Phosphate laboratory automation solutions that sustain world-class phosphate processing

Phosphate ores show a wide diversity in the composition of their gangue materials. A wide variety of techniques and equipment is used to mine and process phosphate rocks in order to beneficiate low-grade ores and remove impurities.

There are a number of chemical factors to consider when producing phosphate feedstock:

• Phosphorous content
• Fluorine, carbonate and free carbonates in apatite
• The content iron, aluminium, manganese, inert gangue mineral, sodium, potassium, organic matter, chlorides, heavy metals, radionuclides and toxic elements
• Other minerals, such as magnetite and ilmenite, which can be recovered for economic benefit.

With all these factors in mind, consistency and accuracy when gathering physical and chemical analytical data are crucial to producing high-quality product. Therefore, we provide a variety of automated solutions, designed to assist you in efficiently controlling the production process.

Automating your process allows for improved turnaround times, the reduction of human error, and the effective completion of all tasks, regardless of ore type or quality. This leads to reduced variables, eliminated bias, increased mine-life, and greater reliability of supply. The higher rates of accuracy also reduce unexplained material losses, benefiting laboratory managers and the overall production process.

Laboratory automation will help your business thrive, as you’ll be able to produce more reliable product, and at a faster rate, as a result of the ability to more accurately determine process efficiency and recovery rates. Also, health and safety concerns will be minimised, cultivating a healthier environment for your workers.

Functions that can be automated include:

• XRD technology for quantification of minerals
• Filter/dryers for slurry samples
• Microwave ovens to dry filter cake
• Cake-breaker technology to prevent spluttering when filter cake is dried
• Particle size analyser
• XRF spectrometer to determine P₂O₅, TiO₂, Fe₂O₃, CaO, SiO₂ and other required elements
• Bar-code reading
• Milling and pulverising functions
• Pelletising functions, for pressing milled powder into steel rings for XRF analysis
• Compiling composite samples
• Transport of samples by conveyor belt
• Placing samples into machines and removing them when a process has been completed
• Monitoring technology for automated data gathering

Our automated solutions assure your facility better phosphate production success, making us your preferred choice when you decide to optimise your phosphate processing quality chain.

Better productivity and consistency

Automated processes require little-to-no human intervention, meaning that they can run for more extended periods compared to manual-operated laboratories. This allows your laboratory to produce a higher capacity of sample data per day. Also, the equipment can provide more consistent results, since human error, distraction, and a lack of proper training no longer have a significant impact.

Reduced operational costs

You can reduce costs in certain areas of your operation due to laboratory automation as a result of minimised onsite manpower. This particularly affects remote laboratories, where the cost of maintaining and retaining staff can be considerably high.

Quicker turnaround times

In automated laboratories, equipment can run on a 24/7 schedule. Also, because our automated equipment has self-regulatory functions installed, technical breakdowns are minimised.

Enhanced process and quality control

Automated laboratories process each sample identically, promising greater accuracy than any manual laboratory can provide. This leads to increased productivity, quality and reduced sample turn-around times.