Tag Archives: Planet Positive

Metso launches renewed Metso Plus concept focused on customer benefits

Environmental, Equipment maintenance, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , ,

To comply with the proposed changing EU legislation and to emphasise Metso’s focus on supporting customers with key challenges, Metso is renaming its Planet Positive offering to Metso Plus.

In 2021, Metso launched its Planet Positive approach as a concrete answer to tackling the sustainability challenges of its customer industries. Ever since, the products and services included in Metso’s sustainable portfolio have been important to differentiate the company.

To date, Metso has over 100 products in its portfolio of sustainable products. These products are demonstrably more energy or water efficient than the industry benchmark or Metso’s previous generation products. They provide added benefits to the customers, helping them cut their CO2 emissions, reduce pollution to land, air and soil, increase circularity and safety, and improve productivity, Metso says.

On top of the name change, the former Planet Positive label will change and have a new design.

Marius Verwoerd, Head of Metso’s Sustainability, said: “Our focus is on driving the development of more sustainable solutions together with our customers. We believe that we can enable the biggest positive change by supporting them in their sustainability ambitions while driving the industry towards more sustainable practices.”

Metso Plus builds on the company’s extensive expertise and the reliability of its products and services supporting customers from pit to port, it says. The offering marks Metso’s commitment to go beyond and exceed expectations – by continuously enhancing technologies and providing additional sustainability benefits for both customers and the environment. Metso’s R&D initiatives aim at expanding this portfolio.

The Metso Plus portfolio of equipment, parts and expert services has been designed to deliver more performance to where it’s most needed.

‘Circularity in action’: the Metso mill liner recycling offering

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mining consumables, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

The idea of mill liner recycling is nothing new for Metso, with the first feasibility studies examining its potential conducted 15 years ago. Just ahead of MINExpo 2024, Metso announced that it is now expanding the offering to the North American market, with the company continuing to view the offering as a key contributor to making mining more sustainable, IM learned.

“The recycling program was initiated in 2015, achieving an important milestone of 1,000 recycled Megaliner™ liners in 2016,” Lars Furtenbach, Director, Research & Technology Development, Mill Lining, told IM last month in Las Vegas. “Back then, the machine we initially designed was not as flexible as the one we use now. This meant our global expansion had to be very deliberate to ensure we could offer the best services possible to as many customers as possible.”

Following studies and customer pilots, Metso launched a new liner separation unit in 2022 for its customers in Europe. In May 2024, the services were expanded to customers in South America – where the company now has two separation machines. Additionally, as mentioned, North America has just been added to this global roster.

The recycling service is facilitated by an innovative technology that enables safe and efficient separation of different rubber and metal liner components, like cast inserts, wear plates and backing plates. Composite liners, like Megaliner™ and Poly-Met™ liners, as well as rubber liners, can be processed using this solution. Metso also has an existing recycling process for metallic mill liners.

“One good example is the Megaliner where this service offering means that recovered backing plates, which are certified for reuse, can be returned to the same customer as part of new Megaliner liners,” he says.

“This is real circularity in action.”

Indeed, Metso says the recycling service is a concrete example of how it can drive the mining industry towards more sustainable practices and a circular economy. “With less unprocessed waste material sent to landfills, recycling helps to reduce CO2 emissions and improve environmental efficiency,” the company explains.

It is also “tightly linked” with ongoing product development, Furtenbach says, singling out Skega™ Life mill lining rubber as an example.

Introduced in November 2023, Skega Life offers up to 25% longer wear life compared with the predecessor premium rubber, Skega Classic. It was developed in Metso’s own laboratory and validated by field studies, also being part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering.

Furtenbach expects the mill lining recycling service to grow in terms of production and product offering, saying Metso’s existing capacity has significantly increased with the current expansion into three regions.

“This is all part of Metso’s plan to do what is needed to make the industry more sustainable,” he concluded.

Metso books Planet Positive copper tailings dewatering plant order

Base metals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , ,

Metso has been awarded an order for the delivery of sustainable tailings dewatering technology to an operating copper mine in Africa, with the total value of the order exceeding €20 million ($22 million).

Metso’s scope of delivery consists of the engineering and supply of a Planet Positive copper tailings dewatering plant unit including an HRT High Rate thickener and Larox® FFP3512 filters and auxiliaries with latest design hole-less filter cloths and single polymer plates lowering operating costs. The high-capacity Larox FFP3512 filters are the first of their kind to be installed in Africa, and feature, among other elements, superior anti-corrosive elements to tackle the highly corrosive tailings slurry, Metso notes.

The dewatering plant is part of a larger backfill project required for the continued development of the ongoing operations at site. The intention is to filter the existing concentrator tailings and use them as mine backfill when mining out the copper pillars.

Metso’s filtration product portfolio is one of the largest with the energy, emission and water efficiency in a league of its own, the OEM says. Metso has carried out over 14,000 filtration tests and delivered more than 5,000 filters for various applications worldwide.

Metso HIGmill heading to African copper project

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mining equipment, , , , ,

Metso says it has been awarded an order to deliver grinding mills to an African copper mining project, with the order representing approximately €20 million ($22 million) of business.

Metso’s scope of delivery consists of energy-efficient HIGmill™ high-intensity stirred mills with auxiliary equipment and services, it says.

The OEM has experience with over 8,000 grinding mill installations globally, including manufacturing and delivering the largest SAG/AG and ball mills in the world, it says.

Metso’s HIGmill is an advanced and energy-efficient fine and ultra-fine grinding solution and is part of its portfolio of stirred mills that meets a wide range of customer requirements. The HIGmill takes advantage of gravitational forces and GrindForce™ rotor technology to produce a finer grind for mineral liberation. It is also part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering.

Metso to deliver grinding plant equipment to South32’s Hermosa project

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , ,

Metso has been awarded orders for the delivery of grinding plant equipment for South32’s greenfield Hermosa project in the Patagonia Mountains in southern Arizona.

The order is booked in the Minerals segment’s 2024 June-quarter orders received, the OEM says.

Metso’s scope of delivery includes a Premier™ Primary Autogenous Grinding (AG) Mill and a Vertimill® VTM-4500 Secondary Grinding Mill with the potential to supply other comminution and beneficiation process equipment technologies.

Christoph Hoetzel, Senior Vice President, Grinding at Metso, said: “Metso’s broad grinding technology portfolio offers the best tool for the job. In this case, primary grinding utilising an AG Mill eliminates steel media usage and the Vertimill in secondary grinding and regrinding improves energy efficiency and reduces steel media consumption. This is a truly Planet Positive combination.”

Tim Robinson, Vice President, Minerals Sales in North and Central America (NCA) at Metso, said: “We are very pleased to be supporting South32 in their development focus to supply critical minerals like zinc and manganese in the USA. We are committed to supporting South32 in this endeavor with our Planet Positive offering and our large service group in Arizona.”

Earlier this year, South32’s Board of Directors gave final investment approval to develop the Taylor Deposit, part of the wider Hermosa project, as part of a $2.16 billion development involving a circa-4.3 Mt/y operation with average payable zinc-equivalent output of circa-253,000 t/y over a 28-year mine life.

Metso to deliver Planet Positive thickeners, filters to Peru mine water treatment project

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Water management, , , , , ,

Metso has been awarded with a contract valued at around €15 million ($16 million) to deliver several thickeners and filters to a mine water treatment project in Peru.

Metso’s scope of delivery includes several high-rate thickeners operating in a high density sludge (HDS) mine water treatment application and automatic EBS series liquid filters with an electric self-cleaning mechanism for ultra-fine filtration.

The thickeners, which are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering, include the Reactorwell™ feed system and are specially designed bolted stainless-steel construction for high corrosion resistance and fast installation, the company says.

Brian Berger, Vice President, Thickening and Clarification at Metso, said: “We are pleased to continue working with this important customer in Peru to support their needs in mine water treatment with our Planet Positive thickening solutions. The environmentally sound high-rate thickeners will have an important role in ensuring a reliable operation and meeting the customer’s project criteria for high performance, fast installation and low maintenance.”

Metso expands modular VSF X solvent extraction offering

Base metals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , ,

Metso has expanded its solvent extraction offering with a wider capacity range and improved features, and is now also introducing the VSF® X solvent extraction plant with extended scope.

The modular VSF X plant, part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering, allows copper, cobalt, nickel and manganese producers, among others, to purify desired metals from the leach solution in a safe and sustainable manner. The VSF X technology can also be used in battery black mass recycling processes.

Olli Siltala, Product Manager for the VSF X solvent extraction plants at Metso, said: “Solvent extraction is a crucial step in the production of essential battery metals and is gaining wider ground in hydrometallurgy applications. This is driven by the growing demand for higher purity metals and the increasing use of minerals to empower the energy transition. Our customers are seeking reliable and environmentally sound production processes with lower plant life cycle costs. Metso’s VSF X solvent extraction technology meets these needs and enables an efficient and economical solvent extraction process step for various orebodies and recycled battery black mass.”

Siltala added: “Metso is an expert one-stop shop for solvent extraction technology. We can provide customers with a tailormade production process based on professional testing and piloting. The modularised plant offers excellent scalability and high quality with fluent logistics and fast-track delivery. The integrated plant consists of Metso’s highly productised proprietary equipment, like the VSF X mixer-settler, VSF X organic and crud treatment unit; Dual Media, Activated Carbon and GM filters, as well as new digital products such as DispersionSense™ and OA Sense™ topped up with process guarantees. We can also provide a broad range of services along with digital solutions to ensure optimised lifecycle performance of the plants.”

Metso has been developing solvent extraction technologies and delivering both equipment and processes for several decades. VSF solvent extraction technology is used in the largest copper solvent extraction facilities across the globe, according to the company. It has over 50 operational references for the VSF solvent extraction plants and 10 for the modular VSF X plants.

Metso to deliver VSF X solvent extraction tech to Chinese nickel plant

Base metals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Metso says it has been awarded an order to deliver solvent extraction technology for a nickel plant in China; an order that usually banks the OEM revenue in the range of €15-20 million ($16.4-21.9 million).

Metso’s scope of delivery consists of the VSF® X solvent extraction process for the production of a battery-grade nickel sulphate solution.

In addition, Metso will deliver multiple polishing filters, a Courier® 6X HX analyser, as well as spare parts and advisory services. Prior to this order, Metso conducted the concept study and process test for the project. Basic engineering for the project is ongoing.

The modular Metso VSF (Vertical Smooth Flow) X plants offer lower lifetime costs, significantly shorter lead times, and sustainable Planet Positive life-cycle technology built on decades of experience in solvent extraction, Metso says. Metso’s offering includes optimised solutions, complete plants and services through innovative leaching, solvent extraction and electrowinning technologies.

Metso’s sulphate-free alkaline pressure leach process wins Planet Positive accolade

Base metals, Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , ,

Metso is expanding its sustainable offering for the lithium market, having validated its proprietary, sulphate-free alkaline pressure leach process as a Planet Positive technology for the production of battery-grade lithium.

Metso’s hydrometallurgical alkaline leach process is a simple and safe way to refine spodumene concentrate to battery-grade end products like lithium hydroxide monohydrate and lithium carbonate, the company says. The innovative refining process produces high-purity lithium salts and hydrates, which are needed for the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.

In the process, lithium is extracted with high yield. Inert and neutral mineral residue is minimised and ready to be reused or disposed of, thus minimising pollution to air, water and soil. No additional impurity removal or precipitation stages are needed. In recent studies, the alkaline leach process has also shown reduced environmental impact compared with other technologies, Metso says. Based on the Life Cycle Impact Assessment, the process can provide an up to 40-60% reduction in water consumption, as well a reduction in the acidification and eutrophication impact. The compact process also minimises plant footprint and embedded carbon, according to Metso.

Metso has been developing sustainable alkaline leaching technologies for hard-rock lithium sources for 20 years already. Today the offering includes proprietary technologies for refining lithium from spodumene mineral concentrates. Intensive R&D and piloting is also ongoing in the processing of other lithium-bearing pegmatite hard rocks such as petalite, zinnwaldite (with Zinnwald Lithium plc) and lepidolite. Metso says it also has proven processes also for the extraction of lithium from brines.

Alongside this, Metso is providing its Planet Positive sustainable soda pressure leaching technology for Keliber’s lithium hydroxide refinery, which will be built in Kokkola, Finland.

Marika Tiihonen, Technology Manager for Lithium at Metso, said: “The urgent need to implement solutions and technologies limiting global warming is driving the development of lithium-ion batteries that are used, for example, in electric vehicles and renewable energy storage ecosystems. This, and the regionalisation of critical minerals sourcing, has resulted in a surge in lithium projects. Currently, Metso is supporting several battery minerals projects that are in study, piloting, engineering or delivery phases.”

Tiihonen added: “As a strong and reliable partner for the development of lithium hydroxide and other battery minerals projects, Metso can deliver the whole production process – from mine to battery materials, and recycling of black mass – complemented with world-class service support.”

Metso reflects on ‘benchmark’ contract win in Chile copper space

Base metals, Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Metso has been awarded a major order worth some €55 million ($59 million) to deliver key concentrator equipment for a copper mining project in Chile.

The Metso delivery scope consists of high-capacity Nordberg® MP1250 secondary cone crushers, MF Series™ vibrating screens and energy-efficient Vertimill® VTM1500 regrinding mills.

For the flotation and separation circuit, Metso will supply multiple TankCell® and ColumnCell™ flotation cells featuring several of the largest available 630 cu.m TankCell units, as well as HCT™ High Compression tailing thickeners. In addition, Metso’s scope includes four MHC hydrocyclone clusters, of which two will be among the largest in the world.

Most of the products in the delivery scope are part of Metso’s Planet Positive offering.

Fernando Samanez, Vice President, Minerals Sales for South America at Metso, said: “Working together with the customer and the engineering company on an open collaborative model has been an extraordinary experience. The model enhanced the efficiency of the engineering process and contributed to the alignment of all parties on the targets set by the end customer. This will be a benchmark to be followed in similar projects all over the world.”