ABSTRACT
An industrial scale testing aiming separation of coal concentrate from the Maxim dump material accumulated during underground mining of brown coals from the Pemik coal field in the period 1926–1960 has been performed. The technology tested has been a gravity based one employing hydrocyclones with autogenous suspension in combination with washing drum. The industrial installation located in Belgium which was used for test trials has been designed to handle wastes derived from black coal processing in a throughput rate of 250 to 350 t/h and 40 mm as an upper size limit of the material. Coal concentrate with 21.43% yield and 21.5 % ash content has been obtained from the Maxim dump material having 70% ash content for suspension density of 1.44 g/cm3. These figures differ substantially from the theoretical beneficiation curves obtained in advance. The additional compilation of the obtained results have suggested that there are opportunities for obtaining coal concentrates with 29.51% yield and 23.63% ash content. It is obvious that for the more effective separation of the burning mass from the Maxim dump material, the installation need to be upgraded by implementation of novel technical and technological elements.
