Comminution and Material Handling
The mining industry makes modern moves
In both material handling and comminution, advances in technology are improving efficiency and reducing downtime. Essential, however, is a recognition among the major Brazilian mining players that investment in material handling and comminution innovations will have a significant impact on their long-term profitability and sustainability goals.
Most mining operations use conveyor belts to transport ore, and these machines must have the capacity to transport massive quantities of material over long distances. Paulo Godoy, director of Almex in Brazil, a company that manufactures accessories for conveyor belts, explained that Almex supports mining companies with studies to find the best solution to extend the lifecycle of their conveyor belts. Almex offers a fault detection line based on sensors on the belt to monitor the performance of the main variables. “Conveyor belts are the most cost-effective way of transporting materials, but it is important to extend the life of the belt to maintain the efficiency of the transport, and this is what our products are aimed at,” said Godoy.
A combination of an increase in sensors and investment in data management technology to utilize the information effectively enables mines to ensure operational efficiency. The ability to completely automate conveyor belt operations is increasingly desired. Marcelus Araújo, president of Tecnokor, a provider of complete material handling solutions, noted: “There is a notable demand for autonomous operation and more customers expect their equipment to work completely monitored with sensors as an interface.”
Automation is only one way to increase efficiency. Another is increasing scale, although material handling solutions are reaching the point where increased scale does not necessarily equate with increased efficiency. There are, however, still gains being made. Tecnokor, for example, recently constructed the largest conveyor belt in terms of capacity in the country, with the ability to transport 30,000 t/y. The belt, which is a ship loading system built for Vale, also includes a silo of 760 m2. Maiari Ruckert, commercial director of Tecnokor, said: “The silo design and the size of the project made it particularly challenging to engineer.”
Some companies are moving away from conveyor belts entirely. FLSmidth, for example, has developed a new solution for overland conveyors; a rail running conveyor. Rather than having rollers with rubber on top, the rail running conveyor moves along, carrying the rubber. This design has multiple benefits: no restrictions for distance or capacity, a reduction of steel use in manufacturing, and a reduction of belt tension, meaning that the solution is lighter and less demanding for construction. “We are confident this solution will be a disruptive innovation in material handling,” said Humberto Valladares, CEO of FLSmidth Brazil. “It will take some time to convince the industry to adopt it, but we are confident it will be transformative.”
The crushing sector is equally in a process of innovation and reinvention. Technologies incorporated into comminution systems are designed with one goal in mind: optimization. Neuman & Esser, a German group that provides compressor and process solutions to the mining sector, is investing heavily in research and development to offer its customers greater equipment reliability, energy savings, higher mineral quality and throughput. Neuman & Esser's dry milling and classifying systems also address water consumption issues. “Our systems are focused on dry processing, removing water consumption in the process, and eliminating the need for effluent water to go to a tailings dam,” explained Rafael Serpa, sales and applications general manager at Neuman & Esser.
For Neuman & Esser, digitalization is essential when it comes to comminution systems, and for any equipment maintenance. The company has a digital solutions team that focuses on improving current solutions and developing new technologies for the company’s equipment. Serpa stated: “Digitalization and automation are important for the maintenance of equipment; if you want to increase the reliability of your process, you need to understand what is happening with the equipment, and through digitization and automation you can measure and record information that supports preventative and predictive maintenance.”
Valladares of FLSmidth sees growth opportunities in Brazil in critical minerals. FLSmidth recently acquired ThyssenKrupp Mining. According to Valladares, the acquisition responds to the need to offer products that reduce waste and energy consumption. One of the most notable products is ThyssenKrupp's HPGR machine, which Valladares described as a standout in the market.
Steinert, a German company specializing in magnetic and sensor-based separation technology, is also joining the lithium party. Vinícius Souto, managing director of Steinert Latinoamericana, explained how Steinert technology works in lithium processing: “One key challenge is to separate the valuable mineral spodumene from its contaminant, schist, in the processing plant. Our technology helps by doing a pre-concentration sorting step, getting rid of most of the gangue material.”
This means less material needs to be processed in the mill circuit, which translates into energy and time savings, as well as more material mined. In addition, Steinert is using sensor-based technology to recover minerals from tailings, a trend that has attracted the attention of major mining companies in recent years. “Leveraging our sensor-based technologies, mining operations can reprocess the materials, isolating and concentrating only the particles with higher mineral content,” Souto explained.
Steinert sees Brazil as an excellent mining jurisdiction due to its resilient economy, the first to recover from the pandemic in Latin America, and crucial factors such as a skilled workforce, good infrastructure, and geological diversity. Compared to its neighbors, Brazil is particularly open to innovative technologies. For Steinert, Brazil is the place to be, and the company is actively investing in expanding its presence in the country in response to the opportunity the company sees. Souto explained, “This year, we inaugurated our new factory in the country to meet the increasing demand in Brazil and better serve the Latin American market. We intend to produce our technology locally to enhance competitiveness.”
It is essential that both the Brazilian government and Brazilian mining companies continue investing in innovation in the comminution and material handling areas. As Brazil’s mining sector grows to supply critical minerals for the electrification transition, the country’s network of conveyor belts and material handling solutions will grow in tandem. The sector’s development of sensor-based technology and automation will allow that growth to occur smoothly and without requiring an equal expansion of manpower.
Image courtesy of Equinox