Core Parameters
- Applied Materials: Low-grade iron ore (32-35% Fe)
- Processing Capacity: 500-550 t/d
- Main Equipment: YTO-LL1200-4 start spiral chutes, YTO-LL900-2 start spiral chutes, YTO-6S shaking tables, YTO-JT2-2 diaphragm jig machines, jaw crusher, ball mill, thickener, filter press
- Project Location: Shieni District, Northern Ghana
- Commissioning Date: April 2024
Project Background
Ghana is one of the countries with the richest iron ore resources in West Africa. The Shieni deposit alone has proven reserves of 1.3 billion tons with an average run-of-mine grade of 33.8% Fe. However, the local mining industry is relatively underdeveloped, with most mines still adopting small-scale and extensive mining operations and backward beneficiation technologies.
Our client, a leading local mining company in Ghana, had been operating a small and simple beneficiation plant previously and faced three core pain points:
- Extremely low recovery rate: The comprehensive recovery rate of traditional equipment was only about 60%, resulting in a large amount of valuable iron ore being lost with tailings
- Unstable concentrate quality: The concentrate grade fluctuated greatly and could not meet the acquisition standards of steel mills, so it could only be sold at a low price
- High equipment failure rate: The low-cost equipment purchased could not adapt to the tropical high-temperature and high-humidity environment, resulting in frequent shutdowns and less than 20 days of effective production time per month
The client urgently needed a standardized and highly reliable 500t/d iron ore gravity separation production line, requiring the final iron concentrate grade to be ≥60% Fe, the comprehensive recovery rate to be ≥75%, and meeting local environmental emission requirements at the same time.
YTO Customized Solution
Based on the ore test results of the samples sent by the client, combined with the local climate, power and logistics conditions in Ghana, YTO’s engineering team designed a full-process gravity separation process solution, which does not require flotation, reducing costs and being environmentally compliant.
1. Core Equipment Configuration
Adopting a three-stage gravity separation process of “rougher-scavenger-cleaner”, all core equipment adopts YTO’s self-developed products:
- Rougher & Scavenger: 12 sets of YTO-LL1200-4 start spiral chutes for high-capacity rapid waste disposal
- Cleaner: 6 sets of YTO-LL900-2 start spiral chutes to improve separation accuracy
- Final Cleaning: 4 sets of YTO-6S shaking tables to produce high-grade final concentrate
- Coarse Grain Recovery: 2 sets of YTO-JT2-2 diaphragm jig machines to recover +0.3mm coarse-grained iron minerals in advance
- Supporting: Crushing and screening system, grinding and classification system, dewatering system and automatic control system
2. Targeted Optimization for Tropical Working Conditions
In response to the characteristics of high temperature, high humidity, many mosquitoes and unstable power supply in Ghana, the equipment has been specially modified:
- All electrical components adopt IP65 waterproof and dustproof rating with anti-corrosion coating
- Motors are equipped with heat dissipation devices to ensure continuous and stable operation at 45℃
- The equipment frame adopts thickened steel to improve corrosion resistance
- Equipped with backup power interface to deal with sudden power outages
3. Capacity and Efficiency Guarantee
- The entire production line adopts a modular design, shortening the on-site installation cycle and completing delivery in only 6 months
- Equipped with PLC automatic control system to realize full-process automation of feeding, water adding and separation, reducing manual intervention
- Optimized material flow direction, reducing equipment no-load rate, and unit processing energy consumption is 15% lower than the industry average
- Reserved 10% capacity margin to facilitate the client’s small-scale expansion in the later stage
Project Operation Results
Since commissioning in April 2026, the production line has been operating continuously at full capacity with stable performance, and all indicators have greatly exceeded the client’s expectations:
| Technical Indicator | Contract Target | Actual Operation Result | Improvement |
| Daily Processing Capacity | 500 t | 520-550 t | +4%-10% |
| Final Concentrate Grade | ≥60% Fe | 62-64% Fe | +2%-4% |
| Comprehensive Recovery Rate | ≥75% | 78-81% | +3%-6% |
| Concentrate Moisture | ≤12% | 10-11% | -1%-2% |
| Monthly Average Failure Rate | ≤5% | ≤1.2% | -76% |
Economic Benefits
- The selling price of concentrate increased from 35 USD/ton to 68 USD/ton
- Annual processing of 165,000 tons of raw ore, annual output of about 75,000 tons of iron concentrate
- Annual additional profit of approximately 2.4 million USD, investment payback period of about 14 months
Client Testimonial
“We compared with multiple suppliers from China, South Africa and Europe, and finally chose YTO because they not only provide equipment, but also provide solutions that are truly suitable for the local conditions in Ghana. The production line has not had any major failures since it was put into operation, and the concentrate quality is stable, fully meeting our expectations. YTO’s technical team is very professional, from installation and commissioning to personnel training, they have done a very good job, and can always solve problems as soon as possible. We have decided that the next 1000t/d production line will continue to cooperate with YTO.”—— Mr. Kofi Mensah, General Manager of the Mining Company
YTO Service Commitment
Jiangxi Yituo provides one-stop turnkey services covering ore testing, process design, equipment manufacturing, installation and commissioning, and personnel training. All projects are equipped with dedicated project managers to follow up throughout the process. We provide free repair and replacement during the warranty period, and lifelong technical support and original spare parts supply.