Magnetation, Inc. was incorporated in December 2006 and is a business that is based on a unique and proprietary mineral processing circuit (the Magnetation Process™ (patented) & Rev3™ Separator(patent-pending) invented and developed by Magnetation principles. The Magnetation Process™ is designed to produce iron ore concentrate by recovering weakly magnetic iron oxide particles from low-grade natural ore tailings basins, already-mined iron formation stockpiles and newly-mined iron formation. The novel aspect of the process is its ability to efficiently separate hematite from highly variable "run of the mine" tailings. The initial focus is on exploitation of the hematite and magnetite contained in natural ore tailings basins created over the last 100 years of mining operations on the Mesabi Iron Range of Minnesota. Target markets for the Magnetation products are blast furnace/BOF steel-making, iron nugget manufacturing, ferric sulfate (chloride) (water treatment-coagulant) manufacturing, concrete weighting agents, drilling mud weighting agents, coal prep plant heavy media applications, ship ballast, coloring pigments and other specialty applications.
The Magnetation Process™ is able to recover weakly magnetic hematite from tailings basins, stockpiles or virgin iron formation. Since the late 1800s, iron mines in the Iron Range of northern Minnesota have been discarding fine, particle-sized minerals (tailings) that are a by-product of mining operations. Tailings were pumped in a water-slurry form to impoundment dikes that formed tailings basins covering large areas. The Magnetation Process™ includes excavation of iron oxide tailings and the processing of the tailings through the Magnetation Process™ to recover a marketable iron concentrate product that can be sold to iron-making industry customers and the specialty iron oxide markets.
Magnetation began commercial shipments on February 23, 2009 at its first plant, the Mesabi Chief Plant 1 at the Mesabi Chief Tailings Basin #3 (MC3). Magnetation’s first plant had an initial annual capacity of 150,000 wet metric tonnes and has since been expanded to 400,000 wet metric tonnes per year. During the spring of 2010, Magnetation began work on Plant 2, which is designed to have a capacity of 1,000,000 wet metric tonnes per year. Plant 2 is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2012. During November, 2011, Magnetation will break ground on its third plant located near Chisholm, MN (Plant 3). Plant 3 is an 80/20 joint venture between Steel Dynamics and Magnetation. Like Plant 2, Plant 3 is designed to have a capacity of 1,000,000 wet metric tonnes per year. Magnetation has plans for two more 1,000,000 tonne plants and has access resources within 30 miles of its headquarters in Nashwauk,MN sufficient for more than 100 years of operation.
The future is very bright for Magnetation! The company has begun the process of site selection for a 3,000,000 metric tonne per year pelletizing plant to convert MagCon™ into high-quality blast furnace pellets. In addition, Magnetation has begun the initial due diligence with Cargill to construct one or more Magnetation plants worldwide. The focus of this exploration are the countries of Brazil (Bahia state) and Mauritania. |  MagConTM Standard
 Mining Fine Tailing with MC3 Plant in Background
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