The company said mines can now share in the value of expanded production, including waste dump retreatment, at no cost and with lower risk through the financing option.

FLSmidth sub-Saharan Africa capital sales director Roy Hazell said profit-sharing is just one of a range of alternatives available through the OEM as part of its commitment to sustainable productivity; other options include a toll treatment arrangement or an outright purchase that is then operated as a standalone unit.

In short, the company is putting its money where its mouth is, Hazell said.

"This is how confident we are in this technology. We can even operate the plant on the customer's behalf. No one knows our equipment better than we do, and we can ensure that it performs to expectation."

For mining companies with fines stockpiles or dumps where they desire to recover minerals, but where a dedicated fixed plant cannot be justified, the RC solution is ideal. The modular option can aid a site seeking a short-term treatment plant with capacities around 100t per hour, and with a setup that that will not disrupt other existing process facilities.

Additionally, a modular solution can also be expanded to work with operations with a 400t/h to 600t/h capacity, despite them being more likely to see a fixed solution.

FLSmidth announced the launch of the Reflux Classifer plant for fines gravity separation in December 2017.

"The sector is recognising that the RC concept offers better recovery rates than spirals when dealing with fine particles, more effectively separating materials of different densities," Hazell said.

FLSmidth has commissioned one modular RC facility; it is now ramping up and is in the process of being optimised at a platinum mine. While developed for coal fines, the OEM is planning to take the modular format to gold and other commodities.