 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. B03C 1/005 (2006.01); B03C 1/02 (2006.01); B03C 1/24 (2006.01); C22B 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC B03C 1/24 (2013.01) [B03C 1/02 (2013.01); B03C 1/005 (2013.01); B03C 2201/20 (2013.01); C22B 1/00 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of beneficiating iron ore streams, the method comprising the steps of:
sizing an iron ore stream to provide a wet fines fraction of less than 3.0 mm diameter particle size;
contacting the wet fines fraction of less than 3.0 diameter particle size with a magnetic field directly, so that the fines fraction is magnetically separated into a concentrate stream and a tailings stream; and
contacting the tailings stream with a second magnetic field and magnetically separating the tailings stream into a second concentrate stream and a second tailings stream;
wherein the iron ore stream is a comminuted iron ore stream comprising about 40-66 w/w % iron and the concentrate stream has an iron concentration of at least 55 w/w % iron, wherein the tailings stream is an untreated tailings stream, and the second magnetic field is of higher intensity than the magnetic field.