Vedanta FACOR achieves sustainable chromite ore beneficiation with CFlo's Oremax

Vedanta FACOR (Ferro Alloys Corporation Limited) Jajpur, Odisha, India Chromite Ore Beneficiation

Ferro Alloys Corporation Limited (FACOR), one of India's oldest producers of High Carbon Ferrochrome, faced an abundance of low-grade chromite ore at its Jajpur, Odisha mines. CFlo's custom-designed Oremax beneficiation plant now upgrades ore bordering on waste value into plant-grade feed, with zero discharge, 95% water recirculation and cleaner tailings that stay within government-specified limits.

The Challenge

The ferrochrome industry has been dealing with decreasing chromite ore quality, requiring costly, resource-intensive beneficiation that often trades yield for purity. FACOR, known for four decades of consistent supply and best-in-class quality in domestic and global markets, found its low-grade chromite ore threatening both its sustainability goals and production capacity. Traditional beneficiation improved the final product but at a hefty price: low yield and high processing costs. FACOR needed a solution to unlock its low-grade ore while maximising resource use and minimising environmental impact.

The Solution

After a thorough assessment of the feed, CFlo recommended a custom-designed Oremax chrome beneficiation plant covering feeding, basic scrubbing, intense washing, efficient screening, double-stage de-sliming, product dewatering, product stockpiling, water management and sludge management.

Oremax meticulously separates valuable chromite from waste, significantly improving the feed for FACOR's existing beneficiation plant and lifting both final product grade and yield. Some high-grade fine particles can be sent straight to the ferrochrome plant with no further beneficiation, streamlining production. The compact, skid-mounted design minimises space and relocation needs, the water and sludge management system delivers zero discharge with 95% water recirculation, and the patented plant design ensures minimum unit power consumption.

Operating data shows low-grade feed of 15.33-22.43% input grade upgraded into product streams reaching up to 33.07% grade (with recoveries up to 55.05% on Product 1 and 39.43% on Product 2), while tailings grades of 7.73-12.16% remain well within government-specified limits.

95%

water recirculation with zero discharge

33.07%

best product grade achieved from feed as low as 15.33%

55.05%

peak recovery recorded on the primary product stream

The Results

Low-grade ore bordering on waste value has been upgraded to plant-grade feed, boosting resource utilisation, reducing unusable ore inventory and yielding cleaner tailings with potential for future repurposing.

More proof