MechChem Africa November-December 2022

FLSmidth drives MissionZero at Electra Mining Africa

With its focus on MissionZero – the goal of enabling net zero emissions from mining operations – global mineral processing frontrunner FLSmidth led the charge at the recent Electra Mining Africa 2022 exhibition. Interaction with the mining industry showed a growing interest in how FLSmidth’s new technologies can leverage production and environmental performance, allowing process plants to do more with less.

more wi th less ’. They are looking for more production from the same plant, with less energy and less water, he says. “Plant operators are looking to us to help them get more from their existing plants. This means reducing their carbon footprint and water consumption while optimising production.” The expertise to apply the necessary technology to do this is readily available in FLSmidth’s operations around this region, he says. Further specialist knowledge can be drawn in from the company’s global network, providing the necessary insights and experience. Electra Mining Africa also provided a great platform for FLSmidth to confirm the exciting news of its acquisition of thyssen krupp’s Mining business. De Kock says that organisational integration is underway for the two companies to be operating as one by year-end. “This acquisition boosts FLSmidth’s position as a global leader in mineral pro cess solutions, particularly with the newly acquired high pressure grinding roll (HPGR) technology, eccentric roll crushers and bulk materials handling equipment,” he says. “This expands our pit-to-plant range of sus tainable solutions and supports our central ambition of bringing sustainable technology tomines, increasing productivity and reduc ing the environmental footprint.” www.flsmidth.com

“An important question we are helping customers to answer is: How do we put the ‘building blocks’ of success together to support the MissionZero strategy? This approach looks beyond quick wins to be etched in an ESG rating, and considers a longer term and sustainable process.” Digitalisation is already paving the way to greater efficiency and lower energy con sumption, he explains. This includes making operational information on all equipment available to operators and decision makers in a usable format – on whichever device they are using. By pulling through all the relevant data and analysing it in real time, the performance of various equipment can be monitored and assessed for continuous improvement. “Our LoadIQ™ smart sensor, which is used to optimise mill loads, is a perfect example of this,” he says. “By measuring volumetric filling and ore trajectory in real-time, LoadIQ™ allows mill operating parameters to be adjusted automatically as grinding conditions change.” Its application on a mill at a large copper mine in South America led to throughput improvements of 10% – translating to ad ditional revenues of some US$150-million per year. Deon de Kock, FLSmidth President for Sub-Saharan Af r i ca , Middle East and South Asia, supports this assessment, pointing to customers’ concern to ‘achieve

M ining customers at FLSmidth’s stand at Electra Mining Af rica this year showed growing interest in digital solutions, which drive sustainability while lifting pro ductivity. “Our customers recognise the value of reducing carbon emissions in plant opera tions, but are looking beyond a ‘big bang’ event to achieve MissionZero,” says Alistair McKay, FLSmidth Vice President for Mining in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and South Asia. “Rather, they are looking for a longer term collaboration with technology partners like FLSmidth to steadily achieve sustainability goals.” McKay explains that progress is not necessarily based only on new capital inno vations, but on the ongoing optimisation of existing equipment throughout the process flowsheet. The performance of conventional equipment such as pumps can be optimised through smart monitoring and optimisation, he emphasises, adding: Alistair McKay, FLSmidth Vice President for Mining in Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and South Asia.

With its focus on MissionZero, global mineral processing frontrunner FLSmidth led the charge at the recent Electra Mining Africa 2022 exhibition, near Johannesburg.

20 ¦ MechChem Africa • November-December 2022