Modern Mining April 2021

MODULAR PLANTS

Three major drivers of modular plant projects One of the major trends in the mining industry is the move towards the design and construction of modular plants tailored to specific needs. This, Annelize van der Walt, business development manager – mining and minerals at Kwatani, tells Munesu Shoko , is driven by three major factors.

B uilding a new processing plant can be an expen- sive endeavour. Mining operations are therefore turning to modular plant systems for their low capital costs reflected in higher returns on investment and improved cost to recovery ratios. Modular plants generally offer lower capital costs and a quick return on investment compared with their conventionally larger plants, and this is a major drawcard for the junior mining sector. Additionally, modular systems offer quick lead times because they comprise quick and easily available modules that can be on site and operational within a short space of time. Several manufacturers can customise these self-contained, high recovery plants for mini- mal start-up capital, using high-quality components and in-house expertise. One company that specialises in the custom design of vibrating equipment for modular plants is Kwatani. “We are able to customise equipment to a specific tonnage and application and then reproduce it in bulk to help reduce lead times. If a modular plant is, for example, designed to pro- cess 50 tonnes per hour (tph), we can customise every single deck beam, motor size and coil spring, among other components on that screen to fit the application at hand,” says Van de Walt.

Annelize van der Walt, business development manager – mining and minerals at Kwatani. Generally, she says, modular plant designs are influenced by transportability and to a large extent, on the exact process the plant is going to be used in. “The capacity of the plant is largely determined by the beneficiation process it is deployed in, whether it’s a DMS or sorter or leach plant. Typical sizes of modular plants we have been involved in are between 20 and 300 tph,” she says. In terms of uptake, Kwatani has over the years seen increased requests for modular solutions in iron ore, gold, diamonds and chromite. Of late, how- ever, Van der Walt has observed increased enquiries from the lithium and tin mining sectors, mainly driven by a good run in commodity prices. Commenting on the industry’s increased appetite for modular solutions, Van der Walt believes there are three main factors behind this trend. These are: reduced capex and fast lead times on new plants due to reduced engineered hours required; derisking

Below: Double deck screen manufactured by Kwatani for the diamond mining industry. Right: Single deck screen leaving Kwatani for the end user in gold mining.

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28  MODERN MINING  April 2021