FEECO pugmill mixers will be highlighted in the August issue of Copper Worldwide Magazine, the premier resource for copper industry professionals looking for the latest information on equipment, processing techniques, and more.
FEECO has been providing custom pugmill mixers since 1951, and has become the preferred supplier of the heavy-duty mixer for many of the industry’s top producers.
Pug mills, often called paddle mixers for the pitched paddles they employ, are a key processing device in the copper smelting process, serving to mix and condition feedstock components such as copper concentrates, flux, reverts, matte recycle, and dust recycle. The pugmill mixer, with its adeptness at mixing solid and liquid feedstocks, produces a uniform mixture and de-dusts the material in preparation of the smelter, helping to maximize process efficiency.
Pug mills have become so integral to this process, in fact, that it has become commonplace for producers to purchase two mixers for their operation – one as a spare.
The magazine highlight comes at an appropriate time as experts predict that the widespread use of renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles on the journey to a low-carbon economy will rely heavily on copper.
“We’ve got a reputation for a machine that provides a lot of value; producers come back to us for an engineered product that can stand up to the demands of the copper smelting process,” states Chris Kozicki, FEECO Process Sales Engineer and pugmill mixer expert. “We have pugmill mixer installations in copper smelting operations around the world.”
In addition to pugmill mixers, FEECO is also recognized as a leading provider of agglomerators (also known as agglomeration drums) for processing copper via heap leaching in the SX-EW process. Coincidentally, in this setting too, FEECO agglomeration drums help to maximize process efficiency by allowing leachate to more effectively percolate through the ore heap, improving copper recovery.
As the world looks to feed an insatiable copper demand for a low-carbon economy, the efficient processing of copper will only grow in importance. Learn more about our capabilities in the copper industry by visiting our copper processing page, or contacting us today! And don’t forget to check out our feature in Worldwide Copper magazine!