Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) uses a system of ponds and floating dredges to mine the ore body, where heavy valuable minerals such as ilmenite, zircon and rutile are recovered from the sand.
Zulti North
RBM uses six floating dredges at four mine sites (B, C, D and E) at various places within the dunes. In areas inaccessible to the dredges, or in dunes which are higher than 60 m, dry mining is performed.
A large artificial freshwater pond is created in the dunes, on which float the dredger and concentrator plant. While the dredge removes the material from the front end of the pond, the tailings generated by the separation process are stacked at the back; as a result the pond continuously moves in a forward direction. Burrowing into the mining face of the dune, the dredger advances at a rate of 2 - 3 metres per day, depending on the height of the dune. As the sand face is undermined it collapses into the pond forming a slurry, which is sucked up and pumped to a floating concentrator. At this point, the heavy minerals are separated from the sand by exploiting differences in mineral density via a multi-stage circuit of sluices.
Zulti South
Zulti South consists of several ore zones of varying geometrical properties. Grade variations within the Zulti South orebody are apparent with grade in general declining from South to North as well as from the inland side of the deposit to the seaward side.
Dry mining was selected as the mini ........
