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Magnetite concentrate from Sino Iron, Cape Preston Concentrate, is a premium iron ore product with high grade and lower impurities such as alumina and phosphorus. Ideal for pellet making - a preferred feed in the steelmaking process – studies show Cape Preston Concentrate delivers lower carbon emissions at the energy-intensive ironmaking phase, compared to typical Pilbara hematite fines.
In the ground, magnetite iron ore is lower in iron content than the iron ore traditionally mined in the Australian industry - hematite. While hematite or ‘Direct Shipping Ore’ (DSO) needs very little processing prior to shipping, magnetite ore requires an additional stage of processing or concentration here in Australia to become a commercially viable product – this is known as beneficiation.
CPM’s six-line processing facility at Sino Iron on the Pilbara coast transforms low-grade magnetite into a 65% Fe concentrate - higher in iron content than most local DSO and ideal for lower emission steelmaking. In fact, from the mine pit to the blast furnace, Cape Preston Concentrate delivers up to a 10 per cent net reduction in carbon emissions intensity for every tonne of hot metal produced, compared to Platts 62 typical Pilbara hematite fines (*The Crucible 2022).
This investment in the value adding of Australian iron ore is delivering significant local economic benefits and supporting better environmental outcomes for the global steel industry.