In the entire mining process, polyacrylamide (PAM) is becoming a key material for reducing costs and increasing efficiency in the industry with its "one dose, multiple effects" characteristics.
Flotation quality improvement of concentrate
As a highly efficient flocculant, PAM accurately adsorbs mineral particles, increases the target metal recovery rate by 15%-20%, and helps reduce the amount of reagents used in the flotation process by 30%. Actual measurements at a copper mine showed that after PAM modification, the concentrate grade increased to 23.5%, and the metal loss rate of tailings decreased by 8%.
Tailings concentration efficiency enhancement
Adding 0.1‰ concentration of PAM in the thickener can increase the tailings settling rate by 4 times, increase the underflow concentration to more than 65%, and significantly reduce water resource occupation. After application in a gold mine in Xinjiang, the return water utilization rate exceeded 90%, and the annual water saving cost was saved by more than 2 million yuan.
Intelligent dust control
The mesh bonding layer formed by the spray of PAM /Flocculant solution can reduce the PM10 concentration on the working surface of the mining area by 70%. The Inner Mongolia open-pit coal mine uses a vehicle-mounted PAM fog cannon system to extend the dust suppression time to 72 hours and reduce the daily dust suppression cost by 40%.
Wastewater purification closed loop
For heavy metal ions in tailings wastewater, anionic PAM achieves rapid flocculation of pollutants through charge neutralization, and the suspended solids content in the effluent is less than 50mg/L, which is better than the national emission standard. After the Jiangxi rare earth mine adopted the PAM deep treatment process, the annual COD emission reduction exceeded 800 tons.
According to data from the China Mining Association, the application coverage of PAM in the mining field has reached 78% in 2025, driving the industry's comprehensive energy consumption down by 12% and reducing the environmental accident rate by 35%. From resource recovery to ecological protection, this polymer material is redefining the technical path for sustainable development of mines.
