PUMPS AND VALVES
Image: XHD 150 Full Metal: A Goulds Pumps Extra Heavy Duty Lined Slurry (XHD) pump leads in severe-duty slurry pumping.
The value of integrated pumps and mixers for mining operations By Antonio Iniguez, Market Manager – Mining and Minerals, Lightnin, and David Dowd, Product Specialist, Slurry Products, ITT Goulds Pumps It’s no secret that mining operations are evolving at a rapid pace. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earth elements, and more are in high demand, driven in part by electrification and the broader global energy evolution. Meanwhile, the conditions under which those minerals are extracted are becoming more complex, including declining ore grades, deeper mines, and stricter processing requirements, making the need to streamline processes and improve efficiencies more important than ever, especially in the extraction process.
T he extraction of metals from minerals frequently relies on a sequence of pumping materials into a tank, extracting the desired element from the surrounding material through chemical processes that require mixing, and then pumping those streams for further refinement or disposal. This “Pump- Mixer-Pump” process is fundamental to how metals are extracted and refined. When those elements are not aligned, inefficiencies tend to follow. To that end, ITT Inc. recently acquired SPX FLOW, bringing together two established categories of products (pumps and mixers) to address that critical sequence. ITT Goulds Pumps has long been associated with reliable slurry and process pumping
in mining environments. The addition of SPX FLOW’s Mixing Solutions Portfolio brings deep expertise in mixing and agitation across a wide range of mineral processing applications. But bringing SPX FLOW and its portfolio into the ITT family represents more than just new products. In addition to an expanded line of solutions, the combination also introduces a deeper level of understanding across the full extraction sequence, allowing hidden challenges to be identified and addressed earlier. Usually, inefficiencies in mining are not caused by a single piece of equipment. Instead, they develop over time, often at the intersection between stages. For example, some
36 MODERN MINING www.modernminingmagazine.co.za | JUNE 2026
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