Tag Archives: Explosives

Dyno Nobel, Fortescue sign tech alliance focused on drill and blast decarbonisation

Environmental, Explosives and blasting, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Power supply for mines, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Incitec Pivot Limited’s Dyno Nobel is to extend its supply relationship with Fortescue, with the two parties agreeing to a long-term extension that will see Dyno Nobel continue providing explosives technology and collaborating on key decarbonisation projects to assist Fortescue in reaching its ‘Real Zero’ goal.

A key focus of the new agreement is an innovative technology alliance. As part of this, Dyno Nobel will invest A$5 million ($3.2 million) in new technologies to support Fortescue’s decarbonisation efforts within its drill and blast process. The new agreement will apply across Fortescue’s Pilbara operations: Cloudbreak, Christmas Creek, Solomon and Eliwana. The Iron Bridge project, which Fortescue has a majority stake in, is supplied by Dyno Nobel under a separate contract the two companies announced last year.

Dyno Nobel Asia Pacific President, Greg Hayne, said: “We’re incredibly proud of our relationship with Fortescue who are at the forefront of efforts to decarbonise the mining industry. The agreement will see us ramp up our decarbonisation efforts which will include conversion of our MPU (mobile processing unit) fleet to renewable energy sources and investigating the use of lower carbon footprint, bio-fuel based explosives.

“This is about providing our customers with technology solutions that lower our carbon footprint and, in turn, theirs.”

Fortescue Metals CEO, Dino Otranto, said: “We’re looking forward to continuing our successful partnership with Dyno Nobel, which will deliver blasting services as well as provide new technologies to help us achieve our industry leading target of Real Zero emissions across our Australian iron ore operations.”

The agreement will provide Fortescue with the opportunity to benefit from Dyno Nobel’s commercialisation of a reduced GHG emissions DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY® solution, an explosives method that tailors the energy delivered to different rock layers within a blast hole and across a blast. The efficiencies generated through the use of DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY reduce both overall mining costs and emission volumes for customers, according to Dyno Nobel, with the reduced emissions solution able to reduce Scope 1 emissions by up to 25% in normal blasting circumstances.

Hayne said that since Dyno Nobel’s DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY technology was introduced to the Australian market in 2018 it has provided customers with production and environmental benefits.

“Fortescue has already seen the technology deliver value at their Iron Bridge operations, one of the first sites in Australia to fully benefit from DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY and the results have been very positive. We are now pleased to be increasing these advantages via a reduced emissions offering. It is just another example of our technology innovation happening on the ground.”

He said Dyno Nobel’s technology development aligned with Fortescue’s vision.

“We are looking forward to continuing our successful partnership with Fortescue which has evolved into finding innovative and sustainable solutions for the future by working together,” he said.

Aquirian set to expand drill and blast portfolio with Hanwha ammonium nitrate emulsion plant

Explosives and blasting, Mining consumables, Mining services, , , , , , , , ,

Specialist mining services provider Aquirian Limited, via its wholly owned subsidiaries, has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the assets and land comprising the Wubin ammonium nitrate emulsion plant from Hanwha, with the company also setting out plans to offer Hanwha’s patented X-Load™ range of products in Western Australia.

The facility was built and commissioned in 2020 and is production-ready, with licensing to produce 110,000 t/y of ammonium nitrate emulsion. It was put into care and maintenance in 2021 as part of Hanwha’s strategic decision to exit the bulk explosives market in Australia, with Hanwha selling its other emulsion production assets in Queensland and New South Wales to Orica earlier this year.

Aquirian will pay A$9.6 million ($6.04 million) for the facility, which is some way below the replacement cost of A$18 million the company previously obtained.

The facility site comprises 142 ha of freehold land in Wubin, with the company having also purchased an adjoining property of 9 ha in September this year. This additional property provides accommodation options for staff, with airstrip access, and is expected to de-risk the investment in the facility by allowing for future growth in capacity and storage.

The Wubin facility is strategically located on the northern freight corridor, removing exposure to major population centres and providing access to up to 1.25 Mt of potential explosive demand across Western Australia, the company estimates. The facility’s location provides direct access to up to 75% of the potential explosives market across the Midwest and Pilbara, it says.

Aquirian Managing Director, David Kelly, comments: “This unique opportunity evolves Aquirian as a diversified mining service company, adding further value across the drill and blast value chain. Our management team has extensive industry knowledge, including with this facility, and I am excited by this acquisition and the potential synergies and opportunities it offers. Our acquisition of a near new strategically located asset below likely replacement cost is anticipated to enable us to fast-track our growth plans and provide clients with a new range of services and products to achieve sustainable outcomes in their operations.”

Kelly was also previously the Managing Director of Hanwha in Australia.

The transfer or securing of required licences in favour of Western Energetics is anticipated to take 3-5 months and is a condition precedent to completion of the sale transaction. Once the sale transaction is completed, it is expected to take between 8-12 weeks to bring the facility back online and into production, the company says.

The facility can produce a variety of nitrate-based emulsions. These emulsions are a class 5.1 dangerous good used as a precursor raw material that is blended with other materials to produce a variety of bulk explosives, which are used in mining operations across Western Australia.

The site is also set up as a logistics and storage hub for ammonium nitrate with a storage capacity of 1,500 t currently, with the objective to be expanded to circa-10,000 t.

Aquirian’s technology portfolio is focused on optimising blast hole quality to ensure better client outcomes. This acquisition will bring the company’s offerings closer to providing drilling technology alongside optimised energetics, to meet its clients’ changing and challenging mine conditions, it says.

The acquisition of the facility is conditional on Hanwha granting the company an exclusive licence to manufacture and supply Hanwha’s patented X-Load range of products in Western Australia and a non-exclusive licence to use and sell other of Hanwha’s products. X-Load is a low-density waterproof energetics solution for the challenging and wet mining conditions in the Pilbara mining region. This region traditionally uses basic ANFO product which is not waterproofed. X-Load provides an energy profile and density that mimics ANFO while being a waterproof solution, according to Acquirian.

Omnia Holdings backs Hypex Bio non-nitrate explosive emulsions solution

Explosives and blasting, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , ,

Omnia Holdings has announced a strategic partnership with Sweden-based Hypex Bio Explosives Technology and the acquisition of a minority equity stake in the company.

Hypex is at the forefront of innovative and sustainable civil explosives solutions and has developed a ground-breaking emulsion using hydrogen peroxide (HP), offering substantially enhanced environmental benefits compared with conventional products, the company says.

This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both Omnia and Hypex as it will notably enhance the ongoing development and commercial rollout of Hypex’s HP emulsion technology in key markets. Additionally, it provides Omnia, the parent company of global blasting solutions provider BME, with access to state-of-the-art technology.

Omnia, in conjunction with BME, has established a reputation for its dedication to innovation and market-driven product solutions. Extending its services across Africa, Australasia, North America and Brazil, BME offers cutting-edge products and services at every stage in the mining explosives and blasting solutions supply chain, using technology to maximise safety and minimise environmental impact.

Seelan Gobalsamy, CEO of Omnia, said: “Hypex is a good strategic fit for BME and aligns with Omnia’s sustainability and high-growth objectives, including pollution and CO2 reduction. Hypex has developed the first non-nitrate explosive emulsions in the market and reduced the carbon content by 90% over traditional sources. This technology has the potential to completely change the explosives supply industry.”

Ralf Hennecke, Managing Director of BME, said: “As one of the largest explosives and blasting solutions suppliers on the African continent, BME is pursuing a globalisation strategy which is optimally aligned to the sustainable, nitrate-free emulsion technology offered by Hypex.”

Hypex’s experience in rapid yet safe development cycles, combined with the company’s proven track record in commercialisation activities, will use the proceeds from this transaction to further strengthen the organisation and invest in accelerated growth.

Thomas Gustavsson, CEO of Hypex, said: “We are thrilled to announce the partnership with Omnia, and I am very happy to have not only an ideal investor on board but also a company whose culture is well aligned with ours. I foresee significant synergies and accelerated accomplishments as a direct result. The team and I are grateful for the hard work done by both sides to accomplish this deal.”

This partnership agreement aligns seamlessly with Omnia’s capital allocation framework of adding new revenue streams in future high-growth international markets while maintaining a diversified and cash-generative business, improving the group’s competitive advantage and resilience given anticipated market changes, and aligning with its sustainability journey, it says.

Gobalsamy concluded: “As a responsible industry leader, we are committed to sustainable innovation and the responsible use of chemicals for the health, safety and well-being of our planet and its people. Our partnership with Hypex strengthens our ability to develop and distribute eco-friendly products and technologies and is testament to our purpose of creating a greener and safer future for all.”

BME upgrades VIPERDET MS Series non-electric detonator range

Explosives and blasting, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining safety, Mining services, , , , , , ,

BME, an Omnia Group company, has introduced an improved version of its non-electric detonator product range, the VIPERDET™ MS Series, into the quarrying and small-scale open-pit mining sector.

The VIPERDET MS Series boasts quality and reliability leveraged from automated production lines and a certified supply chain, it says.

“We have over the years invested considerably in our production technology, giving us automated processes that enhance safety, sustainability and efficiency to reliably deliver a world-class product,” Nishen Hariparsad, General Manager (Technology and Innovation) at BME, says. “Our systems harness robotics and artificial intelligence to ensure that we meet and exceed customer expectations with our non-electric detonators.”

Hariparsad highlighted that this high level of automation was a significant differentiator for the company, as most competitors relied on manual production lines. The result was that Omnia’s mining division was able to achieve consistency in detonator quality, enhanced production flexibility, less waste and reduced environmental impact. The company’s production facilities at Losberg and Dryden were also powered by renewable energy to prioritise sustainability and operational continuity.

“BME always strives to be at the forefront of technology and brings innovative and cutting-edge mining solutions that deliver best blasting and fragmentation outcomes,” Hariparsad said. “This has underpinned the launch of the VIPERDET MS Series – which includes downhole, trunkline and dual detonators. With its timing accuracy, flexibility and user-friendly design, we believe this range will offer great customer experience and deliver optimal blasting results.”

Dr Rakhi Pathak, BME’s Global Product Manager, noted that the design included a triple-layered shock tube designed to provide high tensile strength and prevent any damage during normal operating conditions.

“Made with high-strength material that is temperature resistant, the connectors are easy to use and quick to apply,” Dr Pathak said. “The connectors are also colour coded for ease of identification.”

She added that safety remains the utmost priority and so quality and manufacturing processes ensure that the product meets the highest industry safety standard.

Hariparsad explained that Omnia mining segment’s certified supply chain was crucial to achieving the standards for which it is known in the mining sector, including the quarrying sector where the VIPERDET MS Series is expected to find an important market.

“We have selected high quality raw materials and the latest manufacturing processes to guarantee exceptional quality in our VIPERDET MS Series detonators,” he said. “Each component goes through a series of rigorous tests to ensure it meets stringent industry standards.”

He noted that in-house manufacturing allows the company to closely manage its product quality, delivering reliability with high accuracy of delay timing.

Orica releases ‘world first’ lead-free non-electric detonator range

Explosives and blasting, Mining safety, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Orica says it is taking another step towards its purpose to sustainably mobilise the earth’s resources by announcing the commercial release of what it claims is the world’s first lead-free non-electric detonator range, Exel™ Neo.

Orica, the sole manufacturer of non-electric detonators in the Nordics, has upgraded its premium Exel product range to a safer and more sustainable product by removing lead while maintaining the same consistent and reliable product performance, it says.

Neo is Orica’s new brand for environmentally friendly, sustainable initiation systems products. The Neo range of Exel non-electric detonators is produced using a lead-free formulation in Gyttorp, Sweden, with no lead or lead compounds used in the manufacturing process of the pyrotechnic delay compositions.

In the industry, the Exel non-electric blasting technology range encompasses safety, innovation and excellence and is built based on the Non Primary Explosives Detonator (NPED) technology, successfully used by Orica for the last 30 years. The same as the original Exel range, the newly launched Exel Neo range is designed for use in civil infrastructure as well as surface and underground mining operations.

Orica Chief Technology Officer, Angus Melbourne, said: “Orica’s strategy is to deliver solutions and technology that drive productivity for our customers across the globe. With nearly 150 years of innovation and expertise, we continue to solve the industry’s challenges and are proud to offer a lead-free solution today, while maintaining the same trusted performance, storage and handling benefits. With our Neo range, we are offering a product that is free of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC).”

Before being placed on the market in Europe, the Neo product range was successfully assessed and approved by the Explosive Notified Body as part of CE-marking certification in the European Union. The new fully lead-free products do not contain any SVHC according to the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation, Orica says.

Among some of the key benefits, the new product range is manufactured close to Orica’s customer base in Europe and includes distinct safety and environmental benefits, with lead or lead compounds removed from the production process and thus eliminated from release into environment.

Celebrating this milestone, Orica Group Executive and EMEA President, James Bonnor, added: “Orica is taking decisive steps to enable our industry’s transition towards a more sustainable future. We have invested in the state-of-the-art equipment in Sweden, including assembly machines and control systems, to ensure high quality of our products. The Exel Neo range is based on our NPED technology that’s been in the European market for 30 years.

“With the Neo addition, we have successfully developed, independently tested and trialled a lead-free alternative that can burn with the same accuracy as our current lead-based delay compositions. Importantly for our customers, independent external tests on timing accuracy and scatter patterns confirm that this new technology performs with the same reliability.

“The full Exel Neo range of non-electric detonators is available for order in Europe today.”

AECI Mining expands Latin America explosives reach with Dinaser acquisition

Explosives and blasting, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, , , , , ,

AECI Mining says it has concluded the ZAR45 million ($2.4 million) acquisition of Dinaser Industria, an explosives business in Brazil.

The acquisition, executed through local entity AECI Mining Produtos Quimicos Ltda, includes 100% ownership of Dinaser’s explosives distribution and storage facilities as well as operating licences in the mining states of Minas Gerais and Bahia.

Holger Riemensperger, AECI Group Chief Executive, said: “This acquisition is in line with AECI’s strategy to continue expanding its already extensive footprint in the global mining sector. It builds on our existing reach in Brazil where we already own and operate a bulk emulsion and packaged explosives manufacturing plant, in the state of São Paulo, and have also seen good growth in the South American metallurgical extraction chemicals market.”

Mark Kathan, AECI Mining CEO, added: “Dinaser currently serves mainly the Brazilian construction and civil blasting industry. With our world-class products and know-how in both underground and surface mining, as well as our longstanding relationships with global customers, the opportunities to grow the business are significant.”

Mining3’s Alternative Explosives Project finding the right formula

Environmental, Explosives and blasting, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , ,

Later this year, Mining3 is to demonstrate to funding supporters and commercialisation partners a significant ACARP-funded project milestone of a number of blasts in rock with hydrogen peroxide-based emulsion explosive at an increasing scale of production.

While rock-breakage displays in Queensland quarries with alternative explosives formulations were completed back in 2016, those formulations were proof-of-principle tests for a hydrogen peroxide-based explosive. The project has moved on significantly since then.

“Last year we completed a complete suite of United Nations (UN) authorisation tests to confirm that the new emulsion formulation has a feasible classification as a commercially viable product,” Mining3 said. “Our prior hydrogel-based formulations, whilst demonstrating rock-breakage potential, did not pass UN classification and have been abandoned.”

Last year, Mining3 and western New South Wales-based independent explosives testing partner, Rurex, comprehensively tested the novel emulsion formulation. The outcome of UN testing is a portfolio of results that, Mining3 says, will assist explosives delivery companies to apply for authorisation within their regulatory jurisdictions for the new emulsion formulation. Three series of tests were conducted to ensure that the new formula was safe to use regarding fire, impact, friction and heating.

Mining3 said: “We reported UN classification for a Class 1.1D UN0241 explosive as a significant achievement last year. But what the data doesn’t show is the countless failed trials and white knuckles that the researchers had when conducting the authorisation tests. Any single failure can scuttle the formulation from advancing to commercial application, and represented in some formulas, such as all the failed hydrogel formula, hundreds of hours of research. Whilst it is relatively easy to make a hydrogen peroxide-based explosive, the heightened energetics of the oxidiser was a challenge to make a safe explosive that is acceptable to industry.”

With the confidence of a supportive suite of UN test results, Mining3 says it is assured of commercialisation with the new emulsion formulation.

Following on from the UN test results, Sydney-based mining equipment manufacture, Elquip, has developed a prototype 500 kg duo-batch-mixer to produce the volumes of explosive material for mine site bulk trials. It has been an equally challenging path to a safe and effective mixer for a model of on-site, on-demand emulsion explosives manufacture.

An image from the Elquip prototype hydrogen peroxide-based Emulsion Mixer commissioning trials at Rurex, in western NSW, in July 2022. “We always take a safety-first approach in our research, so, in the pictured trial and initial commissioning tests, we used full body hazchem suites,” Dr Andrew Kettle says (photo courtesy of Ryan Esam, Rurex)

Scaling from the laboratory bench to the mine bench explosive formula manufacture is a journey requiring all the caution imaginable, and some unimagined. “Elquip has embraced the adventure and positioned themselves as the preferred equipment supplier aligned to the near-horizon commercialisation pathway,” Mining3 says. The specificity of hydrogen peroxide material compatibility, equipment design and safety for a hydrogen peroxide-based explosive has been captured by Elquip, ensuring its equipment and support of the Mining3 research projects is successful. Commissioning of the first prototype batch mixer was conducted at Rurex last year and is now being shipped to the blast trial sites, Mining3 says.

Senior Research Leader, Dr Andrew Kettle, said: “Rurex certainly challenged Elquip during equipment testing. Sub-zero temperatures during the winter months, last year, proved the ambient temperature manufacture claims for the emulsion formula. Importantly, the emulsion, made from two liquids, one obviously being hydrogen peroxide-based oxidiser phase, can be made at ambient temperature. From an Australian perspective, that reality is below 2°C to above 40°C. So, we have tested manufacture in these ambient environmental temperatures at Rurex.”

The alternative explosives research to date has been supported by ACARP and collaborating companies, such as Elquip and Rurex. Going forward, Mining3 has launched an Expression of Interest (EOI) to companies to build a commercialisation roadmap and deliver the technology to the mining market.

“The interest in our EOI for Mining3 alternative explosives technology has been very successful,” Dr Kettle says. “We have built on the industry awareness of our research and are looking at viable pathways to market. We have had numerous discussions covering the broad application of the formula in open-cut, underground and civil applications, and ancillary product applications of the formula with a large variety of industry interests. We’ll continue to work with the myriad of companies to ensure a safe and effective transition for this technology.”

BME enhances blasting control and monitoring with next-generation Xplolog release

Automation, Explosives and blasting, IoT, Mining safety, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , , , , , , ,

Mining solutions specialist BME has released a new version of its Xplolog system for capturing and analysing data on blast holes and decks.

BME – part of Omnia’s mining segment – developed Xplolog as a powerful tool for mines to monitor their block progress in real time, providing the necessary data to track trends and continuously improve the quality of blasts, it says.

The focus in developing this next-generation Xplolog has been the detailed guidance by users, according to Christiaan Liebenberg, BME Product Manager Software Solutions. This has led to making the system more user friendly, scalable and streamlined with other BME digital solutions – while also benefiting from improved data security, the company says.

“We engaged our Xplolog users in a highly systematic way to inform us at every step of our upgrade process,” Liebenberg said. “After our first structured interviews with users, for instance, we developed mock-ups and wireframes that we could take back to the user group for further testing. This approach was even taken into the design and prototype stages, ensuring that the system was in many ways actually built by the users.”

With the design and application code built from the ground up, and with a new and upgraded database using Google’s Cloud Services, the performance of Xplolog has been enhanced. The capacity of the system can also be rapidly increased, allowing better scalability; customers can have a site set up within a matter of hours, according to BME.

Christiaan Liebenberg – BME Product Manager Software Solutions

“Security has been improved through a more robust login and registration process,” Liebenberg said. “There are different user access levels in the new version, giving customers more control over who can access information related to their role in the organisation.

“Users will appreciate how everything is centralised in this version of Xplolog, and how we have improved the workflow for third party blast design uploads in the system.”

The look and feel of Xplolog has been revised in line with the progressive standardising of design across BME’s Blast Alliance digital solutions. This makes users feel familiar with the BME offering, through increased brand identification and continuity of the customer experience with Blast Alliance, Liebenberg said.

“Another important aspect of our upgrade is that users can easily customise their dashboards, creating a personalised view of block information important to the user,” he said.

Customised reports can be created and saved, allowing users to return to that recurring daily, weekly or monthly report each week or month as required. A summary view of block data is visible to track progress at a quick glance for the user.

“We have also given users the ability to better visually track block progress, with the creative use of colours and iconography,” Liebenberg said.

The process of inputting data has been optimised by rationalising the number of steps or actions wherever possible. Importantly, Liebenberg pointed out that Xplolog’s integration with BME’s mobile manufacturing units (MMUs) has taken account of different regional preferences and conditions around the globe.

“The system also provides mines with a digital audit trail, so that they can track operator performance during the drilling and charging phases, as well as provide hole loading information per truck,” he said.

Xplolog is integrated with other BME offerings like its blast planning software Blastmap, and to third-party blast software.

Integrated with BME’s MMUs, Xplolog, BME says, allows the MMU operator to charge and top-up holes accurately from the source application, which will have the latest blast design updates loaded. The actual charged and top-up values from the MMU’s digital panel will automatically be sent back to Xplolog, which will make the data available on the cloud platform for review and analysis.

“Our new version of Xplolog continues to raise the bar in leveraging digital technology,” Liebenberg said. “Our software engineering team continues to add new features and implement continuous improvements as we receive feedback from users of the system in the field – to help mines operate more efficiently, cost-effectively and safely.”

These updates are released to all existing customers of Xplolog every quarter at no additional cost, according to BME.

Austin Powder develops lead-free explosives detonator

Environmental, Explosives and blasting, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Austin Powder has developed a lead-free primary explosive detonators for its clients that, it says, comes ahead of regulators mandating the use of such an alternative.

Austin Powder started looking for a lead-free alternative to lead azide back in 2007 at its detonator facility, Austin Star Detonator. The initial work was started by Morris Bannerman and Göran Jidestig.

“Developing, testing, and producing a new primary explosive is the biggest nightmare for any explosive/detonator maker,” Jan Jidestig, Director of R&D and QC, said. “It is a project that has taken us nearly 15 years. The new substance was designed by experienced chemists who worked collaboratively with the engineers to design the production process. We couldn’t rush the process, and we had some dead ends and had to significantly change the product design, and even parts of the entire manufacturing process. But we did it.”

By 2016, a pilot-scale reactor was designed, which could produce small-scale batches. This was then used to develop the method and to produce enough powder to perform a qualification test. The first field test was carried out in 2018 with 8,500 detonators for Philipsburg in Pennsylvania, USA. During this time, a full-scale reactor was developed with the help of Daniel Rontey and the engineering team at Austin Powder. The first full-scale reaction was completed on April 5, 2019. Production with the new component started in late 2020, with over 93,000 detonators shipped to the field for trials. In 2022, a total of 2.6 million detonators were shipped and used throughout Mexico and the US.

Otta Greben, Global Director of Detonator Products, says: “There is a rule for any explosive makers – don’t change it if it works. But the world is changing, and our approach to safety and health within our production is changing. Here we have internal and external contributors to drive the change. We also have requirements from regulators (you must) and our own decision to improve production hygiene and safety (you should). However, we proactively made the decision to develop lead-free detonators way in advance.”

“The world is changing, and so is Austin Powder,” Homer Solis, Director of Austin Star Detonator, said. “Like most responsible companies, we felt obligated to contribute to making this world a better place. Sure, it was a difficult decision since the biggest fear was a change, but our advantage was that we were not producing the primary explosive. It took years to develop, but our young team of chemists and chemical engineers were able to accomplish this challenging task.”

Orica commercialises Cyclo automated used oil recycling service for explosives manufacture

Automation, Environmental, Explosives and blasting, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Orica has successfully commissioned an automated used oil recycling service that, it says, enables treated used oil from mine sites to be used in the manufacture of quality emulsion for bulk explosives, reducing waste, cost and risks for customers and impact to the environment.

Mine sites where Orica’s site-based emulsion plants are located can now realise the benefits of Cyclo™ – a process that allows customers to transform used oil from heavy machinery into raw material for the manufacture of high-quality bulk explosives, Orica explains. When used in combination with Orica’s proprietary emulsifier technology, Cyclo offers customers a high-quality bulk explosive product, while reducing cost and risk associated with the disposal of used oil.

Delivering environmental and commercial benefits to customers, the fully containerised and automated Cyclo system is capable of treating up to 1,000 litres of used oil per hour and is estimated to reduce up to 800,000 litres in diesel consumption annually per site for customers, the company said.

Orica’s Chief Technology Officer, Angus Melbourne, said: “Cyclo is an example of how we are constantly looking for ways to reduce the carbon footprint for our customers and Orica, while creating value to stakeholders. The benefit of the Cyclo service is its ability to fully integrate into our on-site emulsion plants, enabling used oil from the mine to be directly recycled without leaving the site.”

Locations where Cyclo has been implemented have realised a reduction in diesel consumed in the production of bulk explosives by up to 50%, according to Orica. Additional environmental benefits to customers are delivered by reducing heavy vehicle movements through local communities and reducing carbon dioxide emissions through transport.

Cyclo units are currently installed across several customer sites in Africa and Asia/Oceania – including in Ghana. Further installations in Latin America and more sites across Africa are slated for completion by the end of the year, while a version to suit arctic conditions is being developed for Canada, China and Mongolia.