Mineral sands deposits are typically formed as a result of coastal marine sedimentary processes and are found in unconsolidated fossil shorelines up to hundreds of kilometres inland from present coastlines.

A link exists between marine erosion and mineral sand deposits where wave and current action creates conditions in which lighter sand particles are transported more readily than heavier mineral sands particles, creating a build up of mineral sands. Mineral sands are supplied to the coast through rivers draining the hardrock hinterland. The size of mineral sand deposits vary, but are typically 100 or 200 metres wide, 5 to 20 me res thick and 2 to 20 kilometres long.

Most mineral sand deposits were formed between 1.8 and 12 million years ago. During this period immense changes in the sea levels resulted in repeated reworking of sediments deposited by rivers in coastal shorelines. The composition of mineral sand deposits reflects the type of rocks from which the sands containing the heavy minerals derive.

The mineral sands industry consists of two core product streams:
•Titanium dioxide minerals - in the form of rutile, ilmenite and leucoxene. Ilmenite is also used to manufacture titanium slag and synthetic rutile products; and
•Zircon

Mineral sands deposits are characterised by their grade (the percentage of HM found in a deposit) and their assemblage (the relative proportion of valuable HM components of ilmenite, rutile and zircon). The typical composition of a mineral sands deposit has a HM grade ranging from 0.5 per cent to above 20 per cent. The differing grades and assemblage characteristics can influence the relative cost and value stream of product produced from any specific deposit.

Mining commences with land clearing activity, where any millable timber is harvested, and the rest is used for fencing, firewood or chipped for use in dust suppression or rehabilitation. Topsoil and subsoil is stripped and stockpiled separately from the underlying overburden material.

The inherent seed bank is maintained to prevent potential sterilisation from saline soils. Overburden is removed and stockpiled for replacement at the end of the mine life. In previously mined areas it may be placed in adjacent previously mined pits or voids, or on sand tailings.

Iluka’s operations currently use dry mining techniques. These techniques vary across sites although, in all cases, the ore is deposited into a hopper, usually adjacent to the active mining area. The ore is fed to the hopper by front-end loaders, dozers, self-elevating scrapers, or trucks. Where appropriate, a consistent grade and quality of the mined ore is blended prior to being fed into the hopper.

If scrapers or dozers are being used, ore is mined from the top of the face to the toe of the face and across the face. If trucks are being used, ore is transported to a pad adjacent to the hopper and then a front end loader is employed to blend the ore, bucket by bucket.

The valuable mineral sands are only a small proportion of the total ore removed from the mining area, being mixed with clays, silts, quartz sand and rock.

Depending on the type of waste material associated with the ore, the primary separation may vary but, in general:
• material in the ore that is 150 millimetres (“mm”) or greater is screened out using vibrating grizzlies and returned to the mining pit;
• the mixture of mineral sand, quartz sand, clays, silts, and rock (less than 150mm) is passed through a rotating screen (trommel) where the clays, sand and silt are washed away from the rock;
• if the clay content is high or forms balls entrapping the mineral sand, it is passed through a similar rotating screen (a scrubber) prior to entering the trommel. In the scrubber the ore is subjected to high pressure water sprays. These break up the clay balls releasing the mineral sand.

The mineral sand, silt and clay mixture, now in a slurry form, is pumped to the wet concentrator.

The Stony Creek mineral separation plant receives and blends heavy mineral concentrate at a rate of approximately 475 thousand tonnes per annum from both the Concord and Brink operations. The facility can process the concentrate up to approximately 330 thousand tonnes of chloride ilmenite and 50 thousand tonnes of zircon per annum through a series of slurrying, screening, drying, electrostatic and electromagnetic separation stages. Product is then shipped to domestic US customers via rail and truck (bulk and bag) and via ship (dry bulk, bulk-in-container and bag) for international customers.

Wet concentration is used to produce a high grade heavy mineral concentrate, containing titanium dioxide (rutile, ilmenite) and zircon, as well as other heavy minerals. As part of this process, ore is washed through a series of spiral separators that use gravity to separate the heavy mineral sands from the lighter quartz and clay. Attritioning and secondary concentration is also carrie ........