Attrition scrubber/washer is primarily used to address the problem of impurities such as clay, oxide films, and cementing materials covering the surface of primary minerals after weathering and mineralization. They achieve efficient separation of impurities from mineral particles without damaging the mineral’s crystal structure. It is widely used in the pretreatment of ores such as iron ore, silica sand, kaolin, quartz sand, and feldspar. Attrition washers provide high-purity raw materials for subsequent mineral processing steps such as flotation, magnetic separation, and classification, improving the quality and recovery rate of the final concentrate from the source.
Les attrition scrubber/washer is key washing equipment in mineral processing and purification. Through the synergistic effects of mechanical agitation, material self-friction, and hydraulic washing, they remove impurities from the surface of mineral particles, thereby improving the purity and liberation of the target mineral. It is particularly suitable for the pretreatment of highly weathered ores, placer deposits, or raw materials with high mud content. Examples include the removal and purification of impurities from quartz sand, feldspar, kaolin, and titanium/zirconium minerals in coastal placer deposits; and the deep scrubbing of non-ferrous and ferrous metal ores such as manganese, iron, tungsten, and tin ores with a large amount of clay adhering to their surfaces.
Especially in the production of high-purity silica sand for photovoltaic glass, the attrition scrubber is a key piece of equipment to ensure that the iron content of the silica sand is below 0.005%. Therefore, it is also called a “silica/quartz sand attrition scrubber.” It can adapt to the purification and processing stages of complex conditions, such as high-hardness ores and acid-alkali slurries. In mineral processing, it deslims and liberates minerals in advance, avoiding blockages in subsequent crushing and screening processes, while improving the recovery rate and concentrate quality in subsequent beneficiation stages such as magnetic separation and flotation.
Feed Inlet:
Located at the top of the tank, it can be adapted to chute or pipeline feeding depending on the discharge situation of the upstream process.
Orifice de décharge:
Located on the side or bottom of the tank, it is equipped with an adjustable overflow weir plate, which can adjust the slurry level and residence time according to production needs.
Agitation System:
High-chromium cast iron or tungsten carbide impellers provide a strong shearing force, and the blade angle optimizes slurry flow.
Drive Unit:
Explosion-proof motor + reducer combination, equipped with a frequency converter to achieve stepless speed regulation.
Frame Support Structure:
made of thickened steel welded together, suitable for the complex working conditions of outdoor ore dressing plants.
1. Higher scrubbing intensity: It can remove stubborn oxide films, embedded or difficult-to-treat impurities that conventional ore washing equipment cannot remove, increasing the scrubbing intensity by more than 30% compared to traditional ore washing equipment of the same specifications. Especially for difficult-to-wash ores with a mud content of more than 20%, the washing efficiency can reach more than 98%, and the mud content of the concentrate can be controlled to within 1%.
2. Excellent wear and corrosion resistance: All parts in contact with materials are made of highly wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials, with a service life of up to 3-5 years.
3. Highly adaptable: The impeller speed, scrubbing time, and reagent addition scheme can be adjusted according to the characteristics of the materials being processed. It is not only suitable for non-metallic minerals such as quartz sand and feldspar, but also adaptable to the scrubbing needs of various materials such as metallic minerals, building aggregates, and recycled resources.
4. Wide range of processing capacity: The processing scale can be further increased by connecting multiple tanks in series, which can adapt to different production needs from small mineral processing laboratories to large-scale mineral processing plants with a capacity of thousands of tons.
5. Stable purification effect: The closed structure design of attrition scrubber is unaffected by the external environment, the slurry residence time is controllable, the cleanliness of the treated material fluctuates little, and the consistency of the final product quality is guaranteed.
6. Compact layout and easy integration: The equipment occupies a small area and can be directly and seamlessly connected with front-end crushing equipment and back-end grading equipment, with a short installation and commissioning cycle.
7. Significant environmental benefits: Closed operation reduces dust spillage, and with the addition of a wastewater treatment system, it can achieve graded recycling of mud and water resources, meeting the production requirements of green mineral processing plants.
The core working principle of the attrition scrubbing machine is high-intensity mechanical friction combined with hydraulic washing. A motor drives the rotor or impeller to rotate at high speed, creating intense turbulence in the slurry within the tank. Mineral particles rub and collide with each other under mechanical agitation, while simultaneously being washed by the water flow, causing surface impurities to be stripped off and discharged with the overflow. However, heavier mineral particles settle to the bottom of the tank after scrubbing and are discharged by the discharge mechanism.
Modèle | Volum（m³) | Taille d'alimentation (mm) | Feeding Density (%) | Motor Power (kw) | Diamension | Poids (kg) |
GSC1-1 | 1 | ≤5 | 50-60 | 11 | 1420x1310x1860 | 1300 |
GSC1-2 | 2 | ≤5 | 50-60 | 11x2 | 2340x1310x1860 | 2500 |
GSC2-1 | 2 | ≤5 | 50-60 | 30 | 2150x1900x2780 | 3200 |
GSC2-2 | 4 | ≤5 | 50-60 | 30x2 | 3530x1900x2780 | 5300 |
GSC4-1 | 4 | ≤5 | 50-60 | 55 | 2596x2800x3441 | 3800 |
GSC4-2 | 8 | ≤5 | 50-60 | 55x2 | 4430x2800x3441 | 7500 |
GSC6-2 | 12 | ≤5 | 50-60 | 90x2 | 4900x3200x4100 | 9500 |
An attrition scrubbing machine has a smaller footprint and removes impurities through high-intensity mechanical friction rather than simple water flushing, making it particularly suitable for processing ores heavily coated with clay. A regular laveur à tambour relies on the force of water flow, which has limited effectiveness against stubborn deposits.
The most common applications include the purification of non-metallic minerals such as quartz sand, potassium-sodium feldspar, silica sand, and kaolin; the washing of metallic minerals such as manganese ore, iron ore, and tungsten ore; the purification of construction aggregates; and the reprocessing of tailings and recycled aggregates. Generally, it is suitable for materials with a particle size in the range of 0-5mm.
This is extremely rare under proper operation. The key is controlling the rotor speed (typically 20-40 rpm) and the slurry density (50%-60% solids concentration recommended). Our attrition scrubber is equipped with frequency converters for real-time adjustment.
①Ore particle size distribution (e.g., percentage of -2mm);
② Mud content (usually requires laboratory testing);
③ Mineral hardness (Mohs hardness);
④ Target production capacity (tons/hour);
⑤ Whether it contains corrosive components (e.g., sulfides).
The improvement mainly depends on the quality of your raw ore. Taking ordinary quartz sand as an example, if the iron content is around 0.08%, after scrubbing and desliming, the iron content can be reduced to below 0.02%. Combined with subsequent magnetic separation and flotation processes, it can meet the standards for high-purity quartz sand used in photovoltaic glass.
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