Modern Mining October 2020

Coal mines need lower costs, raised productivity

ers for run-of-mine (ROM) operations are capable of sizing and feeding material at up to 2 000 tph, even from high drop-heights. “Our engineering team has optimised the structural integrity, weight distribu- tion and lifespan of this equipment,” says Mabotja. “We have many of our 4.3m wide banana screens operating at the largest opencast coal complex in the world.” At the same time, Kwatani supplies screening equipment below 2,4 m wide for smaller-scale, modular plants processing up to 250 tph. These units are tailored to budget and provided within short delivery times. 

Kwatani partners with majors and junior miners alike, offering two distinct equip- ment ranges tailored to each segment’s specific requirements and capital budget. With over 44 years of local and global expe- rience, this vibrating screen specialist has a strong product footprint. “Coal prices are low and any recovery in the short term is very unlikely,” says Frengelina Mabotja, senior metallurgist and capital sales engineer at vibrating screen specialist Kwatani. “Going forward, as coal seams with more overburden have to be mined, surface mining will potentially become much more expensive.” Adding to the coal industry’s challenges is the unwillingness of many lenders to fund new coal plants and expansions, lead- ing to great uncertainty. The result is a strong drive for ongoing cost reduction and increased productivity across both majors and juniors in the sector, says Mabotja. “While most of SA’s coal supply is pro- duced by a handful of major mining houses, Eskom has in recent years sought to develop the junior market with black own- ership,” she says. “Kwatani partners with majors and junior miners alike, offering two distinct equipment ranges tailored to each segment’s specific requirements and capi- tal budget.” With its 44 years of local and global experience, Kwatani provides custom- ised, cost effective processing solutions for mines’ specific needs. She notes that vibrating equipment requirements can vary significantly between a smaller-scale junior miner and a long-life major. This is in terms of the equipment’s size, operating lifespan, tonnage throughput, efficiency and yield requirements. “Apart from the initial capital expendi-

ture, mines’ process equipment has an enormous influence on their production efficiency, tonnage and operating cost,” she says. “Our long-lasting, robust vibrat- ing screen and feeders are designed for continuous tonnage throughput and high efficiency. This reduces the processing cost per ton and the overall cost of the machine over its lifetime.” For the large mine segment, Kwatani’s designs have included high capacity and performance screens such as its 4,3 m wide banana screen. Its brute force grizzly feed-

Kwatani designs and manufactures robust grizzly coal screens.

October 2020  MODERN MINING  39