Tag Archives: aggregates

Cedric Minería selects CDE EvoWash wet processing tech for Buin sand, gravel ops

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Chilean mining and aggregates company, Cedric Minería, has announced a major overhaul of its aggregates business following a significant investment in advanced wet processing technology from CDE, the Belfast-based company says.

The family business, which expanded into aggregates production in 2003, has revealed plans for a new wet processing solution at its Buin operation.

Established in 1981, Cedric Minería specialised in the production of calcium carbonate and sulphur products before diversifying its interests and launching its silica operation, Mina Nancy, near the city of Calama in Antofagasta Region.

It soon secured listing as a strategic supplier of silica to state-owned copper mining company Codelco for its copper smelting plant in Chuquicamata, northern Chile.

Following the success of its silica business, Cedric Minería soon after commissioned its first aggregates processing plant in Buin which supplies the local market with a range of washed sand and gravel products for pre-cast concrete, asphalt, pipe bedding and more.

This summer, CDE will commission the EvoWash™ sand wash plant and an AquaCycle™ water management system at the company’s Buin site, replacing their existing washing screws.

Using CDE cyclone technology, the new plant will enable Cedric Minería to produce two grades of high quality, in-spec fine sands: 0-5 mm and 0-8 mm.

A compact, modular sand washing system, CDE’s EvoWash screens and separates the smaller sand and gravel fractions through an integrated high-frequency dewatering screen, sump and hydrocyclones which provide control of silt cut points and eliminates the loss of quality fines with significant commercial value.

An alternative to water extraction and the costly process of pumping water to the plant, CDE’s AquaCycle significantly reduces costly water consumption by ensuring up to 90% of process water is recycled for immediate recirculation, the company says. It helps to accelerate return on investment by maximising production efficiency, minimising the loss of valuable fines and reducing water and energy costs. A single, compact and user-friendly unit, it can be applied to high and low tonnages across many market sectors.

Cedric Minería owner, Cedric Fernández, says the investment in CDE technology is a significant step forward for the company.

“We’re making a huge technological leap forward with this new plant. Cedric Minería branched into the aggregates business almost two decades ago and throughout that time we have operated a traditional system,” Fernández said. “The existing plant has served us well, but we need a modern solution that is future-ready. Our latest investment in CDE wet processing technology represents the beginning of a new chapter for our company.”

Fernández says the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the construction industry but anticipates strong future demand for sand and aggregates to support the country’s public works investments.

CDE Business Development Executive, Gustavo Brasil, says older technology is very much under the spotlight for materials processors as they work to remedy inefficiencies.

“Recognising the limitations of the existing setup, the team at Cedric Minería are setting out on an ambitious transformation project to replace a traditional processing plant with a much more advanced and efficient technological solution,” he said.

The CDE solution engineered for Cedric Minería will revolutionise its current process, he added.

“CDE’s Evowash solution will enable Cedric Minería to produce superior fine sands with less moisture content while the AquaCycle water management system will deliver massive efficiency gains by recycling process water and driving down operational costs,” he said.

Metso breaks records as it looks forward to more growth

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It was a record year in terms of profitability for Metso in 2019; a year that saw the minerals processing company make several strategic decisions to fundamentally change its group structure.

Orders received across the group increased 5% to €3.7 billion ($4.1 billion), with sales growing 15% to €3.635 billion. Adjusted EBITA rose from €369 million in 2018 to €474 million (13% of sales) in 2019, while operating profit jumped to €418 million from €351 million.

Metso President and CEO, Pekka Vauramo, said 2019 was in many ways historical and transformational for the company.

“It also marked a record in our financial performance, as our sales increased in both segments and our profitability was higher than ever in the company’s history,” he said.

The company also launched some major new products – including the Metso Truck Body and the VPX filter – in addition to publishing the Metso Climate Program, which aims for notable reductions in emissions.

The year will be remembered for two major strategic decisions from Metso.

“The first was the acquisition of McCloskey, a Canadian supplier of mobile aggregates crushers and screens,” Vauramo said. “After the closing of the acquisition in October, Metso’s offering strengthened in the mobile aggregates equipment market, which is estimated to see the industry’s fastest-growing demand.”

“The second and truly transformative step was the decision related to the partial demerger of Metso, after which Metso’s Minerals business will be combined with Outotec to create Metso Outotec, a unique company in the minerals, metals and aggregates industries,” Vauramo said.

At the same time as this, the company took the decision to allow its valves business to continue as an independent listed company named Neles.

Vauramo said: “We are confident that, as a result of this transaction, both companies will be well-positioned to grow and create value for our customers and other stakeholders.”

Shareholders of both Metso and Outotec approved the transaction in October at respective meetings and internal preparations have proceeded according to plan, Vauramo said.

The completion of the transaction still requires approvals from the competition authorities in various markets, but according to the company’s estimate, closing should take place on June 30, 2020.

McCloskey becomes part of Metso

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Metso says it has completed the acquisition of McCloskey International, a Canadian mobile crushing and screening equipment manufacturer with market share in the aggregates sector, as well as customers in the frac sand and industrial minerals segments.

The deal was announced back in June, with Metso, at that time, saying the acquisition would allow the company to “better take part in the attractive growth of mobile products within the aggregates industry”.

“This acquisition is an excellent strategic fit for Metso, because it strengthens our aggregates business and balances our traditionally mining-focused Minerals portfolio. With McCloskey as part of Metso, we are also able to better take part in the attractive, long-term growth of the mobile equipment market within the aggregates industry,” says Pekka Vauramo, Metso’s President and CEO.

Markku Simula, President of the Aggregates Equipment business area of Metso, said: “This acquisition expands our offering to new customer segments and application areas. McCloskey’s capabilities and technical solutions strengthen our ability to address diverse customer needs through complementary channels and offerings. We are confident that McCloskey will align well with Metso, and we are excited to welcome new colleagues to the Metso family.”

McCloskey will be reported in Metso’s Minerals segment as of the December quarter.

Adelaide Brighton cements contract extension with OZ Minerals at Prominent Hill

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ASX-listed Adelaide Brighton has announced the signing of a contract with OZ Minerals for the continuation of cement supply to the Prominent Hill copper-gold operation in South Australia.

The contract period is for a five-year term with options to extend, Adelaide Brighton said.

In addition to the supply of cement, Adelaide Brighton will also supply aggregate and sand from the company’s Sellicks Hill Quarry and Price sand operation as well as auxiliary logistics services, it said.

Adelaide Brighton CEO, Nick Miller, said: “The contract, which now also includes aggregate and sand supply for the Prominent Hill operation, reflects the company’s competitive offering of a broad range of products in the South Australian market.”

Prominent Hill is a copper-gold mining operation in northern South Australia, which is made up of the Malu open-pit mine – which concluded operations last year – the Ankata and Malu underground deposits and a conventional crushing, grinding and flotation processing plant.

Weir’s Trio feeders, crushers and screens up production at Pattison Sand

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Weir Minerals has delivered a custom designed plant that has boosted production and increased the product range at a sand and aggregates miner in Iowa, US.

Family-owned Pattison Sand produces a diverse range of products, servicing several industries including infrastructure and construction.

Weir said: “After successfully using a number of Weir Minerals products at their site, Pattison Sand wanted a custom designed plant capable of producing more than seven materials: concrete stone, road rock and base material, asphalt stone, asphalt chips, railroad ballast and manufactured sand. This was a challenging demand considering most aggregates sites in the region typically focus on producing only a few products.”

Eric Jones, Global Service Director of Comminution Aftermarket for Weir Minerals, said when Pattison Sand presented the plan for their sand plant, the company’s integrated solutions team “worked with them to make it a reality”.

The facility, comprising both an underground and open-pit mine, is located on the Mississippi River. It processes highly abrasive materials and, combined with the physical diversity of the site, presented a number of technical and engineering challenges to Weir. On top of this, the company had three months to deliver and commission the plant.

Chance Harvey, Director of Engineering at Pattison Sand, said: “We develop these solutions with Weir Minerals through a lot of trials, successes and failures, and end up getting the results that we need to continue to survive in the marketplace.

“A lot of the options that other equipment manufacturers supply are standard and by the book. Weir Minerals has the ability to work with us to create solutions for our individual issues.”

The site has a unique rail loadout setup where product is dispatched to customers as soon as gradation and quality data is approved. This meant Pattison Sand needed an efficient, dependable plant to meet stringent delivery requirements.

Weir Minerals supplied a number of products to create two primary and secondary crushing stations at the operation. These included a Trio® TF5220 vibrating grizzly feeder, two Trio EF3603 pan feeders and two Trio TP450 cone crushers. Trio scalping, incline and wet incline screens, as well as a Trio TSW4432 fine material washer, were also supplied.

Full training and support was provided, with Weir Minerals regularly on site to help Pattison Sand optimise their entire process and achieve the desired result, Weir said.

It continued: “The flexibility of the custom built plant has allowed Pattison Sand to operate more efficiently, exceed production target and increase their product range.”

Since commissioning the plant, Pattison Sand has been able to produce 500-800 t/H of high-quality aggregate material, which equates to around 2.5 Mt/y of raw product. Four hoppers provide a loadout rate of 500 t/h enabling Pattison Sand to produce a diverse range of products and still meet demanding customer delivery schedules, Weir said.

Jones said: “When customers purchase Trio products they are buying years of experience from people within an organisation that is dedicated to the industry and its customers. We constantly strive to be closer to our customers. It’s not always perfect, but we work through projects together and are honest with each other. It’s that transparency and working with customers like Pattison Sand which really drives the end solution.”