Every Ore Deposit Is Different — Testwork Is Critical
Selecting the right beneficiation flowsheet for any mineral deposit requires reliable ore testwork. WSHT partners with specialized mineral processing laboratories and R&D institutions to provide ore characterization, bench-scale metallurgical testing and pilot-scale testwork services — ensuring each project's flowsheet is based on sound test data rather than generic assumptions.
Our engineering team interprets test results and translates them into practical, buildable and economically-attractive processing flowsheets.
Ore Characterization & Comminution Testwork
Ore characterization services include: chemical analysis, mineralogical examination (optical microscopy, QEMSCAN, MLA), grindability / work index testing (Bond ball / rod mill grindability, SAG mill testwork), crusher work index / abrasion testing, and particle size / liberation analysis.
These tests determine ore hardness, abrasiveness, grindability and the liberation size of valuable minerals — essential inputs to equipment sizing and circuit design.
Gravity, Flotation & Magnetic Separation Testing
Bench-scale and pilot-scale testwork covers gravity concentration (jigs, spirals, shaking tables, centrifugal concentrators), froth flotation (rougher / scavenger / cleaner circuits, with reagent optimization), magnetic separation (low-intensity and high-intensity magnetic separators) and dewatering / filtration testing.
WSHT engineers use the results of such tests to design the beneficiation flowsheet, select appropriate equipment and predict metallurgical performance (grade / recovery).
Hydrometallurgical Testwork — Leaching, SX, Precipitation
For ores requiring hydrometallurgical processing, WSHT-supported testwork covers cyanide leaching (CIP / CIL), acidic / alkaline leaching, pressure oxidation, bio-leaching, solvent extraction (SX) stripping optimization, and metal precipitation / crystallization testwork. The outputs of these tests guide the design of the leaching, SX, precipitation and electrowinning sections of the plant.
Pilot-scale continuous testwork is conducted for major projects to confirm the design basis and to generate representative solutions and products for scale-up.
Process Flowsheet Development & Engineering
Based on testwork results, WSHT engineers develop candidate process flowsheets, compare them through simulation and costing, and recommend the optimal flowsheet for each project. We then take the selected flowsheet through basic engineering (process flow diagrams, heat / mass balances, major equipment lists) and detailed engineering (P&IDs, equipment specifications, civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical and I&C design).
The goal is to deliver a well-engineered, well-costed and buildable processing plant design that meets the project's production, grade and recovery targets.
Customized R&D for Complex / Low-Grade / Refractory Ores
Many of the world's remaining mineral resources are in complex, low-grade or refractory deposits — ores that challenge conventional processing approaches. WSHT supports customers with specialized R&D into fine-grind flotation, selective flocculation / desliming, high-intensity magnetic separation, selective leaching, oxidative pretreatment, roasting and other advanced beneficiation / hydrometallurgical techniques.
Through our R&D partnerships, WSHT helps customers unlock mineral resources that would otherwise be uneconomic to process.