MeiTeng’s 15th mobile XRT system completes 24-months continuous operation in Tibet
In August 2026, at the Zhalixikang lead-zinc polymetallic mine in Longzi County, Tibet, at an altitude of nearly 4,800 m, a wheel-mounted mobile XRT processing system completed its sorting operation at one mining face and was being relocated to the next.
The system has been in continuous, stable operation since its commissioning in 2024 – more than 24 months – marking the first long-term validation of MeiTeng’s mobile XRT processing system in a high-altitude, cold climate.
For mines with scattered ore bodies, limited fixed infrastructure, or tight market windows requiring rapid production ramp-up, conventional stationary concentrators are often not the answer. The mobile XRT processing system is designed precisely for these conditions.
Project background: low grades behind high reserves
The Zhalixikang mine, owned by Huayu Mining, holds approximately 12 Mt of proven reserves. However, run-of-mine (Pb+Zn) grades average only 4-6%, with a very high proportion of gangue minerals. Under the previous operating model, all extracted ore – regardless of grade – was trucked 38 kilometres to an existing concentrator for crushing, grinding and flotation. This resulted in high haulage costs, increased transport safety risks, wasted processing capacity and mounting pressure on tailings storage capacity.
Against this backdrop, Zhalixikang introduced MeiTeng’s mobile XRT processing system in 2024. The system integrates feeding, crushing, screening and sorting on four wheel-mounted platforms, forming a complete mobile processing plant.
Key features of mobile XRT processing system
It has a fully integrated design. The system incorporates diesel power generation, feeding, two-stage jaw crushing (primary and secondary), double-deck circular vibrating screening (60/12 mm), recirculation, XRT optical sorting and stockpiling – a single system capable of the entire process from run-of-mine feed to finished product.
It also has a flexible power supply. The system can be powered by an onboard diesel generator for remote sites without grid access, or connected directly to mains power. And it is road-transportable; the entire system is designed with strict height, width and load limits to comply with road, bridge and mine site transport requirements, enabling relocation as mining advances or new deposits open up.
In terms of throughput at Zhalixikang, treating the 12-60 mm size fraction, the system operates at 60 tonnes per hour, rejecting approximately 150,000 t of waste rock annually and preventing it from entering downstream transport and processing.
At the core of the system is a MeiTeng XRT16-60-S2 intelligent optical sorter, using X-ray transmission and image recognition technology to accurately identify and separate mineral-bearing rock from gangue.
Technology capability overview
MeiTeng’s mobile XRT processing system offers the following technical capabilities:
- Throughput: For 25-100mm feed, design capacity reaches up to 180 tonnes per hour; for 12-60 mm feed, up to 90 tonnes per hour.
- Sorting size range: Covers 400 mm down to 4 mm, with the ability to sort in multiple size fractions.
- Deployment: Modular design with tracked or wheeled chassis options, enabling ‘extract, crush, screen, sort and convey’ in a single continuous operation. The system requires no civil works and can be commissioned immediately upon arrival.
- Environmental performance: Waste rock is separated at the source, reducing surface stockpiles, tailings storage pressure and environmental risks.
A milestone worth noting
From the first mobile XRT system commissioned in Inner Mongolia in 2017, to the high-altitude Tibet project in 2024, to the 15 systems now covering coal, fluorite, lead-zinc and other minerals in 2026, MeiTeng’s mobile XRT processing systems have completed engineering validation across extreme operating conditions. The ‘mobile, modular, intelligent’ processing model MeiTeng says is becoming a viable option for mines where stationary plants cannot reach.
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