Brazilian iron ore miner Vale has started the commissioning of the Gelado Project in Carajás, in the country’s northern state of Para.
When operational, the project will produce high-quality pellet feed grade iron ore, based on the utilization of tailings that have been deposited in the Gelado dam since 1985, when the company began operating in the region.
The tailings are composed of iron ore units that could not be used in the original beneficiation process, plus impurities such as silica and alumina. With the use of electric dredges, to avoid emissions, the tailings will be removed from the dam and sent back for processing at the plant.
The iron contents of the material extracted from the dam is already 63 percent, considered high. At the plant, the ore will undergo a magnetic concentration process, separating the ferrous particles from the silica and alumina, further increasing its quality. This is the first time that magnetic concentration has been used by Vale in Para.
The pellet feed ore leaving the concentration plant will be sent to Vale’s pelletizing plant in São Luís, in the neighbor state of Maranhão.
In its first stage, the project will produce 5.0 million mt of pellet feed per year, to reach the full capacity of 10.0 million mt per year over the next few years.
According to Vale, performance and capacity tests are already being carried out, with the operational phase expected to start during the second half of the year.