Metso has opened a completely renovated minerals processing laboratory in Pori, Finland.
Metso said the laboratory is a unique asset that significantly expands the company’s ore sample and process testing capabilities, allowing safe and efficient testing around the clock.
“The number of minerals testing projects has increased steadily during recent years,” Metso minerals processing laboratories manager Elina Wiik said.
“The new facility enables us to better meet the needs of our customers, for example, by handling larger sample sizes and boosts our capacity to serve also the expanding testing needs of the battery minerals sector.”
Metso said special emphasis was put on lean processes, a safe working environment and proper ventilation in the design of the laboratory.
Wiik described the optimised workflows enabled by the new setup, citing measures like laboratory flotation cells now being placed in a separate safety cabinet.
“This gives us the possibility to use a large number of flotation reagents and to perform complex separation tests for a wide range of samples and ore types,” she said.
“Our test work is enhanced by using state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. One of the unique features of the laboratory is the carefully designed facility for safe dry sample preparation, crushing, screening, and splitting.”
The company said it hopes these capabilities not only help predict and gather test data to deliver optimised process flowsheets, but that they also support mining operations to improve recovery, resource efficiency and sustainability.
Metso is rolling out expansion across its Finland operations in order to keep up with the demands of the battery minerals industry.
Joining the Pori laboratory in its recent opening is a new battery mineral precursor plant, which is now open for customer trials.
Metso said the pilot facility expansion compliments its front-running piloting capabilities for minerals processing and metals refining.