Capital Equipment News January 2018

WASHING

USHERING IN NEW WASHING STANDARDS

Stricter aggregates specifications, the need to make the best use of all extracted material and the decreasing quality of deposits calling for a major effort in processing, are some of the factors driving increased use of washing equipment at quarries globally. Of note is that developments in new washing technologies are not only focused on improving production processes, but are also ticking all the right boxes in terms of water management and energy efficiency, writes Munesu Shoko .

W et processing is helping quarries improve the quality of their end products, while adding enormous value to operations. With their new inno- vations, leading original equipment man- ufacturers (OEMs) in the washing space are not only responding to the evolving washing needs, but are also addressing the need to significantly reduce the im- pact of their technologies on both energy or water consumption at operations. As new washing technologies offer the best of both worlds, there is general consensus that wet processing is a big growth area globally, especially in the quarrying space. But, how is the uptake of washing equip-

ment in the African operating environment? According to JD Singleton, Process Direc- tor – Weir Minerals Africa, there has been a marked increase in enquiries regarding wet washing of the minus 6,3 mm manu- factured sand. “We attribute this to the fact that customers are conscious that producing higher quality wash sand will enable them to obtain a premium in the market, while si- multaneously addressing the environmental concerns. Africa is following the global trend of wet washing of the minus 6,3 mm sand fraction,” says Singleton. Dr. Metodi Zlatev, head of Sales and Projects at Haver & Boecker, says the OEM has seen growing demand for washing

equipment over the past few years, particularly in diamond mining. “Haver & Boecker has delivered several Hydro-Clean plants in Africa for a variety of applications, including offshore mining, stationary processing and for exploration purposes,” says Zlatev. According to Singleton, one of the major drivers behind the trend towards wet pro- cessing in quarrying is that the construction industry requires high quality building sand, and that can only be produced by high effi- ciency wet sand wash systems. “High quality sand results in superior roads and buildings,” he says. Zlatev is of the view that the quality of

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