Process for separating a mixture of solid particles

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS SEPARATION PROCESS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SEPARATING MIXTURE OF SOLID PARTICLES INTO FRACTIONS IN ACCORDANCE WITH SPECIFIC GRAVITY IN A HYDROCYCLONE WITH THE AID OF A SEPARATING SUSPENSION OF FINE MAGNETIZABLE PARTICLES IN LIQUID, RINSING THE SEPARATED FRACTIONS ON RINSING SCREENS TO REMOVE ADHERING MAGNETIZABLE PARTICLES THEREFROM, THE THROUGHOUT OF THE RINSING SCREENS CONSTITUING SEPARATING SUSPENSION DILUTED BY RINSE LIQUID AND CONTAINING SOME NON-MAGNETIC PARTICLES, SCREENING SAID DILUTED SUSPENSION TO REMOVE RELATIVELY COARSE NON-MAGNETIC PARTICLES THEREFROM, SUPPLYING SAID DILUTED AND SCREENED SUSPENSION TO A STATIC THICKENER YIELDING A DILUTE OVERFLOW FRACTION AND A THICKENED SUSPENSION OF MAGNETIZABLE PARTICLES AT SUCH A RATE THAT THE THICKENER IS OVERLOADED, WHEREBY A MAJOR PORTION OF THE REMAINING NON-MAGNETIC PARTICLES ARE DISCHARGED IN THE DILUTE OVERFLOW FRACTION TOGETHER WITH A MINOR PORTION OF THE FINE MAGNETIZABLE PARTICLES, SUPPLYING AT LEAST PART OF SAID DILUTE OVERFLOW FRACTION TO A MAGNETIC SEPARATOR TO RECOVER MAGNETIZABLE PARTICLES THEREFROM, AND RECYCLING THE RECOVERED MAGNETIZABLE PARTICLES INTO THE SYSTEM.