Dry versus Wet Magnetic Separation – Horses for Courses

摘要

Magnetic separation equipment has long been used to upgrade and benefi ciate a wide variety ofrnminerals and materials. Over the years, signifi cant advances in both wet and dry magnetic separatorsrnhave improved their operability and separation performances, broadening their use.rnBut no one answer exists to the question: what is the right type of magnetic separator? For manyrnminerals, including ilmenite, both process routes may be viable. There are technical, production,rnas well as economic reasons for choosing wet versus dry. However, recent developments illustraternthat a new generation of wet magnetic separators is approaching performance once seen only inrndry magnetic separation. With quality and production performance becoming similar, the choicernbetween wet and dry magnetic separation is not as cut and dry as it once was.