Metso has signed a major new contract with iron ore miner MMX in Brazil for the delivery of vertical grinding technology. Some 14 Metso vertical grinding mills will be commissioned as part of the expansion of the Serra Azul iron ore project, located in São Joaquim de Bicas, Brumadinho and Igarapé, in the state of Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. “The Serra Azul project is a very important one as it consolidates the stirred milling technology in the iron ore regrinding applications” stated Eduardo Kubric, Sales Director of Metso Mining and Construction in Brazil.

After completing the assembly of the new grinding mills, the iron ore production capacity of MMX at Serra Azul will reach 24 Mt/y. MMX’s power savings with Metso Vertimill technology is expected to be about 18 MW in comparison with conventional ball milling. The high-capacity vertical grinding mill has proven to be a versatile tool that exhibits many advantages over traditional ball milling, including 30 to 50% less energy and significantly lower grinding media consumption. Furthermore, the machine has fewer moving parts than a ball mill, translating into lower maintenance and operating costs. Metso states: “These features bring substantial savings for mining companies. Since its introduction in late 1979, close to 400 Vertimill grinding mills have been sold worldwide.”

The complete order comprises 14 Vertimill VTM-3000-WB grinding mills, equipped with drives of 2,235 kW each. MMX is a Brazilian mining company which belongs to EBX Group. The company operates two mines in Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul states in Brazil and also holds mineral rights in Chile.