Sustainable practices have become a keystone investment requirement for the mining sector. So much so that miners have started to place equal emphasis on reducing their environmental footprints as they do on improving or maintaining their operational performance.
Responsible water management is one of the crucial elements that define sustainable success – and can be achieved most effectively when adopting process plant technologies that reduce water consumption altogether.
Minerals processing expert Weir Minerals Africa not only understands how to optimise processing plants through its technologies, but how to do so taking sustainable practices into account.
“Our customers have become very discerning when it comes to their sustainability agenda and are requiring their suppliers to support them in this regard,” states Rajen Govender, Acting MD at Weir Minerals Africa.
Africa is generally a water scarce continent. Coupled with climate change and inadequate infrastructure, the concept and requirement for water preservation is not new to the region, and as a result, is not new to Weir Minerals Africa either.
Reducing overall water consumption is the primary objective for the mining sector, which consumes large volumes across various processing circuits. Rajen highlights key Weir Minerals’ equipment technologies designed to deliver on this front – the first being HPGRs.
High pressure grinding rolls
Although first introduced into the cement sector, HPGRs have proven very effective in the hard rock mining sector.
“Their process is far less energy intensive than traditional grinding mediums and importantly because their grinding process doesn’t require a water-based environment, they require no water either.
“Importantly, when combined with Weir Minerals’ air classification technology, Enduron HPGRs can entirely fulfil the milling requirements of an operation – eliminating the need for SAG, AG or ball mills, all of which require water to operate,” outlines Marnus Koorts, Pumps General Manager at Weir Minerals Africa.
“This makes the HPGR technology ideal for arid regions, ensuring limited water supply does not inhibit the economic viability of a project,” Govender notes.
Source : Mining Review Africa
