Introducing UVF® Vacuum Filtration

Technology - A New and More Cost-

Effective Filtration Solution for Iron Ore
Concentrate and Tailings Dewatering

Steve Benesi - Inventor

Mirka Boudreau - CEO

 Presentation Overview

1 Background of Int-elle Group and FM Technologies

2 What is UVF® Vacuum Filter Technology and how is it different?

3 What are the Key Advantages of UVF® Vacuum Filter Technology?

4 Pilot Unit Filtration Test Data for Concentrates and Tailings from Brazil and
Mexico

2
 Background to

2017 Announcement of the opening of Int-elle Corporation

2018 First turnkey project for IOC Canada and ArcelorMittal Mexico

2019 Global pandemic = each crisis represents an opportunity.

Opening / incorporation of Int-elle Mexico with Mr. Ignacio
Melendez (17 years as superintendent of maintenance in
pelletizing plants

2020 Announcement of the opening of Int-elle Construction

2021 Announcement of the opening of Int-elle Peru in Lima

2022 Int-elle group is now a supplier of all the iron ore pelletizing
plant in Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru

2023 Exclusive partnership as distributor of UVF® filter and

integration of the first unit at Peña Colorada's pellet plant

Announcement of the opening of Int-elle Chile in La Serena

3
 General
Engineering manufacturing

Projects Wear parts

Turnkey Partial

General Contractor Installation Filtration

Int-elle group is 3 divisions with 120 employees in 5 countries in only 5 years 4

 Background to FM Technologies

1989 Developed the Pneumapress Pressure Filter and established a

global presence in the Chemical and Minerals filtration markets

2008 Sold the company FLSmidth – assisted with the transfer of the
technology

2013 Founded FM Technologies to develop Vacuum Filter Technology

with the key objective: - Outperform all current technology by a
UVF® magnitude (10X) or more
Vacuum Disc
Technology
UVF® Vacuum Filter Developed Through 1,000’s trials and was patented
• Material & Component Selection
• Manufacturing methods
• Equipment Design
• Filtration Testing
• Patent Placement
CeramiGuard®
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 UVF® Technology “The fundamental all new patented vacuum filter technology”

Key Design Features UVF®

Vacuum Disc
Technology
1 Filter Sector - All New Proprietary Filter Sector Technology - CeramiGuard®
• Provides high throughput / low moisture / low power
• Eliminates the use of filter bags CeramiGuard®

2 Cake Discharge - Direct scraper contact ensures Highly Effective Cake Discharge
• Eliminates air compressor requirements
• Effective on thin cake and difficult to dewater material

3 Filter Media Cleaning - 2 Phase Pulse Back Wash up to 10B

• Effective cleaning without chemical use
• Cleaning during operation

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 UVF® Technology “The fundamental all new patented vacuum filter technology”

1 Highest Throughput – Lowest Moisture Key Advantages

• Throughput / Unit Area is 2 – 5x conventional Vacuum Filter
• Low filter cake moisture – Iron Concentrate < 7% if required

2 Lowest CAPEX / OPEX:

• Estimated at 40% of conventional
• Elimination of compressed air requirements / reduction in vacuum power
• Less equipment / Lower installation costs / Lower operator requirements

3 Low water consumption

• Due to highly effective backwash, efficient filtration and clean filtrate

4 Flexible, continuous operation

• Effective for both coarse or difficult to filter applications 4 to 80 mm cake, 1 – 10 rpm
• Less process downtime for filter sector cleaning
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 UVF® Vs. Other Vacuum Technology
UVF® VACUUM DISC
Filter Media CeramiGuard® - Proprietary / Patented Standard Filter Media

Filtration Rate High - 2 to 5 times standard vacuum disc Low

Power Consumption / OPEX Low (approx. 200kW per 120 m2) High (approx. 500- 750kW per 120m2)

Note : With 2-5 times throughput/m2 500kW Vacuum / 250kW Compressed Air

Power Consumption / per ton Low - 1 to 2kW/mt High - 5kW/mt

basis*
Cake Discharge Direct Scraping – Full cake removal, no compressed air Snap Blow – compressed air required
required

Sector Cleaning 2 Phase Pulse Backwash Water spray – not effective, requires full shutdown
of filter

Water Consumption Low – backwash is very effective High – spray washing has poor efficiency

Installation Footprint / CAPEX Low – higher throughput = less equipment High

Filtrate Clear Dirty

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 UVF® Pilot Test: Iron ore concentrate and tailings from Brazil

Concentrate (Brazil) Coarse Tailings (Brazil)

Cake - Material shipped to USA* Cake - Material shipped to USA*

UVF® Existing UVF® Existing – Ceramic

(pic)

Cake Moisture 4.2-11% 10-12% 6.7-14% 12-14%

Cake 10-80 mm 10 mm 10-50 mm 5 mm

Thickness
RPM 1 to 8 RPM 1 RPM 1 to 8 RPM 0.6 to 1 RPM

Throughput 5 – 20 mt/hr/m2 0.7 to 1 mt/hr/m2 1.0 – 10 mt/hr 0.4 mt/hr/m2

* Cake was repulped several times and fines resulted in thinner cakes

Testing Elevation:
Applications have been successfully tested from sea level to greater than 10,000 ft (3000m) elevation
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 UVF® Pilot Filtration Test Data

1 Pilot testing of Iron Ore Concentrate and Tailings from Brazil

2 Pilot Testing of Magnetite Concentrate at Peña Colorada, Mexico

UVF® Pilot Filter

SPECIFICATIONS

• Designed and Manufactured by FM Technologies

• Fully Self-Contained Skid
• Sectors = 12
• Filter Area = 0.3m²
• LxWxH = 2.5mx3mx3m

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UVF® Pilot Test:
Magnetite Concentrate at Peña Colorada, Mexico

Testing was conducted in

association with our
partner Int-Elle.

July, Aug 2023

Still in progress…

11 11
 Iron Magnetite Concentrate Slurry Properties

Slurry Iron Magnetite

Slurry pH 10 - 11

Regular Slurry SG 1.65 to 1.75 range

High Density Slurry SG 1.87

Highest Blaine 2200 to 2300

Standard Blaine 1800 to 2000
Mesh 84% passing 400 mesh
Temperature Ambient 28 °C

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 Magnetite Concentrate Test Data

SLURRY LEVEL SLURRY DENSITY RPM VACUUM CAKE THICKNESS MOISTURE THROUGHPUT
(inHg) (MM) % (KG/M2/HR)

MEDIUM 1.65 0.8 23-24

1.65 1 23-24 8.9 1661
1.65 2 23-24 8.5 2018
1.65 3 23-24 8.3 1605
1.65 4 23-24 8.1 1085

HIGH 1.65 0.8 23-24 9.3 1628

1.65 1 23-24 9.4 1646
1.65 2 23-24 7.9 1541
1.65 3 23-24 7.5 1047
1.65 4 23-24 7.4 535

High
1.87 0.8 23-24 16.67 8.4 N/A
1.87 1 23-24 16.86 9.9 N/A
1.87 2 23-24 9.65 9.3 2687
1.87 3 23-24 9.63 9.4 N/A
1.87 4 23-24 4.83 9.1 N/A

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 4 0
Moisture range: 7.4% to 9.9%
3 0

2 2,687

1 0

0,8 0 Tank Slurry level: High

Density: 1,87
4 0,535

3 1,047

2 1,541
RPM

1 1,646
Tank Slurry level: High
0,8 1,628 Density: 1,65

4 1,085

3 1,605

2 2,018

1 1,661
Tank Slurry level: Medium
0,8 0 Traditional filter production up to: 1,15 Density: 1,65

0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3

Production in t / m2 / h 14
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 Testing Key Take Away

The slurry is a fine magnetite concentrate

Target moisture of 9.5% +/- 0.3% was easily obtained with the ability to obtain lower moistures < 7%

Throughput in range of 1,500 to 3,000kg/m2/hr at 8.2 to 9.3% moisture versus 1,000 kg/m2/hr at
10% on conventional equipment

Low vacuum power consumption observed during testing

Ongoing testing scheduled

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 UVF® reduces CO2

Chemical products for cleaning

NOT needed Save up
Just low quantities of water and air 75%
In compressed air system
power consumption

Save up
40% Save
In vacuum pumps system
power consumption 40%
CAPEX / OPEX

ECO Technology
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Thank You

Please visit our booth for further information including

video from pilot testing.

STEVE BENESI
sbenesi@fmtechnologies.com

MIRKA BOUDREAU
mirka.boudreau@int-elle.com
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