Inside Mining November December 2014

A F R I C A N U P D AT E S O N T H E G R O U N D A N D U N D E R G R O U N D

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Anthony TurtonWhat Einstein taught us about AMD

ISSN 1999-8872 • R50.00 (incl. VAT) • Vol. 7 • No. 11 • November/December 2014

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

MATERIALS HANDLINGInnovation from within

OPEN-PIT MINESDealing with stormwater

H2OMine closure and rehabilitation

DC ARC FURNACENonferrous metals recovery

CONTENTS

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41

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November/December 2014

NuWater and scalable minewater treatment Clean up your water or stop mining. This is the stark reality facing an increasing number of mines around the world as the true impact of their operations on the quality of local water resources becomes evident.

ON THE COVER P4

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ENDORSED BY

EDITORS COMMENT3 Keeping his legacy alive

COVER STORY 4 Mine wastewater treatment

AFRICA ROUND-UP6 Mining news from around the continent

IN THE SPOTLIGHT8 What Einstein taught us about AMD

10 Alarming biodiversity report

FERROUS & NONFERROUS METALS12 Recovering nonferrous metals using DC arc technology

16 New smelting technology

18 Coega to lead South Africa’s national metals

benefi ciation strategy

MINE CLOSURE & REHABILITATION 20 Considerations in mine closure

22 Mine closures: a long-term liability

23 Acid rain more important than carbon emissions

24 Are mining rehabilitation funds still needed?

26 Mining impact on groundwater

29 Clamping down on illegal mining

30 Retaining land value after closure

MAPPING31 Orthoimagery

LEGAL32 Zambia’s exploration and mining policies

ENERGY34 The energy imperative

TECHNOLOGY35 Measuring productivity

37 Compressor achieves 35% energy saving

39 Focus on processing effi ciency

41 Weir Minerals expands into new technology

42 60 Years: A piece of history

43 Extreme environment EPCM

MINE SERVICES44 Na-Sera: Uniquely different

MATERIALS HANDLING46 Major empowerment deal

47 Innovation from within

48 Lower emissions and fuel consumption

PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES50 Getting out of deep water

51 Piping caustic liquids

54 Creative alternative

55 Value-driven water management solutions

THIS & THAT56 In remembrance…

56 Advertiser’s Index

INSIDE MINING 11/12 | 2014 1

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Keeping his legacy alive

Publisher Elizabeth ShortenEditor Tony StoneOnline editor Sylvester HaskinsHead of design Hayley MendelowSenior designer Frédérick DantonDesigner Kirsty GallowayChief sub-editor Tristan SnijdersSub-editor Beatrix KnopjesContributors Joost De Vree, Jon Duncan, Mike Jessop, Rodney Jones, Val Kofoed, Duncan Mcmeekin, Johnathan Meintjies, Betsie Strydom And Anthony TurtonProduction manager Antois-Leigh BotmaProduction coordinator Jacqueline ModiseMarketing manager Hestelle Robinson Digital manager Esther LouwFinancial manager Andrew Lobban Administration Tonya HebentonDistribution manager Nomsa MasinaDistribution coordinator Asha PursothamPrinters United Litho JohannesburgTel: +27 (0)11 402 0571___________________________________Advertising SalesTazz PorterTel: +27 (0)11 465 5452Cell: +27 (0)82 318 [email protected]___________________________________

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A YEAR AGO, on the 5 December 2013, Nelson Mandela died. It is impor-tant that we remember him in this issue of Inside Mining as it spans the fi rst anniversary of his death. For me it is a particularly poignant time, as I got to know him personally. Privileged to talk to a cross section of people

who knew him well, people who spent time with him on Robben Island, I wrote a trib-ute honouring Madiba on behalf of the Black Methodist Consultation, a black-con-sciousness movement headquartered in the Eastern Cape. Meeting Madiba in person on that occasion, and later in celebrating his 90th birthday, gave me an intimate un-derstanding of this great leader, this distinguished Son of Africa.

One thing I do know, and know well, is if South Africa is to remain the Rainbow Na-tion, the land of the free, we must never let go of his legacy, his values and the princi-ples he held so dear, and for which he was prepared to die. Now, while we slowly slip into the quagmire in which we fi nd ourselves today, we need to revisit and apply every aspect of the South African Constitution, to its letter and intent, and not as is being conven-iently interpreted by African nationalists today. Madiba’s 1964 Rivonia Trial speech, it seems, has turned out to be quite prophetic. When I asked him what the most important thing was that he learned, while incarcerated on Robben Island, he said, “Forgiveness! It’s the greatest power on Earth.”

Since October 2014, I have visited a number of mines and have been inspired by their commitment to society and their care for the environment. At the same time, there are mines that do not carry the same sense of social responsibility.

In this issue, we talk about mine closure and rehabilitation. I must commend the Wits School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences for the amazing work they are doing in Orkney and elsewhere, in particular Dr Isabel Weiersbye and Dr Jenny Botha.

To discover that eucalyptus trees, used for controlling the hydrology (water fl ow) around mine dumps, actually absorb grains of gold is simply fascinating. In fact, knowing that diff erent species of plants can be used for diff erent mine rehabilitation purposes, such as the reduction of radioactivity on uranium mine tailings dumps, ushers in a whole new world of knowledge and the ability to work with nature to clean up the mess humans make.

In keeping our environment in mind, the recovery of nonferrous metals – major pol-lutants – is a critically important function. With the advent of DC arc furnace tech-nology, developed and refi ned by Rodney Jones and his team at Mintek, mines are

reprocessing their slag in which nonferrous metals occur in commercially viable quantities. Of interest, and across the ocean, Australia has discovered a new source of nonferrous metals. In this mining case study, DC arc fur-nace technology is once again being used to recover the nonferrous metals that occur in abundance in this resource – municipal solid waste dumps.

Last but not least, we look at the various legal, fi nancial and insurance aspects of mine closure and rehabilitation. One entrepreneurial mind is already at work in turning an old quarry into a gold mine with a diff erence.

EDITOR'S COMMENT

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INSIDE MINING 11/12 | 2014

We must never let go of his legacy, his

values and the principles he held so dear

INCIDENTS SUCH AS the recent Mount Polley disaster in Canada’s British Colombia, where a tailings pond partially breached, releasing

10 million m3 of mine wastewater and 4.5 million m3 of slurry into a pristine lake, only serves to highlight the potential im-pact of untreated mine wastewater on the local environment, and the wildlife and communities living there. While large-scale incidents such as this are relatively rare, they do also draw attention to small-er water management transgressions at other mines that may ordinarily not have been identifi ed by regulators, or even by the mines themselves. Once attention is drawn, however, the backlash is often swift and severe, as has been evidenced at a number of mines around the world where

Scalable mine water Clean up your water or stop mining. This is the stark reality facing an increasing number of mines around the world as the true impact of their operations on the quality of local water resources becomes evident.

NUWATER

COVER STORY

regulators or communities have either threatened, or achieved, mine shutdowns.

It is not only existing mining operations that are under pressure to demonstrate adequate levels of water custodianship. New mine licences are almost always con-tingent on guarantees being provided that mine wastewater will be adequately treat-ed, both during the life of the mine and beyond. Th is is forcing mining companies to factor in the true cost of water manage-ment from the start of new projects.

Water management, as part of the mine design and management process, is com-plex and there is almost inevitably an el-ement of water remediation required. Nu-Water identifi ed this challenge to the min-ing sector some time ago and has estab-lished itself as an international leader in mine wastewater remediation, a position further reinforced by a multi-year exten-sion of its contract with Anglo American Th ermal Coal’s New Vaal colliery where

NuWater owns and operates the mine wastewater treatment and desalination plant, and has been delivering reliable and cost-eff ective services for over three years.

According to John Holmes, NuWater CEO, “A key part of NuWater’s value prop-osition is the reclamation and reuse of mine wastewater to reduce a mine’s wa-ter footprint, ensure its environmental compliance and help it make a valuable contribution to social and environmental sustainability. We don’t just look to sell equipment and services but rather aim to partner with mining companies to help them manage their water resources. We are focused on providing the most effi cient and eff ective water and wastewater treat-ment and management solutions, leaving our customers free to focus on their core mining activities.”

Innovative solutionNuWater’s solutions cover the full range of mine wastewater remediation require-ments, from pH adjustment and control, through heavy metals and suspended sol-ids removal, to the removal of dissolved solids (desalination). NuWater off ers innovative, high-recovery and zero-liq-uid-discharge solutions that facilitate the complete separation of contaminants from pure water, leaving little or no liquid

Gold Fields selected NuWater to provide its rapidly deployable modular plants, for its operations in Tarkwa, Ghana


5INSIDE MINING 11/12 | 2014

treatmentwaste to deal with. In some cases, valuable components can also be recovered from these solid waste streams to help off set the water treatment costs.

Water challengesTh e challenge of treating mine wastewa-ter is much more than a technical one. Holmes explains: “If mines aren’t able to access aff ordable mine wastewater treat-ment solutions it can quite easily make the mine fi nancially unviable. Th is has an immediate knock-on impact on jobs and local, or even national, economies. At the same time it is also clear that the longer-term costs of not adequately treating mine wastewater are far larger than ensuring cor-rect treatment from the start. A case in point is the enormous challenge and cost faced by Gauteng to address acid mine drain-age from historical gold mining activity.

“NuWater’s strategy is able to off er mining com-panies an effi cient and aff ordable cost of ownership solution, which factors in the capital costs, ener-gy effi ciency and other operational costs over the life of the project.”

NuWater has taken this ‘total cost of ownership’ a step further by off ering cus-tomers commercial solutions that remove almost all the technical and operational risk for the customer. Th is involves Nu-Water retaining ownership of the plant while also operating and maintaining it. Th is can be achieved in a number of ways depending on the predictability of the treatment requirement. NuWater typical-ly recovers its capital and operating costs for such projects based either on the vol-ume of water treated, or on a fi xed plant availability fee along with a variable pro-duction-based fee. According to Holmes, “It is not a case of one-size-fi ts-all, but rather about providing as much fl exibility as possible to match the operational and fi nancing preferences of our customers.”

In 2010, NuWa-ter was awarded the project at An-glo New Vaal col-liery to build, own

and operate a treatment and desalination plant to treat up to 20 000 m3/day of mine wastewater. NuWater proposed its modu-lar and mobile plant design as an alter-native to convention and infl exible fi xed infrastructure. Th is enabled NuWater to have the fi rst treatment capacity commis-sioned within weeks of contract signing. Treatment capacity was then ramped up over the next three months through the addition of further ‘modules’. Th e modu-larity of the plant has allowed capacity to be added and reconfi gured over the course

of the project with minimal impact on day-to-day treated water production. Th is fl exibility has proved invaluable as the feed water characteristics, product water quality requirement and the volume of water requiring treatment have changed over time. Th e reliability and fl exibili-ty of the plant was also instrumental in NuWater securing a further multi-year extension to this contract, as it provided the customer with complete comfort that NuWater could adapt its operations to future changes in the mine’s wastewater treatment requirements.

Holmes notes, “Th e treated water from NuWater’s plant is reused by the neigh-bouring Eskom Lethabo power station as cooling water. Th is project is therefore not only ensuring that mine wastewater is safely managed and treated, but is also helping to reduce Eskom’s dependency on water from the Vaal River. Th e quality of the water produced by NuWater’s plant

is such that Eskom’s water treatment re-quirements are signifi cantly reduced. Th is is a fantastic example of how a success-fully executed project and close collabora-tion can make a real contribution to envi-ronmental sustainability.”

Following on from NuWater’s early success at Anglo American, Gold Fields, in 2012, se-lected NuWater to provide two of its rapid-ly deployable modular plants, one treating 3 600 m3/day and the other 7 200 m3/day, for its operations in Tarkwa, Ghana. Once again the modularity and rapidly deployable nature of NuWater’s plants were key factors in the selection process. Gold Fields also benefi ted from NuWater’s ability to deliv-er on the very short project timeframe by leveraging its operations in South Africa,

Singapore and the UK. Fur-thermore, NuWater’s ability to off er commercial fl exibil-ity through a combination of equipment rental, equip-ment sale, and operations and maintenance services al-lowed Gold Fields to achieve a cost-eff ective solution to their pressing mine wastewater treatment requirement.

According to Holmes: “Our work with Gold Fields demonstrates the value of our rapidly deployable mine wastewater treatment solutions. We have had to

work closely with the Gold Fields’ team to navigate both technical and logistical challenges, including operating in a very remote location. Our interests are fully aligned with those of the customer as we both own some of the equipment and pro-vide operational services and support.”

Holmes concludes: “Th e challenge of mine wastewater treatment continues to grow. Th ere is no substitute for expe-rience and a proven track record in the demanding mining sector, both of which NuWater has earned. More importantly, we believe our integrity and passion for innovation will continue to diff erentiate us from our competitors.”

t +27 (0)21 531 0641www.nuwaterglobal.com

...the modularity and rapidly deployable nature of NuWater’s plants were key factors in the

selection process

In each issue, Inside Mining offers advertisers the opportunity to promote their company’s products and services to the appropriate audience by booking the prime position of the front cover which includes a two-page feature article. The magazine offers advertisers an ideal platform to ensure the maximum exposure of their brand. Please call +27(0)11 465 5452 to secure your booking.

which, once in full production, will become the world’s second largest uranium mine, ranking Namibia second in global ura-nium production.

Otjozondu sale agreementOtjozondu Mining, a subsidi-ary of Shaw River Manganese, has signed a purchase con-tract with Noble Resources International for the sale of 30 000 tonnes of manganese ore from the Otjozondu man-ganese project in Namibia.

Th e company is current-ly in the fi nal stages of completing its infi ll and grade-control programme and anticipates commencing with mining of bulk samples of approximately 100 000 tonnes in early November 2014.

MOZAMBIQUE$500 million investmentState-owned Indian mining fi rm International Coal Ven-tures (ICVL) will invest $500 million in the Mozam-bique coal mines over the next two to three years.

Th e investment will be directed towards creating logistical and infrastructure support at the recently ac-quired Benga coal mines in the country.

ICVL purchased the Benga mine from Rio Tinto Coal Mozambique in a $50 million deal completed in September. Th e deal included other coal projects in the Tete province of Mozambique.

ICVL is now also looking to appoint a full-time offi cial with rich experience in coal mining to head the operation of the Mozambique mines to

turn them into a profi table venture, according to reports.

ICVL signed the pact on 28 July to buy Rio Tinto’s 65% stake in Benga and 100% each in Zambeze and Tete East coal assets in the African nation.

Shanghai Power signs Ncondezi MoU Ncondezi Energy has entered into a memorandum of understand-ing with Shanghai Electric Power (SEP) whereby the Chinese fi rm will become the controlling shareholder of the 300 MW power plant project in Mozambique.

Ncondezi announced in Oc-tober that the mutual inten-tion for further cooperation between SEP and Ncondezi is documented in the MoU, which also sets out a work plan and timetable for the project. Th e two parties intend to execute a legally binding heads of terms joint venture agreement during Q4 2014.

REP. OF CONGOAfrican Potash growth Sub-Saharan Africa-focused African Potash on 22 October saw a jump in its shares of over 5% upon news that it intersected multiple potash seams at the second explora-tion drill hole at its Lac Dinga potash project, in the Republic of Congo.

African Potash announced in late October that it completed its second and fi nal hole of its fi rst drill campaign at Lac Din-ga after successfully intersect-ing potash mineralisation.

Th e two-hole drill pro-

gramme tested two high-pri-ority targets at the fl agship project, which is located in a world-class potash bearing re-gion in the Republic of Congo and it hasn’t disappointed.

Th e latest hole intersected a 112 m thick salt sequence made up of multiple potash seams totalling about 48 m, 43% of the total interval.

Th e company’s chief exec-utive, Edward Marlow, said the successful intersection of multiple potash seams at Lac Dinga was an ‘exceptional endorsement’ for African Pot-ash’s exploration concept as it supports his confi dence that the project has the potential to host a large-scale commer-cial potash mine.

ZAMBIA Scrapping VATZambia could simplify its monetary policy amid a dis-pute with mining companies over VAT, which the country is looking to scrap for the sector next year.

Mining fi rms would face a higher mineral royalty rate in Zambia instead of corporate tax, regarded as hard to ad-minister, if the fi scal restruc-turing and VAT requirements of the country are approved, according to reports.

Zambia, the continent’s sec-ond largest copper producer is withholding $600 million in VAT refunds owed to mining fi rms and will only repay the cash when companies produce import certifi cates from desti-nation countries, the Minister of Mines said in June. Th e African nation, which last year lost its position as Africa’s top copper miner to Congo for the fi rst time since 1998, began enforcing the rule last year in order to curb tax avoidance.

In August, Finance Min-ister Alexander Chikwanda announced the government had decided to relax the rule because it proved very hard to implement, mainly because it

MINING NEWS from around the con nent

AFRICA ROUND-UP

NAMBIA Okorusu closing Okorusu Fluorspar Mine, one of the largest in the world, is ex-pected to shut its doors next month, a process that will see about 407 workers jobless. Situated north of Otjiwarongo in the Otjozondjupa region, the mine is not only known for its success but also for controversies after several people were forced out of surrounding farms to accom-modate the mine in 2005, according to Th e Namibian.

Solvay Chemicals, the mine’s parent company, this week announced that it will close the mine after 26 years of op-eration because it is not eco-nomical as a result of depleted high-grade ore resources.

Th e mine had 407 work-ers – 321 full-time staff and 86 contractors. Th e company said all employees will be given appropriate notice of termination of employment by the end of November under severance conditions.

Phenomenal growth anticipated Th e Namibian mining industry grew by 6% during Q2 2014 compared to a 6.6% contraction during the same period in 2013 with growth expected to grow ‘phenomenally’ as new mines come into full production, said Namibia’s Chamber of Mines CEO, Veston Malango, in October.

“Th e mining industry contin-ues to be the backbone of the national economy and will be for many years to come,” Ma-lango told media in Namibia.

Th e Chamber of Mines CEO specifi cally pointed out Husab mine, which constitutes an investment of N$22 billion,


Zambian Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda

involved documentation from importers outside the coun-try’s jurisdiction.

Miners accused of black-mail Th e Zambian govern-ment accused several mining companies of blackmail as they protest withheld VAT payments.Several mining companies threatened to halt operations and lay off their workers over $600 million withheld in re-fundable VAT.

Yaluma said there were many avenues by which aff ected companies could negotiate with the government for the VAT refund.

“My ministry will not hes-itate to take punitive action against companies trying to blackmail the government via workers’ retrenchments,” Zambia’s Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Develop-ment, Christopher Yaluma, told media.

VAT rules: under VAT rule number 18, companies, in-cluding those that export and import goods and services, are allowed to demand a tax re-fund for exported or imported goods and services.

Citing exaggerations on the part of some companies for refunds, the government, now insists that compa-nies must produce a certif-icate of shipment and tax invoices from the country of origin/destination.

Companies that have proof are refunded by the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) while those unable to produce the certifi cates, including min-ing companies, are not.

GUINEAARM takes on Ebola South African mining executive Pa-trice Motsepe has donated R10.94 million towards the fi ght against Ebola in West Af-rica. Th e founder of African Rainbow Min-erals (ARM)

donated the sum, on behalf of the Motsepe Foundation and ARM, to the Ebola Fund in the Republic of Guinea.

Motsepe made the commit-ment to Guinea in September and the appropriate regulato-ry approvals were obtained on 24 October 2014.

Th e donation will assist Guinea with clinical manage-ment, social mobilisation, medical coordination and other key mechanisms of con-trolling the disease.

Motsepe has called on the African and international business community and the medical fraternity to continue contributing and assisting to fi ght the disease, which has claimed thousands of lives in the latest outbreak.

“According to the World Health Organisation, Ebola is an epidemic in certain coun-tries in West Africa. However, the impact of the disease has potentially far-reaching conse-quences for West Africa, Afri-ca and the world. It is a global issue which requires the global community to work together and bring an end to the dis-ease” said Motsepe.

Humanitarian catastro-phe On 28 October, the Dis-asters Emergency Committee (DEC) warned that West Af-rica was 60 days away from a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’.

Th e DEC launched an un-precedented appeal to secure millions of pounds to fund the fi ght against Ebola.

Th e appeal called for dona-tions to pay for the running of

treatment centres, the provi-sion of protective clothing to medical workers, and the pro-tection of children orphaned by a disease that has already killed nearly 5 000 and threat-ens to infect more than a mil-lion people by the new year.

TANZANIAIron and steel boomTanzania is expected to export the fi rst consignment of iron ore and steel in four years, according to Tanzania’s Na-tional Development Corpora-tion (NDC).

Th e NDC announced in Oc-tober that the sector is set to produce 1.1 million tonnes annually – with the country on track to be one of the top four iron producers in Africa, once commercial production of the commodity takes off , stated the NDC.

Acting NDC MD Mlingi Mkucha told East African Business Week that an iron and steel metallurgical complex is in the works, which will result in the creation of hundreds of jobs in the country.

Th e two licences for Liganga Iron Ore and Mchuchuma Coal Mine were presented by the Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Muhongo.

“Th e construction of the iron ore mining and iron smelting plants at Liganga will start early next year and production is scheduled to start in 2018,” Mkucha said.

Sichuan Hongda JV Tan-zania’s construction of new coal and iron ore mine pro-jects located 900 km south-

west of Dar es Salaam in 2015 is anticipated to cost $3 bil-lion, according to reports

Th e projects will be devel-oped in a joint venture deal signed in 2011 with Chi-na-based Sichuan Hongda.

Th e Tanzanian government plans to raise its stake in the JV from 20% to 49%, accord-ing to an Investec report.

ZIMBABWEGold spike Mwana Africa’s Zimbabwean operations’ Fre-da Rebecca and Trojan Nickel mines reported 23% and 5% production growth, re-spectively, in Q3 2014.

Th is was due to an in-crease in running hours and throughput rate, said Mwana in its quarterly statement.

Gold output at Freda Re-becca stood at 16 555 oz in the second quarter for fi nancial year 2015 compared to 13 503 oz in the previous quarter as a result of improve-ments in feed grade, recovery and milled tones.

Gold recovery for the quarter was 3.2% higher at 80% com-pared to 76.8% in the previous period, said the company.

Th e average gold price re-ceived during the period was 2% lower at $1 272/oz.

At Trojan Nickel, Mwana Africa said concentrate pro-duction was 5% higher at 1 989 tonnes, owing to a 3% increase in the tonnes mined, to 160 741 tonnes from 155 610 tonnes, from the previous quarter as the refur-bishment of equipment pro-grammes was completed.

AFRICA ROUND-UP

Mining magnate Patrice Motsepe

Mwana mine, Zimbabwe


INSIDE MINING 06 | 20148

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

ALBERT EINSTEIN taught us many fundamental principles of science. One of his pro-tégés was a man called Joseph

Rotblat who later became my own men-tor after bringing me into the Pugwash movement. I have thus always had a per-sonal interest in Einstein, because in many ways I feel only one step removed from his thinking. It is with this in mind that I have worked in a high-impact technical team to solve the problem of acid mine drainage.

Th e South African economy is based on mining. Had gold not been discovered in 1886 the Anglo Boer War would not have been fought and this country would not be as we know it today. Th e epicentre of this was the Witwatersrand goldfi elds.

Over a 120-year period, gold mining cre-ated the foundation for a national econ-omy, built the city of Johannesburg into the fi nancial centre of Africa, and drove one of the largest human migrations in modern history. It also gave us four un-intended consequences now manifesting as constraints to the future economic development and job creation capability in Gauteng.

What Einstein The problem of AMD (acid mine drainage) has been with us for some time. Yet, it continues to plague us. Why? In

looking for the answers, we look to theoretical physicist and philosopher of science, Albert Einstein. BY ANTHONY TURTON

Part of the TWT plant as it looked during the trialling of the technology for regulatory approval

Unintended consequencesTh e fi rst unintended consequence is AMD. Th e second is the presence of a large vol-ume of surface tailings, collectively con-taining a staggering 430 000 tonnes of uranium discarded as waste. Th e third is the presence of numerous openings into the void, resulting in geotechnical instabil-ity for surface development as well as giv-ing access for illegal mining syndicates to residual gold. Th e fourth is the existence of a large swathe of land, about 100 km long and 2 km wide, known collectively as mine residue areas (MRA), most of which is con-taminated by hazardous tailings, but is also home to a growing population of informal settlers. Collectively these four problems now confront the captains of industry and decision-makers in government with a ma-jor dilemma. Let us call these four unin-tended consequences of gold mining legacy issues, for sake of convenience.

Th e question now arises – how can we deal with the dilemma arising from these legacy issues? A dilemma is by defi ni-tion insoluble, because it represents a choice between alternatives each mutu-ally unattractive. Th e fi rst step in solving

these legacy issues is to convert them into a series of problems. A problem, by defi ni-tion, is soluble, so in the context of legacy issues problems are desirable whereas di-lemmas are not.

Th e best way to cov-ert a dilemma into a series of problems is to apply Einstein’s thinking. One of the key elements of his teachings is the

simple but eloquent statement that the level of ingenuity needed to solve a prob-lem exceeds the level of ingenuity that cre-ated it in the fi rst place. Th is means that we collectively need to mobilise more inge-nuity to solve the AMD issue than we had when we were the largest gold producer in the world. Th is principle has been applied by a junior mining company on the West-ern Basin when they developed the tailings water treatment (TWT) technology.

Th is solution is based on the observation that the historical business case for mining was based on a model that maximised prof-its at the level of shaft or pit by external-ising environmental liabilities. Th e unit of management is thus the mine and the in-dustry stood on one leg – the legal licence to mine. By shifting up one level, and by aligning the outcome of the mining pro-cess with the broader interests of society – the social licence to mine – a wider range of benefi ts can be defi ned and distributed across a wider range of benefi ciaries. Cen-tral to this logic is the optimisation of all processes in order to achieve a desirable outcome for society as well as shareholders.

In the context of TWT, the simple logic is that barren tailings are deposited at a pH of around 10.5, because this is the op-timal level for the extraction of gold via the cyanidation process. By exposing AMD to barren tailings, a few important things happen: • the pH is neutralised at very low cost• the precipitated mixed-metal hydroxides

form on the tailings particle, enhancing the settling rate, but also sequestering the uranium in the form of a chemically stable mineral

• there is no need for a separate high-den-sity sludge stream, which has major cost savings for any long-term solution to AMD


LBERT EINSTEIN taught us

The us fo

lop


IN THE SPOTLIGHT

taught us about AMD• a strong business case is made for the rec-

lamation of all existing tailings dams, us-ing the revenue from the recovered gold to fund the rehabilitation of mine dump footprints while consolidating the many smaller dumps into a few megadumps en-gineered to 21st century safety standards

• the life of marginal mines can be extend-ed by as much as 30 years, creating jobs in an industry shedding jobs, while buying time for the rehabilitation of mine-im-pacted ecosystems and landscapes

• the tailings need not be deposited on the surface; they can technically be placed un-derground in such a way as to close out the void permanently, while also restor-ing the geotechnical stability needed to develop the MRA land for higher social use post mining

• because this process requires the move-ment of massive amounts of surface tail-ings, the fi nal landscape can be sculpted to any form required for a post-mining urban development scenario.

By thinking out of the box, the TWT de-velopment team has thus created a shift in paradigm. Wherever there are tail-ings with small amounts of residual gold, AMD in need of neutralisation and MRAs in need of rehabilitation for higher social use post mining, the TWT technology can be applied.

Trial results have shown that the quali-ty of treated water from the TWT process is identical to that from the HDS process; therefore any additional treatment tech-nology such as reverse osmosis systems can use this feedstock. Experimental work currently underway has shown that the addition of a biological phase can also re-move sulphate. Th is needs to be scaled up from the laboratory to a pilot plant, which is likely to happen when the TWT technology enters the next stage of the licensing process.

In conclusionTh e historic business model that under-pinned mining over the last 120 years

F IGURE 1 (Top) Schematic overview of the tailings water treatment (TWT) process

F IGURE 1 Closure mining model showing how the overall recovery of surface tailings aligns the outcome of mining with the broader interests of society

created a national economy, but the exter-nalities from that process are now a con-straint to future economic development and job creation. Innovative solutions are needed to create a soft landing.

Th eoretically this is possible, but it re-quires three critical success factors to be-come a reality. First, we need an uncontest-ed vision of how a post-mining landscape might look. Th is is being provided by the Wits University School of Architecture and Urban Planning.

Second, we need an institutional arrange-ment capable of bringing all parties togeth-er to operationalise that vision. Th is is being driven by the DWS in the Wonderfontein

Spruit Forum. Th ird, we need bankable pro-jects to emerge from this process.

Experimentation to this eff ect is current-ly happening for the rehabilitation of high-ly impacted wetlands in the upper Wonder-fontein Spruit.

Seen in this context, there is cause for optimism in declaring a shift from blame-seeking to solution-seeking behav-iour in the mine closure debate.

THE AUTHOR

Anthony TurtonTrained scientist specialising

in water management

d g

k

d


IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Astudy into the standards of environmental assessment practitioners (EAP) in the mining sector has revealed an

alarmingly high non-adherence to the gov-ernment’s new Mining and Biodiversity Guideline (MBG).

Th ese fi ndings are contained in a report commissioned by the WWF South Africa and funded by the WWF Nedbank Green Trust entitled ‘Mining and Biodiversity: Evaluating EAP standards in the sector’. Th e report calls for fast-tracking the ap-pointment of EAPASA (Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa) as the registration authority for EAPs to ensure compliance and higher standards in the industry.

Th e study scrutinised 62 min-ing applications submitted for mining in the Enkangala Grass-lands and surrounding areas over a period of a year.

Alarmingly, at least a third of the 1.6 million hectare WWF-SA Enkangala Grasslands project domain – across KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and the Free State – is currently subject to some form of prospecting or mining applica-tion, according to the report. Th e wider grasslands domain is home

to the six core principles of the govern-ment-endorsed MBG as released in May 2013. While the guideline holds no legal standing, it provides pointers to existing biodiversity information and tools, and how they can be used to integrate biodi-versity considerations at every stage of the mining life cycle.

“Th e approximately 30% margin of non-adherence by EAPs to the MBG prin-ciples is too large to ignore and is cause for concern when considering the context of coal mining and its associated impacts,” the report says.

Th is confi rmed what was already be-ing experienced in practice, namely “that certain EAPs and/or mining houses are

apparently disregarding criti-cally important environmen-tal information in the com-pletion of their coal mining or prospecting applications.”

Th e three main areas of con-tention were MBG principles

Alarming biodiversity report

to over 4 000 plant species, 15 of South Af-rica’s 34 endemic mammals and 10 of our 14 globally threatened bird species.

It is also vital for crop food production, foraging for livestock and game farming, and tourism and recreation among other things. More importantly, the Enkangala Grasslands are a critical water source area, giving rise to the Vaal, Th ukela and Pon-gola rivers. With water recognised among the scarcest resources in South Africa, grasslands – and their water catchment systems – are crucial for our country’s wa-ter security as well as supporting sustaina-ble economic and social development.

Th e study’s objective was to analyse the mining applications for their adherence

A new report finds a one third non-adherence to

government’s Mining and Biodiversity Guidelines.

TOP Coal mining in the Enkangala Grasslands

LEFT WWF International director general Dr Marco Lambertini (centre) met with WWF-SA CEO Dr Morné du Plessis (left) and chairman Valli Moosa

two, four and six that relate to the iden-tifi cation of biodiversity priority areas, best practice for environmental impact assessments and ensuring the eff ective implementation of environmental man-agement programmes that include plans for rehabilitation of landscapes after mining.

“Environmental assessment prac-titioners play a critical role. Th ey are meant to fi lter applications with acceptable impacts from those that would have unacceptable environ-mental impacts, and to then present their fi ndings to the relevant authorities in an objective manner – thus promoting sustainable development in South Africa,” says Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF-SA.

Th e MBG states that biodiversity prior-ity areas “are important for conserving biodiversity that supports the provision of ‘ecosystem services’ vital to people and economic activities. Th eir loss would be diffi cult or in some cases impossible to compensate or off set; there are no cost-eff ective substitutes for many of the services they deliver,” as evidenced by defunct, ownerless mines such as the Makateershop mine located in the study area that has eff ectively destroyed the freshwater provisioning capabilities of the sensitive environment.

Examples of ecosystem services include nature’s provision of fresh water; indige-nous vegetation such as grasses providing soil stabilisation and erosion control; as well as carbon storage in trees and plants.

“We cannot underestimate the vital im-portance of these majestically powerful, yet silent, ecosystem services performed by nature, every day,” says Angus Burns, WWF-SA Grasslands programme manager. “Yet on a weekly basis we are approached by concerned landowners who are custo-dians of sensitive water-producing land under direct threat from inappropriate mining or prospecting applications.”

“Th e failure to apply this biodiversity priority area principle results in major clashes between the biodiversity and mining sector. It also carries major risk for the mining houses and can become a costly exercise for all parties involved,” the report says.

Similarly, the failure to adhere to MBG principles four (use best practice EIA) and six (ensure eff ective implementation) in-creased the risk of biodiversity loss in the coal-mining sector and fl ew in the face of responsible mining. Part of the study also

compared the performance of smaller, less established or experienced versus larg-er or more established/experienced EAP consultancies and found that there were substantial gaps in performance, with

smaller consultancies being “less than sat-isfactory” in their adherence to the MBG principles.

Th is indicates a need for monitoring and more training on the applicable legisla-tion, and the MBG, before they can even be considered for registration under a pro-fessional body like EAPASA.

“Full compliance with the six ba-sic MBG principles is necessary if

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

South Africa is serious about meet-ing its climate change and sustainable development targets.

If this substandard EAP performance in the mining sector continues, we are also

unlikely to halt or decrease the current loss of biodiversity in the context of mining activities in our vital grasslands,” says Du Plessis in conclusion.

Acknowledgements Diagram illustrat-

ing the hydrological functioning of a typ-

ical pan after mining and rehabilitation

have been completed, Professor Terence McCarthy,

Professor Bruce Cairncross, Professor Jan-Marten

Huizenga and Dr Allan Batchelor, Universities of

Witwatersrand and Johannesburg, and Wetland

Consulting Services.

BELOW Map of the Vaal catchment area

BOTTOM Acid mine water drainage has become a major issue for South Africa

“...biodiversity that supports the provision of ‘ecosystem services’ vital to people and

economic activities.”


FERROUS & NONFERROUS METALS

Recovering nonferrous metals using DC arctechnologyHISTORICALLY SPEAKING,

DC arc furnaces were patent-ed by Sir William Siemens in 1878 but only became wide-

ly commercialised in the 1990s. DC arc furnaces were fi rst used industrially for the reductive smelting of chromite fi nes


With the Earth’s diminishing resources, recovery of valuable nonferrous metals such as cobalt, nickel, and copper from slag dumps, using DC arc furnace technology makes a lot of business sense. BY RODNEY JONES

to produce ferrochromium 30 years ago. Since then, they have been used for a vari-ety of applications, including the smelting of ilmenite to produce titania slag and pig iron, the recovery of cobalt from non-fer-rous smelter slags, and the smelting of nickel laterite ores to produce ferronickel.

Th e power of these furnaces has increased from 12 MW to 72 MW for ferrochromi-um, and to 80 MW for ferronickel. Th e largest of these furnaces requires two elec-trodes to carry suffi cient current to gener-ate this much power. A review is presented of some of the various DC arc furnaces in


pre-heating or pre-reduction, and this can provide signifi cant energy savings when used in conjunction with a DC arc furnace. In the case of open-arc furnaces, DC fur-naces have a number of advantages over AC furnaces.

One particular advantage in a circular furnace is that there is no arc repulsion in the case of the single DC arc, compared to the AC case where the arcs repel one an-other, fl aring towards the walls, leading to hotspots on the areas of the side-walls in closest proximity to the electrodes. DC furnaces also experience lower electrode consumption. In large DC furnaces, a higher current can be carried per electrode (or smaller electrodes can be used for the same current), because of the AC ‘skin ef-fect’ where current is concentrated in the outer periphery of the electrodes.

Some past and current applications of DC arc furnacesSouth Africa is very fortunate in having large reserves of chromite. Unfortunately a lot of the ‘Transvaal chromites’ are high-ly friable, resulting in large stockpiles of fi ne ore materials. Th is posed a particular challenge to Mintek to provide a solution to this problem. Peter Jochens of Mintek identifi ed ‘plasma furnaces’ as a possible solution to the ‘chromite fi nes’ problem.

Mintek and Middelburg Steel and Al-loys (now part of Samancor Chrome) con-ducted smelting trials on Tetronics’ pilot transferred-arc plasma furnaces in the UK in 1979/80. Th ese trials showed successful metallurgy, but this type of furnace was seen as diffi cult to scale up to the very large furnaces that were required for the

ferro-alloys industry. Around about the same time, also in the 1970s, ASEA in Sweden developed high-power thyristor rectifi ers. Sven-Einar Stenkvist investigat-ed the conversion of AC open-arc furnac-es to DC, principally for steelmaking. He implemented the idea of using a graphite cathode electrode arcing onto a slag/met-al bath as the anode, and devised an elec-trically conductive hearth and a hollow graphite electrode for fi nely sized iron ore smelting, where the feed material is fed through the electrode and through the heart of the plasma arc.

Nic Barcza of Mintek recognised the synergy between the metallurgy that was proven during the Tetronics test work, and the scale-up potential of ASEA’s DC arc furnace. Th is is where the application of pre-baked graphite electrodes in a DC arc furnace came about. Mintek built a 1.2 MW DC arc furnace in 1983 to sup-port this development. Since then, that concept has been applied in a number of areas. Th e fi rst industrial application of a DC arc furnace for smelting came about when Middelburg Steel & Alloys converted an existing AC furnace at Palmiet Ferro-chrome (now Mogale Alloys) in Krugers-dorp to a 12 MW DC arc furnace of ASEA design in 1984.

Chromite smeltingMintek began investigating alternative smelting methods for ferro-alloy produc-tion in the mid to late 1970s. Th e grow-ing ferro-alloy industry in South Africa faced the problem of how to deal with the signifi cant quantity of fi ne materi-al (< 6 mm) that was generated from the

OPPOSITE Tokyo Steel’s 175 MW twin-cathode DC-arc furnace

F IGURE 1 (Below) Schematic diagram of a DC arc furnace


use, along with a discussion of the likely ways in which furnace power might be in-creased further in the future.

Features of DC arc furnacesA DC arc furnace typically comprises a re-fractory-lined cylindrical steel shell, with a central graphite (cathode) electrode verti-cally positioned through an opening in the centre of the roof. Th e anode connection in the hearth of the furnace is in direct con-tact with the layer of molten metal that is covered by a layer of molten slag. Th e ener-gy is supplied by means of an open plasma arc that is generated between the bottom tip of the cathode and the upper surface of the molten slag. At least a central portion of the slag surface is open (uncovered by feed material).

Because the furnace is electrically pow-ered, very high temperatures (>1 500°C) can be attained. Th e open bath allows fi ne feed materials to be fed into the furnace, without risk of blocking the gas emanating from the chemical reactions. By contrast, in a blast furnace, or in a submerged arc furnace, coarse feed materials are required in order to provide a porous bed that al-lows the reaction gases to percolate away and escape from the reaction zone.

Finer ores and a requirement for very high temperatures lead one to the choice of an open-arc furnace (either AC or DC). It should be noted that fi ne ores al-low the use of a fl uidised-bed reactor for

in slag composition unconstrained by electrical properties, so that the chemical activities of the important metals can be changed to achieve higher chromium re-covery. A typical increase in chromium re-covery could be from about 85% in an AC furnace to about 95% in a DC arc furnace – a very signifi cant increase. In addition, the DC arc furnace has lower electrode consumption. Th e DC arc process al-lows the use of unagglomerated chromite fi nes and cheaper, non-coking coal. Th is furnace technology is regarded as one of the lowest-cost options for the production of ferrochromium.

Based on the successful operation of the DC arc furnace for chromite smelting at Krugersdorp, Middelburg Ferrochrome (now part of Samancor Chrome) built a 44

MW (62 MVA) DC arc furnace, the largest of its type, in Middel-burg in 1997. Th is was followed, in 2009, by an additional 60 MW furnace in Middelburg, current-ly the largest DC arc furnace in South Africa. Th e 44 MW fur-nace was subsequently upgraded to 60 MW.

Ilmenite smeltingIlmenite is smelted to produce titania slag (mostly for pigment production) and pig iron. Ilmen-ite from beach sands in South Africa is of too low a grade to be used directly for the production of pigment or synthetic rutile. Instead, it is smelted to produce a titania slag suitable for the pro-duction of TiO2 pigments. Th e principal reaction involved is shown simplistically as:

FeO.TiO2 + C = TiO2 + Fe + COTh e high electrical conductiv-

ity of titania slags and the re-quired accurate control of the slag composition eff ectively rule out the use of conventional sub-merged-arc technology for the smelting of ilmenite. Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) uses process technology originally developed by Quebec Iron & Titanium (QIT Fer et Titane) of Sorel, Canada, employing rectangular six-in-line graphite-electrode furnac-es in open-bath mode with AC open-arc operation.

An alternative to this process, based on single hollow-electrode DC-arc furnace technology, was

PROJECTS IN AFRICA

friable local chromite ores. In 1976, stud-ies commenced on the possible use of plas-ma smelting (DC transferred-arc technol-ogy), motivated by its potential ability to utilise fi ne feed materials directly, without costly agglomeration. A further advantage was that the metallurgical and electrical parameters of the smelting process are in-dependent, unlike in a conventional sub-merged arc furnace.

In 1979, Middelburg Steel & Alloys asked Mintek to take part in tests on plasma smelting at Tetronics in the United King-dom. After that, Mintek committed itself to the investigation of plasma technolo-gy, and to the demonstration to industry of its benefi ts, particularly the ability to smelt fi ne materials. Equipment for this purpose was installed in Mintek’s pilot bays, and was based initially on a power supply of 100 kVA, and later on another of 3.2 MVA. Th e fi rst such ferrochromium was pro-duced in a bench-scale DC arc fur-nace in 1979. Th e installation of the large experimental furnaces in Mintek’s pyrometallurgy pilot bay, Bay 1, demanded an extension of the original building and, in June 1982, a formal inauguration of the larger 3.2 MVA furnace. Th e 1 t/h DC arc furnace pilot plant was commissioned in 1984.

As a result of successful initial test work, Mintek and Middelburg Steel & Alloys undertook a longer-term R&D programme to devel-op the technology commercially. Based on test work at 0.3 MW to 0.5 MW in furnaces 1 m to 2 m in diameter, the initial industri-al-scale 16 MVA (12 MW) trans-ferred-arc furnace was installed at the Krugersdorp (Palmiet Ferro-chrome) plant of Middelburg Steel & Alloys at the end of 1983, then upgraded (around 1987) to 40 MVA (~33 MW) in 1988. An ad-ditional 10 MW furnace was later built on the same site (for Mogale Alloys).

Chromite is smelted together with some form of carbon to pro-duce ferrochromium, along with some slag and some CO gas. Th e DC arc furnace operates with an open-arc, open-bath confi gura-tion, so there is no heaped burden through which the reaction gas-es would need to escape. Th ere is simply a molten bath onto which

the fi ne material is dropped, and it almost immediately assimilates into the molten bath, melting and dissolving into the slag phase where the reactions take place. Th is furnace does not require coke because there is no burden above the bath so it doesn’t require the porosity that would otherwise be needed. Th is is a very signifi -cant advantage, in that it allows the use of inexpensive reductants, thereby avoiding the high cost and relative scarcity of coke.

Th e power supplied to the furnace is largely independent of the slag compo-sition, because there is an open electric arc that allows one to adjust the amount of power going into the furnace inde-pendently of the electrical resistivity of the slag. Th is provides extra fl exibility and an extra degree of freedom of a change

DC ARC TECHNOLOGY ELSEWHERE Very large DC arc furnaces are currently in use in the steel industry. For example, in 2007, Tokyo Steel ordered the world’s largest electric arc furnace (EAF) from Danieli. This furnace has a 420 t liquid steel capacity. It is a twin-cathode DC arc furnace, with four bottom electrodes. The power supply includes 8 x 32 MVA transformers, making up a total of 256 MVA. The operating power is 175 MW. Danieli claims that it overcomes the limits of power input in the EAF, and reduces graphite electrode consumption, as compared with AC and single-cathode DC furnaces, and disturbances on the power supply network are minimised due to the double-arc effect. The largest DC furnace used in the steel industry (175 MW) is substantially larger than the largest of the DC smelting furnaces (currently 80 MW). Perhaps the steel industry will lead the way for future expansions in capacity elsewhere.



developed by Mintek and Anglo Ameri-can Corporation for the Namakwa Sands project. Th e problem that needed to be solved was to fi nd alternative equipment in which to produce a very conductive slag. Because the slag is so conductive, it is not feasible to obtain suffi cient resis-tive heating in the molten slag, and it is, therefore, necessary to use an open arc. (Th is is a very diff erent reason for using a DC arc furnace from requiring it for smelting chromite fi nes.)

Phase one of the test work, in 1990, in-volved four 15 kg batch tests at 30 kW, and showed that the process was feasi-ble, and that a freeze lining was required. Phase two, in 1991, involved smelting two metric tonnes of ilmenite, with continu-ous feeding at 50 kg/h, at a power level of 100 kW. Th is produced an on-specifi cation slag, and a metal that was high in Ti. Phase three, also in 1991, saw the smelting of 35 tonnes of ilmenite, fed continuously at 300 kg/h, at power levels of 500 kW (to 1 MW), with on-grade slag and metal produced. Phase four, in 1995, pro-cessed 200 tonnes of ilmenite at 1 t/h and 1.5 MW, and primarily involved the development of the furnace start-up procedure, process control, and operator training.

Following the 0.5 MW pilot-plant test work in a 1.8 m diameter furnace, the fi rst 25 MW DC arc furnace at Namakwa Sands was constructed in 1994, followed by a 35 MW DC furnace in 1998. Th e fi rst furnace began production of ilmenite slag and pig iron in June 1995, and the second furnace was brought on line in February 1999.

Based on that success, without any fur-ther test work being required at Mintek, two further 36 MW DC furnaces for ilmen-ite smelting were built for Ticor SA, near Empangeni, and were commissioned in 2003. A further 30 MW furnace was built by Bateman and commissioned for CYMG in China in 2009.

Nickel laterite smeltingLaterites and other oxidised nickel ores constitute a very important part of world-wide nickel reserves. In the conventional production of ferronickel from these ores, much fi ne material is produced which can-not readily be accommodated directly in existing three-electrode or six-inline AC furnaces. DC arc furnace technology al-lows ore particles less than 1 mm in size to be treated directly, thereby improving the overall recovery of nickel without the need

for expensive agglomeration techniques. Because of the high moisture content of laterites, the ores should be dried and cal-cined before smelting. A further saving in energy consumption can be achieved by pre-reducing the ores.

Mintek has been working on the produc-tion of unrefi ned ferronickel from nick-el-containing laterite in DC arc furnaces since 1993. In this process, lateritic ma-terial is fed, together with a carbonaceous reducing agent, to the central region of the molten bath of a cylindrical DC arc furnace. A wide compositional range of nickel laterites can be smelted in this way. Th e fl exible operation of a DC arc fur-nace (especially its lower dependence on electrical properties of the slag, because of open-arc operation, in addition to the ability to run at an optimum slag tempera-ture, due to the open-bath mode of opera-tion) allowed for the successful treatment

of ores with a SiO2/MgO ratio between 1.2 and 3.0, as well as ores containing up to 30% by mass of iron (which tends to cause slag foaming in a conventional immersed-electrode furnace).

A frozen lining can be maintained be-tween the molten bath and the refracto-ry lining, in order to minimise refractory wear (especially at high SiO2 contents). Th e smelting of nickel laterite to produce ferronickel was piloted at Mintek from 1993 to 2006, using a wide variety of feed materials. Th e fi rst commercial application of the DC FeNi process was a 12 MW DC arc furnace in Orsk in the Southern Urals, Russia, commissioned in September 2011.

KazchromeKazchrome (a ferrochromium producer in Kazakhstan) contracted with Mintek in 2007 to undertake smelting test work. Based on this, and on other design inputs provided by Mintek in 2009, SMS Siemag has built four 72 MW DC arc furnaces in Aktobe, Kazakhstan, and commission-ing was scheduled to begin in 2013. Each of these furnaces features an automated online electrode changer for the 75 cm graphite electrodes, and a suspended roof.

Koniambo nickelTh e largest application of DC arc furnace smelting technology is the Koniambo Nickel project in New Caledonia – a green-fi eld joint venture partnership between Société Minière du Sud Pacifi que (SMSP) and Glencore Xstrata. Th e process is based on milled ore, fl uidised beds, and two twin-electrode 80 MW DC arc furnac-es, with cyclone pre-heaters. Each 71 cm graphite electrode has a separate 40 MW power supply (transformer and rectifi er).

Th e smelting test work for this pro-ject was carried out at Mintek in the late 1990s. Th e Koniambo ferronickel smelter, which will employ about 800 people, aims to produce 60 kt/a of Ni in FeNi from one of the world’s largest and highest-grade nickel laterite deposits. Th e smelter com-missioning began in 2012, and the fi rst metal from the furnace was produced in April 2013.

In conclusionDC arc furnaces have some wonder-ful features that have been proven in industrial practice over the past 30 years. Th ey are good at accom-modating fi nely sized feed materials (because of the open bath) and do not require coke or char (no burden porosity required).

DC arc furnaces can treat feed materials with a wide range of compositions (be-cause of the extra degree of freedom com-ing from power being supplied by an open arc); this allows a choice of chemistry for metallurgical benefi t. Th ese furnaces are geometrically simple and elegant, thereby reducing uneven wear on side-walls, and leading to lower costs.

However, there are some drawbacks. Th ermal effi ciency is decreased by the hot off -gas leaving the furnace (unless some of this energy is recovered). Th e absence of a burden does not allow for the capture of volatile species. DC arc furnaces are not a panacea for all metallurgical problems, but are very well suited to a number of reduc-tive smelting processes where they have been applied successfully in a number of industrial contexts, and many further ap-plications are expected.

THE AUTHOR

Rodney JonesPyrometallurgy division,

Mintek, and president elect

of the South African

Institute of Mining

and Metallurgy


DC arc furnaces are very well suited to a number of reductive smelting processes



OVER THE PAST few decades, DC arc furnaces have been used for smelting processes where signifi cant chemical

reactions are involved. Mintek has been fortunate enough to be involved in the industrial-scale commercialisation of at least one application of this technology per decade. Th is started with the smelting of fi ne chromite ore to produce ferrochro-mium in the 1980s, and was followed by the smelting of ilmenite to produce tita-nia slag and pig iron in the 1990s.

In both of these cases, the process chemistry was well known and the prod-ucts were familiar (albeit with some mi-nor variations), even though the type of furnace was novel at the time. A further example was the use of a DC arc furnace to recover metals (principally cobalt) from nonferrous smelting slags early in the 2000s. In this case, a new process

was carried out in a ‘new’ piece of equip-ment to produce a somewhat unfamiliar intermediate product. Th is, therefore, required testing and demonstration at quite a large scale. Th e most recent (2013), and largest, commercial applica-tion of DC arc furnace smelting has been the Koniambo project in New Caledonia where nickel laterite ore is smelted to produce ferronickel.

Th ere is currently another application of DC arc furnace technology that is poised on the brink of commercialisation – namely the ConRoast process, which can be used for both platinum group met-al (PGM) and nickel smelting.

Th e ConRoast process was developed to address a number of the shortcomings of the traditional matte smelting process for the production of platinum group metals. It controls sulfur emissions by removing sulfur from concentrates prior to smelt-ing. It easily accommodates high levels of chromite by ensuring that the chromium

is dissolved in the slag. Th e concentrates undergo reduction in the furnace, and the PGMs are collected in an iron-rich alloy that has a similar liquidus (‘melting’) tem-perature to that of the slag.

The ConRoast process Mintek has been working since 1994 on the development of an alternative process for base metal and PGM smelting that off ers greater fl exibility and is more en-vironmentally favourable. Th e ConRoast process is based on reductive smelting in a DC arc furnace in the eff ective absence of sulfur, where an iron-based alloy is used to collect the valuable metals. Th e original impetus for the process was environmen-tal, but, once developed, it became appar-ent that the process had another signifi -cant advantage for the platinum industry in South Africa, as it was not aff ected at all by the chrome issues that have caused problems for the traditional ‘six-in-line’ smelters. Th ese challenges are:

New (ish) smelting technologyThe commercialisation of a new smelting technology is not something that happens very often, yet, when it does, it doesn’t happen quickly. It takes about fi fteen years from the initial pyrometallurgical research to full industrial implementation. COMPILED BY TONY STONE*


TOP A DC arc furnace in action

Th e sulfur problem: Th e emission of SO2 (sulfur dioxide) from furnaces and converters is hard to avoid when using a sulfur-based matte-smelting process. However, the ConRoast process does not rely on the presence of sulfur, as it smelts essentially sulfur-free material in a DC arc furnace and collects the valua-ble metals in an iron alloy. Sulfur can be removed, prior to smelting, using a fl uid-ised-bed roaster, which is a well-enclosed vessel that produces a steady continuous stream of SO2 that can be used for the production of sulfuric acid (if the con-centration and scale warrant this course of action). Compared to the tra-ditional matte-smelting process, emissions of SO2 can be orders of magnitude lower if the ConRoast process is used. Th e capital costs of acid production can also be reduced markedly.

Th e chromium problem: Th e traditional matte-smelting process im-poses strict limits on the quantity of chro-mite (prevalent in the UG2 reef) that can be present in the smelter feed. Th is con-straint restricts the recovery of the PGMs in the production of ore concentrates.

Th e ConRoast process eliminates the chromium constraint in smelting and so opens up huge opportunities in the types of materials that can be smelted, and provides an opportunity to signifi cantly enhance the overall process recovery of PGMs (through removing the restrictions in concentrator operations).

Th e containment problem: As the South African platinum producers have moved increasingly to processing ore from the UG2 reef to supplement the previous production from the Merensky reef, there have been numerous furnace failures and explosions in the industry. Even though water-cooled copper cooling systems have been introduced in recent years, the highly superheated and corrosive molten matte in traditional smelters is inher-ently diffi cult to contain. Th e ConRoast process is able to use a simple and robust design of furnace, because the melting temperatures of the slag and alloy are close to each other.

From research to implementationTh rough an initial collaborative part-nership between Mintek and Braemore Resources, the latter of which was sub-sequently acquired by Jubilee Platinum, the ConRoast technology has been taken through to implementation, to Jubilee’s

distinct advantage. Th is is their story.Th eir unique access to the ConRoast pro-

cess enables the company to unlock the inherent PGE (platinum group element) values in the traditional chrome ores via the extraction of PGEs and chrome from near- or at-surface platinum-containing chrome reefs. Th ese ores were traditional-ly only mined for its in-situ chrome with the PGEs either lost as part of the run-of-mine ore sale or trapped within the tailings from the chrome benefi ciation process and deposited on surface. Th e ability of the ConRoast process to recov-er the PGEs from this chrome-dominant

ore structure aff ords Jubilee a unique opportunity to unlock the inherent PGE values. Jubilee’s medium-term plans envisage constructing PGE concentra-tor plants capable of producing up to 15 000 oz of PGEs in concentrate annually and targeting growth to reach an annual production of 50 000 oz of PGEs in con-centrate within fi ve years through access to near- or at-surface platinum-containing chromite reefs. Th e company has applied to the DMR for PGE min-ing rights to its Elands-drift and Bokfontein chrome-bearing farms near Brits in the west-ern limb of the Bush-veld Igneous Complex (BIC). Th e company also has applied for the PGE and chrome prospect-ing rights to 69 other farms in the area.

Conventional ‘six-in-line’ platinum smelt-ing technology coupled with Pierce-Smith con-verters, though well un-derstood, is at least 40 years old and is highly polluting, particularly from emissions of fugi-tive sulfur dioxide gas.

However, the principal drawback of con-ventional technology is that it is largely unsuited to the processing of chrome-rich UG2 reef, nickel-rich Platreef ores and chrome-rich LG and MG reefs, with-out mixing concentrates from these re-sources with those from the Merensky reef. Th e UG2’s higher concentration of chromite aff ects the conventional smelt-ing process by gradually choking furnaces with insoluble chrome spinels with collat-eral damage to furnace linings.

While the current platinum smelter operators are largely locked into their conventional plants, emerging producers

have until now been constrained to having their UG2 concentrates smelted by these operators, who have to blend these concentrates with their own UG2 and Meren-sky concentrates. Th is has sig-nifi cant limitations on the new producers’ capacity. Various oth-

er experimental smelting technologies have been tried over the years, but with limited success.

Th e ConRoast process developed, test-ed, proved and patented by Mintek, South Africa’s state-owned minerals technology laboratory, represents a major advance. It opens up the possibility of mining the vast tonnages of UG2 reef that form part


First slag tap from Mintek’s 3 MW furnace, 4 October 2008

The ConRoast technology has been taken through to

implementation, to Jubilee’s distinct advantage



of the platinum-rich Bushveld Complex, that otherwise may remain unexploited as the relatively easily accessed Merensky reef is depleted and no longer available for blending with UG2.

Jubilee has announced a feasibility study for a 10 MW DC arc ConRoast smelter, paving the way for the construction of the fi rst commercial (as opposed to experimental or research) ConRoast plant. Th is type of furnace is well suited to the pro-cessing of PGE concentrates from tailings dumps and other PGE-bearing materials from existing mines.

Fundamentally, the ConRoast process involves removing sulfur from metal sulfi de concentrates prior to smelting in a DC arc furnace, which, under reducing conditions, produces molten iron droplets to capture PGEs, nickel, copper and co-balt. Th ese droplets settle out into an iron alloy prior to re-fi ning the alloy and recovery and separation of the individual base metals from the PGMs.

Sulfur dioxide is removed from the concentrate and captured in the roasting plant for conversion into sulfuric acid, a pro-cess that has obvious environmental advantages. ConRoast is therefore not limited by the sulfi de content of metal ores and so can treat a wide range of ores. Also importantly, the DC arc

furnace using Con-Roast process is not adversely aff ected by the chromite impurity in con-centrate that char-acterises platinum concentrates from the UG2, LG and MG reefs, unlike the conventional ‘six-in-line’ process.

Chromite in PGM concentrate is dif-fi cult to smelt in conventional low-er-temperature AC arc furnaces, as it forms high-density, high-melting-point chrome spinels (a chrome compound of magnesia and silicate) that solidi-fy on furnace walls and in the slag. Th is reduces fur-nace volumes and effi ciencies. As a

result, conventional furnaces can only accept feeds contain-ing 1.5% to 2.5% chromite. In contrast, the ConRoast process enables furnaces to accept any proportion of chromite.

It is by all accounts a great success, which is due to the lead-ing and innovative research carried out by Rodney Jones and his team at Mintek. It certainly puts South Africa at the forefront of commercialised scientifi c development in mining and metallurgy.

*References: Towards commercialisation of Mintek’s ConRoast process

For platinum smelting, R.T. Jones, Pyrometallurgy Division, Mintek

CURRENT ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENTEdwin Land (the inventor of the Polaroid camera) once said, “My personal philosophy is not to undertake a project unless it is manifestly important and nearly impossible”.

This approach to project selection seems to accord well with the current set of challenges facing the PGM industry in general, and smaller companies in particular. The world economic crisis that came to the fore in 2008 has curtailed a number of otherwise promising mining projects because of the low availability of credit, the signifi cant decline in the platinum price, and the strengthening rand (for an industry that incurs its costs in rands, but earns its revenues in dollars).

If mining companies can survive the ‘interesting times’ in which we are living, they will be well poised for signifi cant growth when the economy improves in the years ahead.

THE COEGA DEVELOPMENT Corporation (CDC) has announced ambitious plans for the expansion of metals benefi ciation initiatives and metal sector investments in South Africa over the next decade.

Th e CDC will target bringing R28 billion in local and foreign investments to the IDZ, according to its newly unveiled 2014 to 2024 metals cluster strategy over the next 10 years.

An estimated 8 198 direct and 19 853 indirect jobs for the economy can potentially be created, according to CDC projec-tions, and approximately 2 000 hectares, or 20% of the total IDZ land surface, will be dedicated to ferrous and nonferrous metal industrial activity.

According to Mogamad Sadick Davids, CDC metallurgy business development manager, several metal sector and mineral ben-efi ciation projects are progressing well in the Coega IDZ with a “healthy investment pipeline.”

Th e manganese smelter, electro-mechanical component manu-facturing plant, composite manufacturing and steel manufactur-ing of rail components will be converted in feasibility study stages during the 2014/2015 fi nancial year and these projects are valued at R 13.6 billion.

Several projects worth R1.3 billion are currently in funding stag-es: including an iron ore plant, steel rolling mill and steel tube manufacturing plant.

“We have also received letters of intent from investors for a steel manufacturing plant and a manganese smelter collectively valued at R7.8 billion,” he says.

Davids adds that Agni Steels South Africa, a high-tech R400 mil-lion smelting facility, went into pilot production and is moving towards full production, in this year.

“We will intensify investor relation activities and are eager to pursue steel, stainless steel, rolling mills, manufacturing, ferro-chrome, ferronickel and ferromanganese smelting projects over the next 10 years.

“Our metals clusters strategy is aligned to Department of Trade and Industry’s Industri-al Policy Action Plan the Benefi ciation Bill.”

Leading SA’s national metals beneficiation strategy

COEGA

Mogamad Sadick Davids, CDC metallurgy business development manager



IN ITS SIMPLEST form, mine closure objectives aim to return land as close-ly as possible to its pre-mining condi-tions. While this is extremely impor-

tant and ecologically optimal, we seem to place less of an emphasis on the socioeco-nomic aspects of mine closure and the im-pact on people because our focus has been channeled and shaped by the ‘green agenda’.

In speaking to Justin du Toit, an agricul-tural economist and project manager for Golder Associates, he places signifi cant em-phasis on the socioeconomic considerations of mine closure.

“When a mine is developed and put into operation it usually has a life of anything between 20 and 50 years, sometimes more. During this time, as the mine invests in goods and services, a local town springs up from the resulting demand for goods and services to be situated close to the mine. Over time, municipal infrastructure is de-veloped, houses are built, people move in, a business district grows, albeit small, schools are built, the community puts down roots


Socioeconomic considerations

in mine closureIn these modern

times, mine closure and rehabilitation are integral components of the management

obligations of any mining operation. But, it’s not

just about restoring the land. It’s equally

important to address the socioeconomic

environment as well.

MINE CLOSURE & REHABILITATION

and mine workers settle in to a routine that is repeated for the next few decades. Th en the mine closes, the impact of which can be devastating, especially on the lives of the blue-collar workers and the middle class,” said du Toit.

Wikipedia lists more than 200 mining towns around the world that have become ghost towns. Millions of lives were impact-ed. Most of these mines closed during the 1960s when responsible mining was not legislated, or even considered by mine own-ers. In South Africa, it was just before and after the turn of the new millennium that mine closure legislation was promulgated and amended.

Even so, Southern Africa’s most famous deserted mining town is Kolmanskop, which was founded in 1908, in the middle of the Namibian diamond-fever era. Th e town, with its casino, a hospital and a school was slowly deserted right after the First World War, when diamond sales dropped.

“Today, South Africa’s legislation regard-ing mine closures and what constitutes responsible mining defi nes the ‘what’

At its peak, the population of

Kolmanskop included over 700 families

living in the mining town, including about

300 German adults, 40 children and

800 Owambo


adequately. But, like most things, the ‘how’ of it all is not well defi ned,” Du Toit adds.

Golder, who provides a comprehensive, integrated mine closure and rehabilitation consultancy service, has its own, unique, dual-focus approach that addresses both the ecological and socioeconomic aspects of a mine closure, and with equal emphasis. However, as Du Toit points out, this does not just take in the mine and its immedi-ate surrounds. It also looks at the extent to which the mine has a socioeconomic infl u-ence. Th is so-called zone of infl uence can extend to a radius of up to 100 kilometers or more from a mine.

Africa’s challengesTh e biggest challenge in South Africa, and other African countries, is that most mine workers do not have a Grade 12 education, let alone a post-matric qualifi cation. Th is is a huge problem given the transformation of many economies to knowledge econo-mies where a good education is essential. In many instances, agriculture’s contribution to the economy, especially in South Africa, has dropped down to a mere 2.5%. And, with a diminished manufacturing sector located in the major centres, far away from remotely located mines, miners who have lost their jobs due to a mine closure fi nd themselves in a serious predicament.

In these instances, because of the poor ed-ucation levels, the only solution to creating jobs is to look at labour-intensive agricul-ture and tourism, and to develop SMMEs. However, to be successful, this requires the mind of a social entrepreneur. What is a so-cial entrepreneur? Business entrepreneurs typically measure performance in profi t and return, but social entrepreneurs also take into account a positive return to society. Social entrepreneurship typically furthers broad social, cultural, and environmental goals. In the instance of mine closures, so-cial entrepreneurship must off er an altru-istic form of entrepreneurship that focuses on the benefi ts that society may reap in terms of transforming social capital in a way that aff ects society positively.

Driving principlesAt the start of a project, Golder typically secures an agreement with mine manage-ment. Th e focus is on a mine closure plan to be developed, with a set of essential, overar-ching principles which enables rigorous sus-tainable development in optimising the so-cial, environmental and economic benefi ts.

Th ese principles, applied through-out the process of identifying potential

development projects, where communities within the mine’s zone of infl uence are to be benefi ciaries, address the following aspects of Golder's philosophy and should:• be relevant to community needs

and aspirations• build capacity amongst project partici-

pants for them to take ownership of, and where appropriate manage their projects

• provide direct benefi ts for local communities

• provide for skills transfer and knowledge transfer

• be practical, implementable and sustainable

After an initial pro-ject concept is iden-tifi ed, the project is evaluated using a classifi cation tool to assist in the selection and prioritisation of each socioeconomic development compo-nent. Th e tool uses a simple multi-criteria analysis approach to rank projects based on their attractive-ness scores. Scores are then allocated to a set of development criteria on a scale of 1 to 10. Th e crite-ria used to evaluate the attractiveness of each project can in-clude (for example):• alignment with the

overarching princi-ples of sustainable development

• alignment with government policy/opportunities for partnership

• future economic impact (regional GDP, production) within the mine’s zone of infl uence

• extent of direct and indirect employment creation

• extent of local benefi ciation• practical implementation • project development/implementation

time • required subsidy to support the project’s

operating expenditure until the project is self-supporting

• need for buy-in from the mine• opportunities for private sector partnership.

In collaboration and agreement with the mine and other stakeholders, each of these criteria is assigned a weighting which gives emphasis to certain criteria (such as align-ment with this study’s overarching prin-ciples of sustainable development and fu-ture economic impact). Th is approach has assisted mines whom Golder has worked with to promote sustainable communities and responsible development by embed-ding the principles of sustainability into their planning, design and execution of development projects.

Project planning and implementationWhile the recom-mendation is that each of the devel-opment projects identifi ed dur-ing the analysis phase be consid-ered for imple-mentation, the fi nal say in which projects will be i m p l e m e n t e d , and when, will ultimately be at the discretion of the mine and af-fected communi-ties. It is also rec-ommended that more detailed planning, prior to implementation, also be carried out to ensure that these projects have the greatest chance of suc-cess, and positive impact on the local and region-al economy.

Golder’s expe-rience and successes in the fi eld of mine closure planning, in both the ecological and socioeconomic environments, will assure mines of full compliance with legislative requirements and greatly reduce the social impact when the mine does close.

t +27 (0)11 254 4800 • www.golder.com


“When a mine closes, the impact

can be devastating, especially on the lives of the blue-

collar workers and the middle class.”

Justin du Toit, agricultural

economist, Golder Associates



IT IS NO SECRET that the mining sector is currently plagued by a host of signifi cant issues, with mine clo-sure being just one of many. Given

the current focus on labour issues and the increasing tensions surrounding con-tinued and prolifi c strike action, mining closures and rehabilitation of these clo-sures simply aren’t viewed as high-profi le issues. Yet this attitude belies the serious nature of the risks arising from a lack of safe rehabilitation of closures, largely based on ineffi ciencies in this arena.

Mines not properly closed present a threat to the safe functioning of the

What is frequently underestimated is that mine closure liabilities are a serious and very real issue, both for miners themselves and their shareholders, not to mention for the broader South African society and economy. BY JON DUNCAN

A long-term liabilityMINE CLOSURES

ecosystem, with the most urgent risk to this being ‘tailing’ such as acid mine drain-age, and the implications of this pollution.

When it comes to end-land-use plan-ning, Section 38(1)(d) of the MPRDA and Government Notice R.545 of the National Environmental Management Act (Nema) both state that mining op-erations should “as far as it is reasonably practicable, rehabilitate the environment aff ected by the prospecting or mining op-erations to its natural or predetermined state, or to a land use which conforms to the generally accepted principle of sus-tainable development.”

Legislation requires mines to submit an Environmental Management Plan as part of their mining applications. Th is plan re-quires the mines to include details on how

fi nancial provision is to be made to reha-bilitate the environmental impacts and to decommission the mine. Th e nature of the type of mine determines the extent of on-going rehabilitation that is required.

However, the legislation around fi -nancial provisioning (liabilities) for mine closure rehabilitation is in a state of fl ux, which creates uncertainty for the industry and its investors – never a good thing for long-term social and economic sustainability.

Ongoing monitoring and fi nancial mod-elling is a key activity for the appropriate decisions to be taken with the investment of assets and the funds expended on ongo-ing rehabilitation. Th e current approach to closure provisioning is largely undertaken through trusts, but in many cases these

The Big Hole in Kimberley is getting bigger due to its slopes failing. A section of the adjacent industrial area has been closed



trusts are inadequately or over funded, with both outcomes be-ing sub-optimal.

Yet a number of challenges exist which undermine the eff ort or the inclination of the industry to rehabilitate the impact of their mining activities. Firstly, as many miners and environ-mental and engineering specialists will attest to, determining the extent of the environmental impact of mining is not an ex-act science, while determining the extent of the life of a mine is also subjective.

What is more, new technologies are emerging which im-pact the nature of mining, its rehabilitation activities and the costs involved. Contingent liabilities caused by surrounding abandoned mines to the closed mine in question also contrib-ute to uncertainty in this environment causing liabilities to be understated.

Closure certifi cates for rehabilitated abandoned sites seem to be rarely awarded. Without a certifi cate, the trust’s assets cannot be accessed. Th is serves as a deterrent for mining com-panies who need to fi nd alternative funds for the rehabilitation before they can access the funds in the trust.

Annual fi nancial statements of mining houses provide a snap-shot of the closure provision for environmental rehabilitation and decommissioning as well as a summary of trust assets which have been set aside for fi nal and premature closure. In many instances there is a shortfall between the assets and the liabilities, with the shortfall in many cases covered by a pre-mature closure guarantee off ered by a banking institution or a short-term insurer. Some mines avoid this by using a cash-based investment strategy, which may in the end lead to unnec-essarily higher future payments made into the trust.

Financial provision therefore results in substantial assets that are set aside and it is mandatory for mines to ensure that the sum invested can support the ultimate objective of reha-bilitation. Th e investment mandates for these assets are also a key consideration that needs to be taken into account in the context of impacting factors.

An organisation like Old Mutual Investment Group understands long-term liability and effi cient mechanisms for provisioning, and we continue to bring this skill and fi nancial insight to the mining sector in order to support the industry with more eff ective and effi cient mine closure provisioning. We believe there is scope for great industry collaboration around these issues and for South Af-rica to learn from the US that has set up the Super Fund to deal with the clean-up and closure of hazardous sites.

It is important to note, when considering the challenges sur-rounding mining rehabilitation, that miners cannot operate in this sphere without a superior level of effi ciency. It is this criti-cal factor that needs to be foremost in all mining planning, and most importantly when it comes to fi nancial provision. Th is is to ensure that the industry’s activities avoid negatively impacting the sustainability of our environment and its communities.

THE AUTHOR

Jon Duncan, head of

Responsible Investment at

Old Mutual Investment Group

ONGOING NEGOTIA-TIONS following the initial Copenhagen conference focus on

greenhouse gas emissions. Most greenhouse gases are de-rivatives of carbon and much is said about carbon in the context of global climate change.

What is left out of this discussion is sulfur, which, in my professional opinion, is far more important to the imme-diate and short-term future of the South African economy than carbon will ever be.

Sulfur is relevant in South Africa in two important man-ifestations. Atmospheric sulfur, in the form of sulfur di-oxide, combines with moisture in clouds and falls to the ground as acid rain. Aquatic sulfur, in the form of sulfate salt, combines with water in underground mine voids and produces sulfuric acid, which in turn manifests as acid mine drainage. And, as parliament has just heard, it is a major problem.

THE AUTHOR

Anthony Turton, a trained scientist specialising in

water management

Water Stewardship Council Trust

More important than carbon emissions

ACID RAIN

The Olifants River drainage system is collapsing, specifi cally because

of acidifi cation

Anthony Turton explains why sulphur pollution is a bigger problem than carbon emissions.

MINING COMPANIES are obliged to perform envi-ronmental rehabilitation of mining sites upon the ter-

mination, premature closure, decommis-sioning or fi nal closure of the mine.

Section 37A of the Income Tax Act (ITA), 62 of 1968 serves to align tax policy with environmental regulation, and regulates mining rehabilitation funds created with the sole object of applying their property for the environmental rehabilitation of mining areas.

Section 37A of the ITA grants a tax de-duction for payments made to dedicated mining rehabilitation funds and requires the funds to be strictly utilised in accord-ance with their objects. Th ese rehabilita-tion funds are typically created as compa-nies or trusts.

What happens though, when the re-habilitation fund is no longer needed, or has fulfi lled its purpose and has surplus assets? What are the tax implications of amending or terminating such a rehabili-tation fund?

Section 37A of the ITA was introduced in 2006. Th e primary object of this new

What is frequently underestimated is that mine closure liabilities are a serious and very real issue, both for miners themselves and their shareholders, not to mention for the broader South African society and economy. BY BETSIE STRYDOM AND DUNCAN MCMEEKIN

Are mining rehabilitation

section was to grant a deduction from in-come tax to mining companies that pay cash into a rehabilitation fund which com-plies with Section 37A.

Section 37A imposes strict rules in re-spect of rehabilitation funds, for example:

Th e rehabilitation fund may only apply its assets for prescribed rehabilitation purposes (Section 37A 1a).

Once the rehabilitation has been com-pleted to the satisfaction of the Minister of Minerals and Energy, the fund is obliged to transfer its assets to a similar company or trust, or to an account of a company or trust prescribed by the Minister and ap-proved by the Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service (Section 37A 3).

Should the rehabilitation fund meet its liabilities, with suffi cient assets to perform the required rehabilitation, the rehabilita-tion fund may transfer any surplus assets to another company or trust approved by the Commissioner (Section 37A 4).

Section 37A does not appear to cater for a situation where the rehabilitation fund has completed rehabilitation and has surplus assets, and the mining company does not have similar funds to which the assets can be transferred, or for the situ-ation where the mining company wants

to transfer the assets of the rehabilitation fund to a similar fund, for value.

Section 37A 6, 7 and 8 impose income tax for contraventions of, or non-com-pliance with, Section 37A. In some cases, SARS possesses a discretion to reduce the income tax so imposed.

If the rehabilitation fund distributes its property for purposes other than the pre-scribed rehabilitation, in terms of Section 37A 7, the rehabilitation fund will have an inclusion in its taxable income for that year of assessment, of an amount equal to the market value of the property that was so distributed. Th e inclusion of the market value of the property so distributed, in the taxable income of the rehabilitation fund, is obligatory and SARS has no discretion.

Section 37A 8 is a catch-all provision that applies to any contravention of Section 37A. Where Section 37A has been contra-vened, the Commissioner may include:• an amount equal to twice the market val-ue of all property held in the rehabilitation fund, on the date of contravention, in the rehabilitation fund’s taxable income• the amount that the mining company contributed to the rehabilitation fund (and claimed a tax deduction for), in the mining company’s income, to the extent that the property in the rehabilitation fund was directly or indirectly derived from cash paid to the rehabilitation fund. Both the rehabilitation fund and the min-ing company pay tax where Section 37A 8 is triggered.

Th e inclusion of twice the market value of all property held in the rehabilitation fund on the date of contravention, in


Pure acid water (sulfuric)


funds still needed?taxable income, is discretionary, and the Commissioner has a discretion to reduce the amount of taxable income as he deems fi t. Also, the inclusion in terms of Section 37A 7 is of an amount equal to the market value of the property that was distributed, whereas the inclusion in terms of Section 37A 8 is of twice the market value of the as-sets held in the trust on date of contraven-tion. An inclusion in terms of Section 37A 7 is not discretionary, whereas the impo-sition of tax in terms of Section 37A 8 is.

Termination or amendment of the fundShould the mining company wish to ter-minate or amend the terms of the reha-bilitation fund (for example to allow for the transfer of funds to a fund which is not a Sec-tion 37A fund), the pro-visions of the constitu-tional documents, which typically are drafted in line with Section 37A, will have to be amended in order to change the ob-jects of the rehabilitation fund and the purpose for which the rehabilitation fund was established.

Th e directors or trustees of a rehabilitation fund shall be bound to act in accordance with the con-stitutional documents in order to legally eff ect an amendment or termina-tion. If the rehabilitation fund is a trust, for example, the trustees have to take care to act in terms of the trust deed. Th is principle was entrenched in the authoritative South African case on the law of trusts, Land and Agricultur-al Development Bank of SA v Parker and others (2004) 4 All SA 261 (SCA), which provides commentary on the invalidity of trustees’ actions which are not in line with the provisions of the trust instrument:

“It vests in the trustees, and must be administered by them – and it is only through the trustees, specifi ed as in the trust instrument, that the trust can act. Who the trustees are, their number, how they are appointed, and under what cir-cumstances they have power to bind the

trust estate are matters defi ned in the trust deed, which is the trust’s constitu-tive charter. Outside its provisions the trust estate cannot be bound.”

However, an amendment of the con-stitutional documents which places the object and transfer of assets outside of the ambit of Section 37A of the ITA will result in a contravention of Section 37A 3 and 4 (which specify to whom assets can be transferred to upon termination or closure) and the trustees or directors will have to take the tax and/or penalties im-posed by Section 37A into account.

Since the constitutional documents of the rehabilitation fund will initially be drafted to comply with Section 37A, it can be assumed that any amendment or

termination of the rehabilitation fund will need to be made with the approval of the Commissioner. Questions arise about whether the Commissioner will consent to an amendment of the constitutional doc-uments of rehabilitation funds. Th e Com-missioner should not be legally precluded from approving such an amendment to the constitutional documents, but this will depend on the facts of every case. Th e Commissioner cannot be be request-ed to approve a breach of Section 37A, but should be requested to approve the amendments of the constitutional doc-uments which have the eff ect that, after the amendments, the rehabilitation fund becomes a fund which no longer qualifi es

for tax benefi ts in terms of Section 37A.It is likely that amendments to Section

37A rehabilitation funds could be dealt with in the following manner:

Submissions will have to be made and reasons given to convince SARS why the ‘penalty’ catered for in Section 37A 8 should not be imposed. SARS is obliged to apply its mind and consider any submis-sions made, fairly. It is highly unlikely that SARS will waive the full amount as SARS may be of the view that the company has enjoyed the benefi t of a tax deduction in terms of Section 37A.

Furthermore, it is likely that SARS may request that the assets in the rehabilita-tion fund be transferred to a similar ac-count specifi ed by the Minister (as con-

templated in Section 37A 3b of the ITA). It is not clear, and seems unlikely, that SARS can insist on such a transfer.

Any submissions made should deal with the equity of the re-sultant position and show that the tax benefi t enjoyed, as a result of the tax deduction, will be off set by the inclusion in taxable income that will occur in terms of Section 37A 7.

A transfer to a party other than a Section 37A rehabili-tation fund could be accom-plished by amending the con-stitutional documents to allow for such a transfer. However, the risks of contravening the provisions of Section 37A are such that it would be prudent

to approach the Commissioner for prior approval to amend the constitutional doc-uments of the rehabilitation fund and re-quest a decision on how SARS will exercise its discretion in terms of Section 37A 8.

An amendment of the constitutional documents will most likely trigger the penalties imposed by Section 37A 7 and/or 8. Th e ITA does not expressly prohib-it the Commissioner to consent to such amendments. Th e position appears to be that it is possible for a mining company to terminate or amend the terms upon which the rehabilitation fund is founded, but there will probably be a tax cost. Th e ex-tent of the tax cost depends on how SARS exercises its discretion.


l th t t t i ti f th h bilit ti f d t

SARS is obliged to apply its mind and consider any submissions

made, fairly

Reprocessing mine dumps to reclaim gold. Will this

lead to more acid water?


Identifying, mapping and modelling contamination infiltration into and

through mine workings – especially into groundwater – is a critical and

much-needed function and sadly one that is ignored in many instances.

BY VAL KOFOED AND MIKE JESSOP

ONE OF THE greatest chal-lenges facing the mining industry, in regard to both active mining practices and

eventual mine closure, is the long-term liabilities required in monitoring and protecting groundwater. When a mine is closed, the potential threat to air quality immediately stops. Following reclama-tion of the land (cov-ering, contouring and re-seeding), the mine eventually fades in with the surrounding scenery. Groundwa-ter quality, however, can be a perpetual concern.

Understanding the source and distribu-tion of groundwater into and through mine workings is be-coming increasingly important for the successful operation and eventual closure of a mine. Th is paper considers a high-speed, minimally inva-sive mapping technology called the Wil-lowstick method.

It has been specifically designed for mapping preferential flow paths or ar-eas of highest interconnected porosity (transport porosity) within the sub-surface. The method has proven effec-tive in delineating and characterising subsurface aqueous systems in many complex hydrogeologic settings for numerous mining clients in a variety of applications.


Application of the technologyTh e application of the methodology is based on the principle that water in-fi ltrating and fl owing through or near mine workings substantially increases the conductivity of the earthen materials through which it fl ows.

As a signature electric current is bi-

ased to fl ow between strategically placed electrodes (located up-gradient and down-gradient of the targeted study area), it concentrates in the zones of higher transport porosity where ground-water preferentially fl ows through and/or beneath the mine.

Magnetic fields generated from the distribution of electric current can then be interpreted and modelled to charac-terise how and where groundwater pref-erentially infiltrates and flows through a mine.

CASE STUDY 1

Tailings dam seepage investigation

BackgroundA mining company with a large tailings dam was required to show that its im-poundment and seepage collection sys-

tem were controlling and capturing all seep-age as designed, and that no tailings water was escaping the sys-tem. An accurate un-derstanding of seepage conditions was critical in proving to regulators that the tailings did not pose a threat to the sur-rounding ecosystem.

ApproachTo address the issue, the methodology was employed by energis-ing the tailings pond with a signature elec-tric current to track routes of escape from

the impoundment. Th e investigation pro-vided insight into seepage fl ow patterns through, beneath and around the im-pounding structure, including a natural groundwater source downstream of the dam’s right abutment.

An electric current of specifi c signa-ture frequency was applied to energise between an up-gradient electrode in the tailings pond and a down-gradient elec-trode in a monitoring well located down-stream of the seepage collection system. As electric current fl owed between the


Mining impact on groundwater

When a mine is closed, groundwater quality can be a

perpetual concern

electrodes, it generated a signature mag-netic fi eld that was measured over the study area. Th e methodology also incor-porates a prediction of the magnetic fi eld response for any given electrode confi g-uration assuming a homogenous subsur-face. Th e measured magnetic fi eld can then be compared to this ‘uniform’ case distribution to bring out any heterogene-ity or preferential fl ow of electric current. Th is processed data is used to create a ‘ra-tio response map’ and it is the basis for generating a two-dimensional (surface level) interpretation of preferential fl ow paths. Th e data is then processed through an inversion algorithm to generate a 3D model of electric current distribution termed an ECD model. Th e ECD informa-tion is presented within the framework of a 3D site model, a powerful tool to explore and explain how electric current (interpreted as tailings water in this case) potentially escapes the impoundment.

ResultsA preferential fl ow path was identifi ed beneath the tailings pond’s starter dam and between the left and right abutment cut-off walls, which do not extend be-neath the starter dam. As tailings water seeps beneath the starter dam’s upstream toe and into the weathered bedrock, it converges and migrates beneath the dam,

slightly off set of the rock underdrain system. It then turns towards the rock underdrain and fl ows out at the toe and into the seepage collection pond. Th is in-terpretation fi ts with known seepage col-lection data. At the same time, there was no evidence of seepage in the abutments or anywhere else that might bypass the seepage collection system. Th e dam’s un-derdrain and seepage collection systems were found to be working as designed – eff ectively capturing seepage from the main dam.

SummaryTh e seepage investigation provided the mine owner with new insights and intel-ligence regarding seepage conditions, and the information was used to meet obliga-tions required of regulators. Th e survey results also provided a baseline to com-pare future conditions.

CASE STUDY 2

Acid rock drainage investigation

BackgroundAs part of mine closure operations, groundwater conditions were closely monitored at a site where a large waste rock dump lay partially on undisturbed till soil and partially on graded till soil. Acid rock drainage (ARD) was ob-served seeping from the waste rock and

a collection system and treatment plant were installed. Th e cost to collect and treat ARD was signifi cant. In an eff ort to reduce ARD volume, the slopes of the waste rock dump were graded and cov-ered with a 0.5 m thick compacted silty clay cap and a 0.3 m uncompacted till lay-er, which was then seeded. Th is was done to minimise erosion, reduce water and oxygen transfer to the waste rock from a meteoric source, and thereby reduce ARD. When the ARD volume remained higher than expected, however, the focus shifted to groundwater sources potentially infi l-trating the waste rock dump.

Approach to the workTh e methodology was employed to detect potential groundwater sources up-gradi-ent of the dump. A secondary objective was to see if the cover was performing as designed by targeting a small area of the cap. Electrodes were strategically located in monitoring wells in contact with the upstream groundwater and the down-stream ARD-contaminated water.

Figure 1 presents a cross-sectional sketch of the horizontal dipole confi gura-tion used for the investigation.

ResultsTwo sources of groundwater infi ltration were identifi ed. Th ere was no evidence of excessive infi ltration through the cap. Based on electric current fl ow patterns,


FIGURE 1 Typical horizontal dipole confi guration


groundwater from up-gradient sources was concentrating in preferential fl ow along bedrock fractures and entering the waste rock dump at two locations. Figure 2 shows a profi le section and conceptual sketch along one of the two groundwater sources, wherein locations of the up-gradient and down-gradient electrodes are noted as well as lithologic units through which electric current and groundwater fl ows.

Modelling results showed a transition from concentrated fl ow to more uniform or dispersive fl ow as groundwater spread out through the crushed backfi ll mate-rial. Th is transition begins at the point represented by the black dashed line in Figure 2.

As electric current concentrates in pref-erential fl ow paths upstream of the tran-sition point, it fl ows mostly beneath the till layer, which is sandwiched between the bedrock and waste dump material. Beyond the point of transition, the elec-tric current (and its groundwater host) begins to pass through the till material and reach the interface between the till and waste rock. It also spreads out in lateral dispersive fashion along the in-terface and migrates towards the toe and down-gradient electrode. It is this latter part of the journey where most of the ARD is generated.

SummaryTh e investigation results were used to make informed, guided and cost-eff ec-tive decisions regarding how to prevent groundwater from infi ltrating the waste dump and generating excessive ARD.

CASE STUDY 3

HDPE liner investigation

BackgroundDue to a gradual increase in nitrate levels in a monitoring well located down-gradi-ent of a heap leach pad, and insuffi cient data to prove or disprove the potential for leakage through the pad’s HDPE lin-er, the regulatory agency and mine own-er elected to employ the methodology to explore whether any preferential fl ow paths exist between the monitoring well and heap leach pad. Because the method makes possible a quick and accurate as-sessment, it allows regulators and indus-try professionals in such cases to come together and work out an equitable solu-tion, as was demonstrated by this project.

Approach to the work Electrodes were placed on the heap leach pad and in the down-gradient monitoring well where nitrate levels were detected above the allowable limit. Th e objective was to detect any paths or zones of pref-erential fl ow that would suggest a breach in the HDPE liner or any kind of connec-tion from the pad to the monitoring well.

ResultsThe electric current distribution be-tween the pad and monitoring well was uniform, and no preferential paths were detected. Consequently, it was be-lieved that the increased nitrates were the result of a nearby spill that had occurred sometime previous to the re-ported increase. The regulators agreed not to impose remedial action but to continue monitoring.

ConclusionThe methodology has proven effective in characterising subsurface aqueous systems in many complex hydrogeo-logic settings for numerous mining op-erations. The method provides a quick and cost-effective tool to focus remedi-al efforts, drilling, and/or to minimise long-term liabilities associated with monitoring and protecting groundwa-ter. The methodology is providing in-dustry-changing value with regard to groundwater characterisation.

THE AUTHORS

Val Kofoed PE President,

Willowstick Technologies

Mike Jessop PGpSenior staff geophysicist,

Willowstick Technologies


FIGURE 2 Profi le section, groundwater source #1


The Council for

Geoscience is to

close 45 open mine

shafts in an eff ort to

stop illegal mining in

disused mines.

Clamping down on illegal mining

WITH THE BODY count of murdered illegal miners, or ‘zama zamas’ as they are colloquially referred to,

rising steadily, the Department of Min-eral Resources, through the Council for Geoscience (CGS), has taken fi rm steps to prevent illegal mining and to protect com-munities who live near the derelict and ownerless mines of Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Speaking during a CGS presentation to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources in Pretoria, water and environmental manager at the CGS Mosi-di Makgae says, “In Gauteng, we are pri-oritising areas with shafts in the informal settlements because they pose an immedi-ate danger.”

Th e presentation by the Department of Mineral Resources has revealed that illegal mining had a negative impact on the coun-try’s economy and resulted in a signifi cant loss of revenue for the state and mines.

“According to a 2007 study, it was found that close to 10% (R5.6 billion) of gold pro-duction was stolen and smuggled out of the country annually,” a report presented by David Msiza, a chief inspector from the Department of Mineral Resources, says.

Makgae says the council had appointed engineering service providers, who would supply innovative designs to try to beat il-legal miners at their own game.

“To this date, we have managed to close about 146 sites and out of the 146 sites, 11 of those have been reopened by illegal miners,” she says.

Makgae says fi eld workers, who were

tasked with closing the shafts, had a risky job because they had physical encounters with the illegal miners.

“When we appoint contractors to close the shafts, it’s a fi ght between the contrac-tors and the illegal miners because they are saying ‘this is our bread and butter and you taking that away from us’,” she says.

Msiza says illegal mining was carried

out by national and international or-ganised crime syndicates targeting the mining sector.

He says the syndicates were highly organ-ised, dangerous, well fi nanced and com-plex. Illegal mining was fuelled by mine closures, liquidations and self-enrichment.

Th e Department of Mineral Resources established the Gauteng Stakeholder Fo-rum, which has implemented a number of interventions to prevent illegal mining,

such as strengthening access control and security measures at mines.

Other measures that have been put in place were the rehabilitation of derelict and ownerless mines. Msiza says open holes, shafts and openings were contin-

uously identifi ed and sealed by the Department of Mineral Resources, CGS and mining companies.

Even though the department had challenges when dealing with ille-gal mining, it had

made some achievements. Th e depart-ment had sealed 126 open shafts and holes in Gauteng.

In March, a mine manager was arrested after he was found to be in possession of 1.3 kg of gold believed to have been 80% pure and worth R500 000.

In June this year, Sibanye Gold employ-ees were arrested at Driefontein Gold Plant for alleged gold theft. It is believed that the employees are part of a syndicate.


“Illegal mining has had a negative impact on the country’s economy.” Mosidi Makgae, water and

environmental manager, CGS


A typical unsecured and disused mine targeted by illegal miners

Retaining land value after closure Carefully considered environmental plans can take future quarries through their useful lives to become highly sought-after entertainment centres, racetracks, shopping centres or even business and residential parks.

Deep excavations of quarries can be turned into useful property developments

IF A LARGE-SCALE quarry is con-ceived and planned correctly, it can be profi tably operated for many years or decades with the ultimate goal of

turning it into an asset for society and es-pecially for surrounding communities.

Th is type of ‘second-life’ usage should be considered for all quarries and can be in-tegrated into environmental management plans (EMP) as part of the overall environ-mental rehabilitation of the property.

Potential valueTh is is according to environmental con-sultant Alan Cluett who was speaking at the KwaZulu-Natal regional meeting of the Aggregate and Sand Producer’s Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa) recently. He says that quarries in urban areas especially could be developed to become sought-after properties and that more rural quarries had potential for other types of uses such as farming, water storage etc.

Regions such as KwaZulu-Natal (and other parts of the country), with beauti-ful landscapes and a high percentage of income derived as a result of tourism, can especially make use of exhausted quarries


to enrich sur-rounding are-as and even to solve problems of urbanising and industrialis-ing populations, such as landfi lls etc.

He added that Aspasa has done much to change

the paradigm of quarry rehabilitation by assisting government to regulate the in-dustry, as well as through its initiative to audit members for environmental com-pliance on an annual basis. More recently, the introduction of Aspasa’s own environ-mental management system (based on ISO 14001) helped quarries to align them-selves with modern-day environmental management requirements.

Downstream benefits“Th is shows that any quarry’s EMP need not be a hindrance, but should rather be a basis for the responsible reusage of the land. If followed correctly, it can save quar-ry owners a fortune and can leave the land in a state that is highly saleable.

“Beyond guiding quarries on land use, EMPs also serve as a record of the oper-ation’s usage rights, responsibilities and compliance. In the event of an environmen-tal accident, these management systems can also assist quarry owners in court and show how management was conducted be-fore the event rather than after,” says Alan.

He added that management of a quarry needed to be realistic as an EMP is legally

binding and closure plans need to be ad-hered to. Provided environmental stipula-tions are met, and the public is extensively consulted with prior to plans being fi nal-ised, then there is no reason why quarry owners cannot and should not plan quar-ries to have a useful life after mining oper-ations have ceased.

Into the futureHe says that already some forward-think-ing quarries overseas and in South Africa had already adopted this approach and designed environmental management and quarry closure plans that allowed the quarries to be developed into various types of land uses. Examples locally include: Ty-ger Falls Waterfront in the Western Cape, Eagle Canyon in Gauteng and the Quarry Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.

To conclude, the following are needed:• reviewing existing quarry plans and

adapting them to include concurrent usage, rehabilitation and closure plans that are centred on further development of the property upon the completion of quarrying

• working with communities to fi nd out their future requirements and if the type of land use proposed is acceptable and in-line with their requirements

• working with local government and mu-nicipalities to get inclusion in Integrated Development Plans and regional plans

• developing partnerships now with au-thorities and development companies to plan and get the buy in of potential stake-holders and fi nanciers

• improving opinions of neighbours, com-munities and authorities about opera-tional quarries and educate them on the importance of sand and stone in the de-velopment of our country and their re-gion. Show people how future plans for the property can benefi t them.


Orthoimagery


HIGH-RESOLUTION orthoim-agery is used in environmen-tal analysis and compliance documentation, as well as

in the compilation of GIS-based infra-structure and operations management

The purpose of

orthoimagery is to enable us

to clearly and accurately see

the world below.

systems. Th is is particularly relevant to mining operations.

Distortions can creep into aerial photo-graphs, and that’s where orthorectifi cation comes in. Th is is a computerised process wherein aerial imagery is converted to a uniform scale and an orthogonal view of the earth surface is created, hence it is called orthoimagery.

Optical distortion and perspective are removed, and real-world coordinates are assigned to each image pixel. Th ere-fore, the location of any feature in the image can be instantly determined, dis-tances and areas computed, and feature relationships interpreted.

Orthoimagery is extremely useful in all stages of project planning and design as well as other activities such as resource management and municipal facilities man-agement. A major benefi t of orthoimagery is that it embodies far more information than the planimetric abstractions of typi-cal maps. Orthoimagery shows everything that is there to be seen, from built fea-ture details to vegetation characteristics and land use.

PROJECTS IN AFRICA

LEGAL

Zambia’s exploration and mining policies

development of mineral resources, and to enhance the regulation and monitoring of the mining industry to improve transpar-ency in the industry and develop confi -dence among all the sector players. Some of the identifi ed challenges that the revision of the Act will address are:• unnecessary bureaucracy in the issuance

of mining rights• inadequate size and duration of prospect-

ing licences• lack of provisions to retain a tenement

in situations where progression to mine development becomes impossi-ble due to adverse economic conditions or technological constraints.

Provision of support infrastructureTo support the growth of the mining industry and other sectors of the econ-omy, the government is addressing the challenge of inadequate infrastructure,

energy and transport in particular. Zambia is in a hurry to increase power

to meet growing demand. Th e demand for energy, electricity in particular, has been growing at an average rate of 3% per annum mainly due to the increased economic activ-ity in the country especially in the agricul-ture, manufacturing and mining sectors, as well as increased activity in the region.

ZAMBIA IS AMONG the major mining countries on the conti-nent of Africa, with an average growth of 5% per annum over

the last ten years. Th e contribution of min-ing to the gross domestic product (GDP) in the past 10 years averaged 10.19%. Th e vision of the government is to increase the contribution of mining to GDP to 20% in the next fi ve years. To achieve this, a num-ber of measures are being implemented. Th ese include:

Adoption of clear mining policiesTh e Mineral Resources Development

Policy was launched in 2013. Th e pol-icy clearly outlines government posi-tion on the development of mineral resources in the country. Th e policy is aimed at facilitating the development of a mining industry that generates benefi ts for the Zambian people while at the same time rewarding the investors.

Th e mineral potential of Zambia is not fully exploited. We realise that to unlock this potential, foreign direct investment is required on one hand and support of the lo-cal communities on the other hand. Hence the policy ensures fair benefi ts for the local communities and rewards for the inves-tors. In this setup, the role of government

Because Zambia is a mining country, and energy is the engine for growth of

its economy, the focus of this paper will be on the investment potential and

attractiveness of Zambia’s mining and energy sectors. BY CHRISTOPHER YALUMA

remains that of ensuring an enabling envi-ronment for the development of a vibrant and orderly mining industry.

Revision of the legal frameworkTh e principal legislation governing the mining industry in Zambia is the Mines and Minerals Development Act 7 of 2008, which is based on the government’s com-mitment to the application of modern prin-

ciples of transparency and accountability in the management of mineral resources. Th e Act broadly deals with licensing and regula-tion of mining activities. Th e revision of the Act has reached an advanced stage.

Th e aim for revising the Act is to align it with the policy, address the inadequacies identifi ed by both the mining industry and the country relating to the optimum


The mineral potential of Zambia is not fully exploited. We realise

that to unlock this potential, foreign direct investment

is required

LEGAL

Demand for the other forms of energy, which include renewable energies, has also seen signifi cant growth in the recent years.

Zambia has about 6 000 MW hydro-power potential, out of which only about 2 393 MW has been developed. To increase power generation capacity, a number of pro-jects are being undertaken. Th ese include:• 360 MW Kariba North Bank extension• the 750 MW Kafue Gorge Lower Hydro;

this project is critical for Zambia and the Southern African Power Pool

• the 120 MW Itezhi-tezhi Hydro Power Project

• the 300 MW to 900 MW thermal power plant by Maamba Collieries.

Th ere are also power generation projects open for investment that are predominant-ly hydro and include:• Kafue Gorge Lower on Kafue River with

an estimated 750 MW estimated capacity• Batoka Gorge on Zambezi River with an

estimated capacity of 1 600 MW• Devils Gorge on Zambezi River with esti-

mated capacity of 800 MW• Mpata Gorge with an estimated capacity

of 540 MW. Projects open for investment are not lim-ited to generation development; there are a number of transmission projects that are currently taking place in Zam-bia. Among the transmission projects, we have greenfi eld projects as well as the upgrade of existing transmission lines in order to improve the capacity of the transmission system to deliver the huge amounts of electrical power to con-sumers across the country and some to our neighbours.

In terms of transport infrastructure, Zambia has embarked on an ambitious development programme. A number of road projects within districts and across the country are being implemented through the Link Zambia 8000. In addi-tion, rehabilitation of Zambia’s rail net-work commenced and is progressing well.

Th ere are also plans to open up region-al corridors through the building and revamping of old railway lines. Of great interest are the Nacala and Beira Corri-dors to the East, and the Lobito Corridor to the West.

Th e continued increase in explo-ration and mining activities being

experienced attests to the country’s un-tapped mineral potential and favourable investment climate.

In the past few years, a number of ex-pansion projects at existing mines have taken place and new mines have come on board resulting in the increase in mineral production. Copper production in the past three years increased by 8% from 677 604 tonnes in 2011 to 759 784 tonnes in 2013. It is projected to increase to over one million tonnes by 2015.

Mining has been Zambia’s engine of economic growth and will continue to of-fer great investment opportunities. New mining fronts for copper and nickel have opened up apart from the traditional copperbelt. Th ere is still potential within the 40% of the country that is geologi-cally unmapped. Investment in this area will unlock the unknown potential for various minerals.

Exploration for oil and gas is another area where government is encouraging investment. Th e petroleum potential in Zambia remains unexplored. Based on the results of the preliminary work con-ducted, the government demarcated the country into blocks, some of which were reserved for government.

Th e government recently granted nine licences to successful bidders and

will be announcing a new round in the near future.

Zambia also off ers investment oppor-tunities in value-addition industries such as the iron and steel industry, ce-ment and lime production, as well as fertiliser manufacturing.

Th e investment climate in Zambia re-mains favourable. Th e government con-tinues to be committed to ensuring a con-ducive investment climate that promotes both local and foreign investment.

Zambia has potential and is ready for investment. Zambia is a stable invest-ment destination with political stability and peace, good mining sector regula-tions and off ers vast investment opportu-nities ranging from exploration to value addition. To a serious investor in mining and energy, Zambia is generally a low-risk investment destination and has attracted signifi cant foreign direct investment in the recent past.

Th e investment Zambia is look-ing for is one which will ensure a win-win situation.

THE SPEAKER

Honourable Christopher YalumaMinister of Mines, Energy and Wa-

ter Development, Zambia

OPPOSITE Kansanshi Copper PHOTO: ABB

FIGURE 2 Geological setting of the Zambian Copperbelt and the distribution of strata-bound, sediment-hosted copper deposits


The energy imperativeEskom’s decline highlights the need for

alternative energy sources for South

African businesses.

ENERGY


ESKOM’S recent request for its customers to reduce energy con-sumption, even if it means re-ducing production, together with

ordered blackouts, poses a real threat to the growth of corporate South Africa.

Th is is according to Manie de Waal, head of sales at Energy Partners, a leading ener-gy solutions provider in South Africa, who says that, together with aff ecting national development, Eskom’s current inability to deliver uninterrupted electricity has a massive impact on companies’ annual earnings. “Th e full fi nancial eff ect of load shedding is often hidden as it is ‘revenue not earned’ as opposed to actual fi nancial losses. In 2008, the National Energy Regu-lator of South Africa (Nersa) reported that it had cost South Africa’s economy a stag-gering R15 billion.”

De Waal says that there is a direct link be-tween economic growth and an adequate energy supply, which means that corpo-rate South Africa must move collectively towards implementing feasible solutions to ensure continued foreign investment and national growth. “Th ere is already con-siderable interest and foreign investment into South Africa’s energy effi ciency, as

proved by the Private Sector Energy Effi -ciency programme, which falls under the National Business Initiative umbrella that has R150 million worth of foreign funding available for development of energy effi -ciency awareness and projects.”

Alternative energy sources must be uti-lised strategically to minimise cost dur-ing a blackout, says De Waal. “Renewable sources of energy, such as solar and wind, can facil-itate processes in the event of a blackout.”

However, he says, the nature of re-newable energy is irregular as it de-pends heavily on external sources and storage tech-nology is still very expensive in South Africa. “Typically renewable sourc-es do not form the baseload, but are specifi ed according

to the site, which means it hardly ever sup-plies 100% of power on-site. Th is means that even in energy-effi cient buildings, a portion of the energy will come from Es-kom, which leaves the site exposed in the event of a blackout. It is thus imperative to work with an energy partner that can customise your solution to meet specifi c needs at the most aff ordable cost.”

Another popular solution in the event of a blackout is generators, but these are a costly energy source at approximately R5 per kWh in comparison to R1.10 per kWh from Eskom. “When selecting a generator, it is important to use a reputable supplier who will take responsibility for the main-tenance of the generator and ensure that the maximum demand for the site will be suffi ciently serviced.

Often, the most effi cient solution will combine renewable and backup (gener-ator) energy solutions and incorporate these into a business’s existing infrastruc-ture, according to De Waal. Th is methodol-ogy minimises the risk of business inter-ruption at the most aff ordable cost.

“In order to reduce reliance on Eskom for energy requirements, business owners should ask a relia-ble energy-effi ciency partner to conduct an energy audit to ensure that energy processes and solutions can be implemented for opti-mal effi ciency.

Th is is particularly important for busi-nesses that rely heav-ily on electricity for key processes such as manufacture, agricul-ture and mining,” con-cludes De Waal.

“The full fi nancial effect of load

shedding... cost the economy a staggering R15 billion.”

Manie de Waal, head of sales, Energy Partners


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THE 2014 Joburg Indaba once again raised the issue of productivity, especially with regards to labour, but cap-ital equipment, which costs millions, also needs to be productive.

It was Peter Drucker, American management consultant, educa-tor and author – whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation – who said, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”

Innovative technology company Booyco Electronics’ state-of-the-art onboard monitoring device can be fi tted to underground mining equipment to measure a sp ectrum of parameters that af-fect both equipment and operator. Th ese include detailed, accu-rate and real-time data indicating the operating, standing and idle hours of vehicles, the running hours of drill rigs and roof bolter machines, as well as machine abuse.

Th e ability to monitor the percussion hours of a piece of ma-chinery provides management with detailed information on how many hours the drill bit worked, as well as the actual production hours of the machine when the percussion was running, and the amount of vibration to which the operator was subjected.

To avoid driver fatigue, this innovative onboard monitoring technology can also be confi gured to automatically shut down machines at preset intervals and only allow them to be restarted once the rest period is over.

Detailed reports of the various data are accessed via a fi xed read-er connected to a fi bre-optic backbone that is linked to a server on the surface, or via a portable tablet or PC fi tted with a reader.

Booyco Electronics is a single-source market leader that supplies quality, specialised electronic safety equipment, including colli-sion intervention systems. Its range of reliable, accurate warning, locating and monitoring systems is engineered to operate in the harsh African conditions.

Measuring productivity

TOP Booyco Electronics’ state-of-the-art onboard monitoring device offers accurate real-time data

LEFT The device can measure a spectrum of parameters and provides detailed monitoring information

harsh African conditions.

WE NEVER STOP

Mines around the world are bringing the added dimension of in-pit grade control with the addition of the Reverse Circulation (RC) kit. In addition to being ordered on a new machine, it also has the flexibility to be retrofitted in the field on the DM45 and DML where sampling and in-pit grade control are required in addition to production drilling. To learn more about what Atlas Copco’s reverse circulation kit has to offer, visit us at www.atlascopco.co.za/blastholedrills.

Atlas Copco South Africa Phone: +27 11 821 9000 Fax: +27 11 821 9202/9246 Innes Road, Jet Park, Boksburg, 1459

www.atlascopco.co.za

With reverse circulation capabilities added to the DM45 and DML, it further emphasizes the flexibility of Atlas Copco’s blasthole drills.

35% energy savingVariable-speed drive (VSD) compressor technology, one of the niftiest innovations of our time, is the key to sustainable, energy-effi cient operation and low cost of ownership in mining.

WITH DE-CLINING g l o b a l e n e r g y

resources and escalating electricity costs, 21st century mining around the world faces similar challenges and shares the same objectives – to minimise costs and increase productivity. Th is compels mines to be quite discerning and install equip-ment that combines high performance with effi cient operation for optimum pro-ductivity and the lowest possible opera-tional costs.

To assist mines in meeting these objec-tives, Atlas Copco focuses on end-to-end energy-effi cient operation in the devel-opment and design of its compressors. Besides quality, the focal point is to minimise the cost of each cubic metre of compressed air produced. And, to be able to supply compressors that deliver best-case scenarios for reliability, performance and effi ciency.

VSD (frequency-controlled) technology forms an integral part of Atlas Copco’s energy-saving drive, which is to achieve maximum energy effi ciency and sustaina-ble productivity.

Th e company’s range of oil-injected ro-tary-screw compressors, the GA VSD (GA 5-90 kW) with world-class free air delivery (FAD) and the GA 90-500 kW for larger air requirements, as well as the more recent, highly compact 7-37 GA VSD+, clearly re-fl ect this drive towards achieving optimum effi ciency during compressed-air delivery.

“Energy consumption typically repre-sents over 70% of a compressor’s life-cycle cost, which opens up tremendous energy saving opportunities,” according to Atlas Copco Compressor Technique’s business line managers for the Oil-free Air and In-dustrial Air divisions, respectively, Pieter van Wyk and Charl Ackerman.

TECHNOLOGY

G i v i n g a broad outline of VSD, a technology pioneered by Atlas Copco in 1994, Van Wyk confi rms that energy savings of up to 35% can be realised. “Th e VSD compressor per-fectly matches air supply to air demand in processes where air demand profi les fl uctuate. By varying the speed drive of the drive motor, the compressor follows fl uctuation in production demand; as air demand declines or is reduced, the GA VSD lowers the delivered fl ow and conse-quently the power consumption.”

Van Wyk adds that motor speed regu-lation is the most effi cient compressor control method where air demand varies “because the ineffi cient transition period between full and no load is eliminated, which avoids excessive off -load power consumption. Maintaining the net pres-sure band within 0.10 bar, greatly reduces the overall average working pressure and energy costs.” Soft start will lend fur-ther fl exibility as gradual motor ramp-up avoids electricity surges. Reduced CO2

emissions are another benefi t off ered by VSD technology.

Ackerman points out that the most effi cient compressor package incorpo-rates optimisation of all the compressor elements (oil-injection, fl ow and tem-perature) to maximise output and min-imise losses. In the development of the GA VSD, substantial eff orts were made

to reduce all types of losses, whether fl ow-related, mechan-ical or electrical.

Th e highly com-pact oil-injected ro-tary screw 7-37 GA VSD compressor

range, introduced by Atlas Copco in April 2013,

serves as an excellent exam-ple where Atlas Copco evaluated

every part in the compressor to ensure across-the-board optimisation: • A more effi cient fan, a robust air intake

system, the elimination of all blow-off losses, and the best electronic compo-nents together with the new drive train, add up to breakthrough energy effi cien-cy. Better performances are delivered, even at full load, while consuming on average 50% less energy compared to a traditional idling compressor.

• Available from 7 kW to 37 kW, the GA VSD is an additional 15% more effi cient and operates at lower noise levels. Th e range also off ers a leap forward in FAD with improvements of up to 12%. Th e GA VSD has been completely in-house developed and brings together all the company's expertise and know-how on energy-effi cient compressor technolo-gy. Th e compressor contributes signif-icantly to the green economy needs as this innovation enables all compressor users to switch over to variable-speed drive compressors – an important step towards a more sustainable industry.

• Last of all, regular service and mainte-nance by skilled technicians using the right tools and genuine parts is essen-tial for ensuring optimum, reliable and effi cient compressor performance and sustainable productivity.

Atlas Copco’s GA 315 VSD FF compressor delivers sustainable, energy-effi cient operation


Tega Industries (South Africa) Pty LtdP.O Box 17260, Benoni West, 1503, South Africa,

Phone: (011) 421 - 9916/ 7, 421 - 6714, 421 - 6761, Fax: (011) 845 1472,

Email: [email protected],www.tegaindustries.com

Tega offers value added consultancy services and solutions TOTAL : Solution

With focus on core engineering applications in the Mining and Mineral Processing Industry, Steel plants, Power, Port and Cement Industries.

in Mineral Beneficiation, Bulk Solids handling, Wear andAbrasion customised to suit specific applications.

TM

Focus on processing efficiencyThe overriding message coming out of Electra Mining 2014 was the need to improve operating efficiencies and productivity, especially in minerals processing plants.

SPEAKING AFTER this year’s Electra Mining exhibition, which was held in Johannesburg

recently, Vishal Gautam, of Tega Industries South Africa, says: “Th e majority of visitors at the company’s stand were interest-ed in fi nding complete solutions to improve aspects, if not all, of their processing requirements.

“It was clear that a trend was emerging where mines are de-manding more from their sup-pliers and seeking assistance from companies, like Tega In-dustries, who off er complete materials handling solutions, to help them achieve their effi ciency objectives.”

Rather than shop around for mill liners from one supplier, screens from another and convey-or components from yet another, and so on, mines are looking for solutions where all aspects of a process are viewed holistically and optimised through properly engineered solutions. However, it will be incumbent upon the supplier to gain and maintain the relationship on a mutually bene-fi cial basis.

Showcasing diversity“Electra Mining’s annual exhibition is ex-tremely important to Africa’s mining in-dustry and it was an opportunity for us to show our full product range and introduce the mining fraternity to our products and demonstrate our capabilities. As a result of the increasing demand for reliable and effi -cient solutions, we invested in two stands and were able to exhibit all of our prod-uct solutions and introduce our product

experts, who are absolutely crucial to on-going support requirements.

“Representatives from our branches in Zambia and Ghana were also present to interact with the many African visitors to the show and we were also able to intro-duce visitors to representatives from our international operations, such as India and Australia, as well.

“Th e kind of global expertise we are able to bring to the fore is exactly what the market is looking for, and needs. While mines are always looking for new

technologies to improve effi ciencies, they are also looking for solutions that have been tried and tested in other parts of the world,” says Gautam.

“In the end, we had nearly 1 000 visi-tors who interacted with us at our stand. It provided us with a unique opportunity to guage and understand the needs and wants of the mining industry, which is so important to us in delivering customer satisfaction, through the provision of the right product, at the right price and at the right time,” Gautam concludes.

TECHNOLOGY


Mines are looking for solutions where all aspects of a process are viewed holistically and optimised through properly engineered solutions

ExcellentMineralsSolutions

For more information contact us on:+27 (0)11 9292600www.weirminerals.com

Lower your operational costs with the Weir Minerals Solution

In slurry and dewatering pumping, processing and control applications where the cost of ownership often outweighs capital cost as a priority, we help our customers address such issues

operation and maintenance.

Warman® slurry and Envirotech® dewatering pumps are among the world’s most comprehensive range of pumps for use in mining, chemical and industrial applications. These pumps are designed for ultra heavy duty applications such as mill discharge, process plant and tailings, high pressure pipelines, as well as other speciality applications.

Robust design and rugged heavy-duty construction, the Isogate® slurry knife gate valve is designed for long life and high reliability.

The Isogate® valve range now also includes Autoball™ 3 way check valves, swing check valves, and a diverse range of mechanical and pneumatic pinch valves.

WARMAN®Centrifugal Slurry Pumps

ENVIROTECH®Centrifugal Slurry Pumps

ISOGATE®Slurry Valves

Expertise where it counts

Copyright ©2012, Weir Minerals Africa (Pty) Ltd. All rights reserved.WARMAN is a registered trademark of Weir Minerals Australia Ltd and Weir Group African IP Ltd; ISOGATE is a registered trademark of Weir

do Brasil Ltda; AUTOBALL is a trademark of Weir Minerals Australia Ltd.

Expanding into new technologyThe Weir Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Trio Engineered Products – a Chinese-American manufacturer of crushing and separation equipment for the mining and aggregates markets – for an enterprise value of $220 million.

THE ACQUISITION will be fund-ed from existing bank facilities and will be immediately earnings accretive with post-tax returns

(before integration costs) expected to ex-ceed Weir’s cost of capital in the fi rst full year of ownership. Integration costs are expected to total $10 million over a two-year period.

Weir is a global market leader in the pro-vision of pumping equipment to the min-ing mill circuit, which separates rock from ore. Th e acquisition of Trio will build upon Weir’s recent successful entry into the ad-jacent comminution segment of the mill circuit. While leveraging off Trio’s cost-ef-fective manufacturing platform, the ac-quisition enables Weir to provide a more complete product and service off ering to existing mining customers.

A case in pointTh e challenges faced, when trying to ex-pand aggregate reserves in metropolitan markets, present herculean problems for alluvial aggregate producers. Often, the most expeditious pathway is to dig deep-er into existing pits, which necessitates processing sand and aggregate that was

TECHNOLOGY

previously deemed too problematic for achieving necessary cleanliness and dura-bility specifi cations.

Trio recently worked with a large, ver-tically integrated producer who invited them to help tackle such a challenge. Trio’s task was to provide an optimised solu-tion that would utilise existing customer equipment while minimising additional capex investment in additional equip-ment. By developing a plan that reconfi g-ured the existing equipment, Trio helped them add new equipment to process the more challenging material found deeper in their deposit.

Th e company’s application engineering group provided the complete process fl ow solution and collaborated closely with plant operations personnel. In the end, the plant reconfi guration required three Trio units combined with some specialty equipment from other suppliers to com-plete the upgrade.

As shown above, one of the key additions that enabled the plant to achieve clean specifi cation material was the addition of a Trio twin 36" blade mill and modu-lar support structure at the beginning of the process. Th e blade mill aggressively

mixes the aggregates and sand with a small amount of water to provide the nec-essary attrition scrubbing required in the fi rst step of the process. Retention time within the blade mill can be adjusted with diff erent paddle confi gurations in the ma-chine and by adjusting the installation an-gle. Th e user-friendly access provided by the modular support structure helps facil-itate the routine maintenance required to optimise the equipment performance and operating life.

Th e deleterious materials liberated from the dirty sands by the fi rst attrition cell are removed from the process stream by the fi rst Trio 44" fi ne material separator. It also transports and prepares the sand for the second attrition cell. Th e sand processing is completed by the second Trio 44" fi ne material separator, which makes the fi nal classifi cation and dewa-ters the fi nished sand product in advance of stockpiling.

Th e equipment commissioning went well and culminated in an on-time, on-budget project that further solidifi ed Trio’s rela-tionship with this important customer.

Trio's crushing and separation equipment



TECHNOLOGY

A piece of history

FROM A DREAM to a global manufacturer, Irvine Bell built his company, and left a lasting legacy to his three sons. Th e

memory of this creator of engineering ex-cellence in local manufacturing will never be forgotten.

Bell Equipment celebrates its 60th an-niversary this year, which provides an opportune time to look back at the early days of the company and how the values and innovative thinking of Irvine Bell gave rise to one of the country’s manufacturing icons that designs and produces world-class equipment for the global market.

Irvine was born in 1920 and, as such, grew up in the Great Depression. He had an early – and enduring – fascination with tools and machines. Even during his school days, he could never stay out of workshops. Whatever nobody else would teach him he taught himself, whether it was servicing starter motors or refurbish-ing used batteries.

A fi tter and turner by trade, Irvine re-turned home from serving fi ve years in the Army Corps of Engineers during the Second World War and started a small general engineering and equipment re-pair shop on a farm in Empangeni in 1954 to serve the pioneer farming com-munity of Zululand.

With his innovation and vision, the com-pany provided sugar-cane farmers of that time with refreshing solutions to improve

effi ciencies on their farms. A milestone in the company’s history came in 1964 when Irvine developed a tri-wheeled cane-load-ing machine, which revolutionised the sugar-farming industry and is still widely in use today. Irvine is credited with taking time to listen to his customers, thereby enabling him to understand their needs and provide solutions, and this ethos con-tinues today throughout the company’s design, manufacturing, distribution and support network.

Today, Bell is a leading global manufac-turer, distributor and exporter of a wide range of material handling machines, which are marketed and distributed, both locally and internationally, through a wide network of branches and independent dealers. Th e company supplies machinery to the sugar, forestry, mining and con-struction industries worldwide and has about 3 200 employees across the globe.

As one of the global leaders in the ar-ticulated dump truck market, Bell Equip-ment’s engineering expertise and prod-uct quality are comparable with other global players in the industry and Bell is immensely proud of the groundbreaking technological advancements it has devel-oped on South African soil with its team of local engineers.

Born and bred right here - Bell is Africa’s very own global equipment

supplier. With support from our strategic partners we deliver a full

range of premium machines. All built tough for our harsh environment.

All supported by Africa’s most comprehensive network of people

dedicated to your success.

Best of all, while you are creating infrastructure and jobs, so are we.

Choose Bell as your equipment partner and enjoy the pride of

knowing you’re not just boosting your business but helping make

Africa a better place too.

Tel: +27 (0)11 928 9700E-mail: [email protected]

STRATEGICPARTNERS

Adv

ert151

1011

4

60 YEARS

Bell Equipment founder Irvine Bell with his sons (from left) Pete, Paul and Gary PHOTO: THE MERCURY

Extreme environment

EPCMMining all year round in Russia’s far north,

sub-arctic environment is particularly challenging, especially in winter where

temperatures drop down to -19˚C.

EXPLORATION FOR diamond de-posits in Russia’s Vladimir Grib fi eld started in the mid-1990s. Today it is among the largest

mining and concentration complexes in the world. Developed by OAO Arkhan-gelskgeoldobycha, a subsidiary of OAO Lukoil, one of the long-established com-panies in Russia’s European north, and which specialises in exploration, mining and minerals processing, marks the suc-cessful delivery of the project from con-cept to production.

Tenova Bateman, a subsiduary of Tenova Mining and Minerals, secured the contract for the EPCM (engineering, procurement and construction management) of the modular treatment plant. A critical factor in meeting the requirements of the con-tract is the plant’s ability to perform in the extreme weather conditions of Russia’s sub-arctic environment.

Th e contract included the supply of a process equipment package for a 4.5 Mtpa diamond treatment plant, electrical equip-ment and a state-of-the-art automatic monitoring and process con-trol system, as well as two 60 tph and one 1 tph dense media separation (DMS) modular plants.

Equipment was sourced worldwide from globally recog-nised manufacturers of mining equipment and process devel-opers, with all equipment com-plying with Russian standards. Particular attention was given to the equipment delivery to the remote site, since the ex-isting roads have certain load size and weight limitations. Out-of-gauge equipment was supplied as individual parts, with the weight of each piece not exceeding 37 tonnes. All equipment was successfully

delivered on time with the necessary pa-perwork to meet Russian conformity and permits for use.

Th e mill’s discharge is fed into three dou-ble-spiral classifi ers to wash the -1 mm material and then to the 60 tph Tenova Bateman DMS plants and 30 X-ray separa-tors manufactured by Russian ZAO NPP Burevestnik. Density control systems ena-ble automatic regulation by measuring the medium density using electromagnetic density meters, allowing the average den-sity to be maintained close to the required set point. For process control purposes, the QC area is equipped with a standard 1 tph Tenova Bateman DMS modular plant.

Th e plant is situated in a sensitive for-est area and utilises a closed-circuit water supply. Th e combined pumping station is equipped with slurry pumps for tail-ings transfer to the tailings storage facil-ity. An automatic fl occulant preparation and dosing station feeds fl occulants into slurry pipelines.

Th e electrical and process control equip-ment was designed by Tenova Bateman

TECHNOLOGY

CIS in cooperation with Compax (Israel). A central operators’ control room allows for plant control and management informa-tion systems.

A distributed network allows for local-ised control of all key process areas for system integrity.

Th e success of the project resulted from early engagement in the contracting and implementation methodology. Th e pro-ject cooperation between OAO Arkhan-gelskgeoldobycha (OAO Lukoil) and Tenova Bateman CIS started as early as 2008, during the deposit preparation for the industrial development and execu-tion of the bulk-sampling campaign. Th is included benefi ciation of ore samples at a 5 tph Tenova Bateman modular plant, which was designed for autonomous operation without any connections to external utilities.

Tenova Bateman modular plants have been supplied to Russia for over 15 years and have proven especially effi cient in remote areas with harsh climatic condi-tions, poor infrastructure, and limited

skilled manpower.With some 500 modular

plants installed since the 1960s, Tenova Bateman modular plants off er com-petitive mineral processing packages for lower ton-nages, while reducing risk by precommissioning be-fore-site erection. Tenova Bateman’s engineering and EPCM skills and modular solutions have been proven on some of the most exact-ing mineral resource pro-jects, in the most diffi cult of terrains.


Diamond processing plant in Russia's harsh Vladimir Grib fi eld

Uniquely different

THE MOST AMAZING fact about the Th arisa platinum mine near Marikana in the North West is that it lost not one tonne of productivity during the entire fi ve months of the platinum mine strike that rocked the

South African economy during the fi rst half of 2014.

MINE SERVICES


Tharisa, a shallow and large-scale open-pit PGM and chrome mine, which has an estimated open-pit life of more than 23 years and an estimated further 36 years underground, has been in produc-tion since November 2009. The question is: what and how did they do it?

Th e answer is quite simple. Th ey outsourced their drilling, blast-ing, loading and hauling to a min-ing contractor. Since the start of November 2014, Na-Sera Mining Services, a 49.5% black-owned leader in the mining and quarrying environment has taken over the contract. Th is company believes in and delivers innovative solutions to problems and challenges, pos-sesses solid operational experience backed by all the necessary qualifi -cations, which they strongly regard as the means of providing a quality service, while always following a safety-fi rst culture, and good, hard,

honest work. Th ese are the attributes that will be the key to Th arisa’s continued success.

Na-Sera believes that success is achieved through people. Every worker is treated with respect, and is expected to be trustworthy, honest, committed and hardworking. Given this, they continu-ously develop their people, from the bottom to the top. Every-one has a future, and everyone is trained to be multi-skilled. In Na-Sera’s books, reliability is the key word.

When you dig a little deeper you usually fi nd the real story. In this case, it’s the reason why one mine remained operational while all the others around it had to shut down.

ABOVE Loading ore for processing

BELOW The Tharisa platinum mine near Rustenburg

MINE SERVICES

At Th arisa’s Marikana mine, Na-Sera handles the mining side of all reef material and management of ROM (run-of-mine) while Th arisa handles the minerals processing side. Monthly volumes average 400 000 m3 drilled, blasted, loaded and hauled. In tonnes, this equates to 1.2 million per month. To maintain this produc-tion rate, eight DM30 II Atlas Copco rotary blasthole drill rigs, eight 777G off -highway Caterpillar tucks, 12 x 740B articulated Caterpillar trucks, three D9T 21 Caterpillar bulldozers, two D7R 15 Caterpillar bulldozers, two 986H Caterpillar wheel loaders, and a service fl eet are in operation, providing a fl eet of 41 for the loading and hauling. Th e logic behind using specifi c equipment brands, such as Atlas Copco, Caterpillar and Lieber, for excava-tors, is simply one of logistics, service excellence and pro-ductivity. Downtime is money lost. Preventative maintenance through a planned maintenance and replacement programme is a non-negotiable and critical operating success factor.

For the blasting side of the operations, Na-Sera uses Sasol Nitro, a division of the Sasol Group, who produces and markets commercial explosives, a wide range of specialised blasting accessories and diversifi ed bulk ex-plosives, which are used in mines and quarries, as well as supply-ing a range of additional services to Na-Sera.

Sasol Nitro, who developed the world-leading Expan low-den-sity ammonium nitrate (LDAN) technology for more effi cient, more cost-eff ective blasting operations, conforms to ISO 9001 quality standards. Th is means that Na-Sera, with its partnership with Sasol Nitro, can ensure the best fragmentation blasting practices and technical support services with its Sasol Nitro ser-vice team, including site managers and certifi ed blasters, on-site.

Besides the Th arisa mine, Na-Sera is active on two other mines in providing a full mining service. Rustenburg Minerals Develop-ment Company’s Vogelstruisnek operation, a new contract, will see Na-Sera deliver an average of 10 000 tonnes of chrome, over a distance of 15 km, to the mine’s processing side on a monthly basis. At Harmony Gold’s Kalgold operation, Na-Sera will deliver an average of 800 000 tonnes of gold-bearing earth per month over a distance of 2 km.

In short, Na-Sera is positioning itself in the open-pit mining industry as a company that delivers a full mining service – drill-ing, blasting, loading and hauling. Th e company has the backup of a highly qualifi ed and experienced technical team with the support of fully equipped workshops, on-site, as well as a main workshop in Rustenburg. Th e company is geared to ensure the availability of its fl eet at all of its operations because of its pro-active management approach, and because the company places safety fi rst, as its number one priority, it is fatality free.

+27 (0)12 001 [email protected]

Na-Sera delivers a full mining service: drilling, blasting,

loading and hauling


FROM TOP RIGHT (From

left) Hennie van Zyl, Johan van der Merwe

(COO) and Anton Treurnicht

Atlas Copco's DM30 II rotary

blasthole drill rig

986H Caterpillar wheel loaders

740B articulated Caterpillar trucks

Cor

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1) 8

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Tel: +27 (0) 11 827-9372Fax: +27 (0) 11 827-6132

• Optimum material flow• Up to 80% decrease in material degredation• Reduced dust and noise levels• Virtually maintenance free• Greatly reduced spillage• Significant reduction in belt damage

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THE INVENTOR of the ‘transfer chute system’, Werner Baller of WEBA, has concluded a major empowerment deal with Hlan-

ganani Capital that will boost its involve-ment with the mining industry in Africa.

WEBA Chute Systems has successful-ly concluded a major empowerment deal with Hlanganani Capital that will see the company that pioneered the transfer chute system for bulk materials handling in the mining industry gain further traction in

Africa and other emerging markets such as South America. In addition to the empow-erment deal, the company has announced an overhaul of its executive management structure that will see the eventual re-tirement of founder and inventor Werner Baller. Farouk Abrahams from Hlanganani Capital becomes a director of WEBA in order to boost the existing roles of Mark Baller as managing director and Alwin Nienaber as operations director.

“We wanted a partner that could bring value to the company. We shopped long and hard until we found this group,” Baller says. Hlanganani Capital is a black-controlled private invest-ment and advisory entity pri-marily focusing on arranging, participating in and managing

private equity investments mainly in the mining, engineering and related service sectors. It focuses on delivering signifi cant shareholder value through sound strate-gic investment practice while contributing to the transformation of the economy and society at large.

Hlanganani Capital was established by Rowan Smith, Farouk Abrahams, Anton Millar and Olivier Barbeau with a strat-egy to invest on a partnership basis in a diversifi ed portfolio that takes advan-tage of the growth prospects off ered in sub-Saharan Africa.

Th e empowerment deal followed the de-cision by Werner Baller, the original major-ity shareholder of WEBA, to transform the company into a fully compliant BBBEE en-tity that also fulfi ls the obligations of the Mining Charter.

“Th e plan is to take the company that my father nurtured over the years to the next level.”

Major empowerment dealMATERIALS HANDLING

FROM FAR LEFT Mark Baller, Werner Baller and Farouk Abrahams

FOR SOME YEARS now, Hansen Industrial Transmissions (HIT) has been very successful in sup-plying single-stage blower drives.

Having had no dedicated single-stage solu-tion for the larger sizes, a special solution was designed starting from the standard horizontal, parallel, two-stage Hansen P4 housing (size G, H, J or K – with one gear set). What started as a one-off project has turned into recurring business.

HIT sees signifi cant market potential for similar single-stage drives, also out-side Europe, mainly in the mining sector (e.g. for centrifugal slurry pumps) and for applications such as blowers, com-pressors and refi ners, as well as equip-ment for the chemical industry and the energy sector.

Th ese applications however would not benefi t from a specifi c large single-stage housing i.e. those used for the P4 sin-gle-stage units with a dedicated housing.

HIT therefore reused its current robust P4 two-stage housing.

Using its in-house resources, HIT gener-ated a large number of possible gear sets. From a mechanically optimised subset, a fi nal selection was made looking at dy-namic and noise properties, which led to a highly optimised gear set range. With a selection ratio up to 1% exact in almost any case, the optimal working speed is matched as near as possible.

Th e specially designed lubrica-tion for this new product range – based on the multi-megawatt principle – ensures the gear set and all bearings are pressure lu-bricated. A new type of sprinkler caters for optimal oil distribution

over the gear teeth. Due to the high in-stalled powers, a cooling group is indis-pensable. Taking into account the high peripheral speeds at the shaft ends, HIT provides its Hansen Oil-lock sealing at all shaft ends and fabricates the oil drains large enough so no pressure is built up and leakage is prevented.

Innovation from withinMATERIALS HANDLING

Hansen's P4 range of single-stage gear units also comes in a parallel horizontal confi guration



Lower emissions and fuel consumption

NEW VOLVO L110H and L120H wheel loaders are among the company’s most environmental and fuel-ef-

fi cient machines to date. Th e company’s latest generation of machines for the 18 tonne to 22 tonne class, they are pow-ered by an 8 ℓ Tier 4 Final/Stage IV-certi-fi ed engine with fully automatic regenera-tion that combines high performance with low emissions and low fuel consumption.

Th e inherent fuel effi ciency of the Vol-vo D8J engine is enhanced by the well-matched Volvo power train and intelli-gent hydraulics, which only supply power on demand. Th e load-sensing hydraulics also ensure fast response for outstanding control over the load, as well as shorter cycle times. Another intelligent feature, the Reverse-By-Braking (RBB) function, automatically reduces the engine rpm and applies the service brakes when the oper-ator changes the direction of the machine. Th is not only conserves fuel but also re-duces stress on the drive train, thereby extending component life. Meanwhile, Volvo OptiShift technology combines the RBB function with a lock-up torque con-verter to create a direct drive between the engine and transmission, eliminat-ing power losses in the torque convertor and reducing fuel consumption by up to

The Volvo L110H and L120H wheel loaders, which feature a powerful Tier 4 Final/Stage IV-certifi ed engine, meet strict emissions legislation, while improving fuel effi ciency by up to 18%.

MATERIALS HANDLING

Feels like homeTh e productivity of each work shift is also boosted by the wheel loaders’ indus-try-leading cab, which provides a safe, clean and comfortable operator environ-ment, whatever the conditions outside. Th e operator enters the ROPS/FOPS-certi-fi ed cab safely and easily via a three-point access ladder with anti-slip steps, sup-ported by sturdy and ideally positioned handrails. Th e wide doorframe opens at a convenient 95 degree angle and can even be opened remotely as an option. A cab en-trance light is also available as an option for increased safety when entering and ex-iting the machine.

Inside, the cab is spacious, with plenty of storage for personal belongings. Internal noise levels are kept to a minimum, thanks to sound insulation, while improved seat and vibration protection ensure a smooth and comfortable ride. Air quality is guar-anteed by an industry-leading fi lter that allows 90% of the cab air to be recirculated for continuous dust removal.

To limit operator fatigue, all the con-trols and information panels have been ergonomically positioned. For ease of op-eration, the optional multifunction joy-stick gives the operator simultaneous and precise control of the hydraulic functions. Forward, reverse and kick-down functions are also included on the right-hand arm rest. Th e machine’s vital information – such as fuel and oil levels – is displayed on an easy-to-read screen that is clearly visi-ble from the operator seat, even in bright sunlight. Basic confi gurations and tests can be performed without the operator having to move from the seat.

Daily service checks on the machine can be carried out quickly and simply with grouped service points. Th e engine hood opens electronically so the operator or tech-nician can easily gain full access to the en-gine compartment. Th is helps the machine to get back on the job as quickly as possi-ble. Th e rear-axle cradles contain mainte-nance-free, lubricated-for-life bushings and bearings. As for the cooling fan, it can be re-versed for self-cleaning of the cooling units.

Th is translates into reduced total costs of ownership and increased profi tability throughout the life of the machine.

18%. Th e eco-pedal further reduces fuel consumption, thanks to mechanical push-back force, which encourages the operator to ease off the throttle when the engine rpm is about to exceed the optimum op-erating range.

One machine, many capabilitiesNot only are the L110H and L120H wheel loaders highly effi cient, they are also highly versatile and can be used for a wide range of applications – from material han-dling and rehandling, and road construc-tion to utility work.

Th ese 18 tonne to 22 tonne machines are fi tted with a choice of unique Volvo attachments – including a variety of buck-ets, material handling arms, forks, sweep-ers and snow blades – to achieve maxi-mum uptime and profi tability from each machine. Th e attachments are designed as an integral part of the wheel loader, with functions and properties ideally matched to minimise energy losses and increase productivity. Meanwhile, the unique Vol-vo Torque Parallel (TP) linkage delivers high breakout torque and excellent par-allel movement throughout the entire lifting range and the optional boom sus-pension system reduces bucket spillage, boosting productivity by as much as 20% on rough ground.

IN 2008, heavy, continu-ous rains wreaked havoc with coal supplies to Es-kom that in turn aff ected

its ability to supply electricity. Rolling blackouts – as break-downs, maintenance work and excessive rains put about a fi fth of Eskom’s capacity out of service – were the order of the day. Th e economic impact was substantial.

Wet coal, which burns less easily and blocks delivery chutes, put a serious damper on Eskom’s ability to supply South Africa’s electricity. Given that Eskom supplies approximately 95% of South Africa’s electricity, this is a huge problem. Perhaps less signifi cant, but no less problematic, is the rainwater accu-mulation at the deepest points of open-pit mines.

SRK, consultants to the mining indus-try, believe the management of water on a mining project will become ever more important in the future. If 2008 is any-thing to go by, and within the context of climate change, this is an important is-sue. A partially fl ooded open-pit mine is

PIPES, PUMPS & VALVES

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, especially rain. It can play havoc with mining. This is particularly true of open-pit mines. BY TONY STONE

typically the result of the poor implemen-tation of stormwater controls that lead to major expenses in rehabilitation, as well as signifi cant losses in production, which could be avoided with due care.

One means of achieving this is to lower the water table outside the open-pit min-ing area in order to prevent any ground water from seeping into it. If any seepage or heavy rain occurs, this water can be pumped out from the bottom of the pit using high-head drainage pumps. If the solids content in this water is high, the use of submersible slurry pumps for the drainage operation.

For site dewatering and remediation, a pump is required, depending on the extent and depth of the problem, with intake sizes between 7.5 mm to 30 mm, heads up to 140 m, fl ows up to 24 000 litres per minute and 8 mm solids han-dling capability. Th e pump will need to be hard-working, dependable and able to tackle everything, including clear liquids, tough solids, and slurry applications.

Quite simply, you will need to move large volumes of water rapidly, even when sticks, stones, and other de-bris would normally present a problem.

Groundwater flow in open-pit minesGroundwater fl ow in the vicinity of open-pit and underground mines varies three-dimensionally and with time. Assessing mine dewatering commonly requires the development of 3D numerical groundwater models, based on 3D geological, structural, and hydrogeological data, to fully characterise the groundwater fl ow.

SRK often applies the fi nite-diff erence code Visual MODFLOW-SURFACT in mine dewatering projects. Th is code goes beyond the standard MODFLOW code to simulate saturated/unsaturated con-ditions (multiple water tables), open-pit excavation (using seepage face cells and collapsing model grid), and dewatering wells using the fractured well package. Th e hydrogeological team at SRK uses nu-merical modelling as an integral tool for the wide variety of mine dewatering pro-jects. All of these models are used to sim-ulate passive infl ow to open-pit mines.

GROUNDWATER FLOW IN OPEN-PIT MINES Groundwater fl ow in the vicinity of open-pit and underground mines varies three-dimensionally and with time. Assessing mine dewatering commonly requires the development of 3D numerical groundwater models, based on 3D geological, structural, and hydrogeological data, to fully characterise the groundwater fl ow. SRK often applies the fi nite-difference code Visual MODFLOW-SURFACT in mine dewatering projects. This code goes beyond the standard MODFLOW code to simulate saturated/unsaturated conditions (multiple water tables), open-pit excavation (using seepage face cells and collapsing model grid), and dewatering wells using the fractured well package. The hydrogeological team at SRK uses numerical modelling as an integral tool for the wide variety of mine dewatering projects. All of these models are used to simulate passive infl ow to open-pit mines.


Getting out of deep water

TOP Open-pit mines always accumulate rain water at the bottom of the pit BELOW A Gorman-Rupp Prime Aire trailer-mounted centrifugal



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Piping caustic liquids BY JOOST DE VREE THE EXACT FUNCTION of a

pipe or tank and its operating conditions, including very ag-gressive or corrosive environ-

ments, are the main considerations in material selection.

Glass-fi bre-reinforced plastic (GRP) is a combination of two or more mate-rials (reinforcing agents and matrix), diff ering in form or composition on a macro scale. In (glass) fi bre-reinforced composites, fi bres are intended to car-ry the load, while the surrounding resin matrix sets the fi bres in the required orientation. When the materials are compatible, the matrix also acts as a load-transfer medium between the fi -bres, and protects them from environ-mental damages due to temperature changes, humidity and corrosion. Th e term GRP implies glass reinforcement and not any other fi bre such as aramid, carbon or polyester (FRP).

Th ere are hundreds of plastic types

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We are a global supplier of plastic piping systems for industrial as well as infrastructure, residential and commercial applications. We are a total solutions provider with an impressive portfolio of successful projects including the Marampa and Tonkolili mines in Sierra Leone. We are a UK manufacturer, bringing a guarantee of quality, reliability and technical expertise. We offer expert project support, and are able to meet the most challenging supply demands, helping customers manage water effectively on time and on cost. We are a thought and practice leader, with a track record of innovation. We are experts. We are Polypipe.

Find out how we can help you. Visit our website: www.polypipe.com/mining or email: [email protected].

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WE ARE THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE PLASTIC PIPING SOLUTIONS WHICH MANAGE WATER, WORLDWIDE

available (such as thermoplastics, ther-mosets, and elastomers), and also many variants of glass reinforcement (such as chopped strand mat, woven rovings and combination mats) – which also diff er be-tween manufacturers. Th erefore, GRP is a description representing an extensive fami-ly of composites with an extremely variable range of properties. Th e type of GRP usu-ally specifi ed for tanks and pipes is a com-posite of glass fi bres with more chemically resistant resin types like vinylester, isoph-thalic polyester or epoxy.

Composite pipes and tanksPipe systems and storage tanks are con-structed from a wide variety of materials such as metals (carbon steel, stainless, al-loys), plastics (thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers), inorganic materials (concrete, ceramics) and wood. Th e ageing behaviour of GRP material depends on diff erent cir-cumstances (time, temperature, media, pressure, etc.). Th e rate of success (life-time) is relative to the composition of the GRP component.

Corrosive and erosive attack determines the service life. Th e exact function of the pipe or tank and its operating conditions are the main considerations in material selection. Cost is also an important factor. But whole-life cost analysis should be used, which not only compares material costs, but should also compare transportation, installation, maintenance and operational costs during the service life of the pipeline or tank. Th e environmental impact of a fail-ing pipe or tank also has to be taken into ac-count. In many cases, GRP pipes and tanks will off er a strong, reliable and cost-eff ec-tive alternative.

Th e many advantages of composites may be summarised as follows:• superior strength- and stiff ness-to-weight

ratios. For the same strength, composites can be 80% lighter than steel and 60% lighter than aluminium

• ability to withstand high, continuous

operating temperatures compared to ther-moplastics: up to 110°C in many compos-ites; even exceeding 200°C in special cases

• highly corrosion-resistant in almost every chemical environment

• electrically insulating in general (depend-ing on reinforcement selected)

• when required, composites can be made electrically conductive or selectively conductive

• low thermal conductivity in general, but can be made conductive when required

• exceptional freedom of design; composites can be formed into many complex shapes

• outstanding durability; well-designed composites are expected to have an al-most infi nite lifetime, even in extremely harsh environments

• corrosion resistance: the non-reactive na-ture of many resins and reinforcements can be custom-selected to resist degrada-tion by many common materials and in corrosive environments

• lower maintenance and replacement costs.

ApplicationsGRP products are often used in very aggres-sive or corrosive environments. Such appli-cations include:• fi re water systems (fi re water (oxygen) can

cause corrosion, especially in partially dry systems). Also, the below-ground environ-ment can be highly aggressive

• chemical process lines• cooling water lines (see fi re water systems)

• demiwater (demineralised water is a highly aggressive medium often causing corrosion)

• industrial effl uent systems• high-pressure pipelines (often containing

aggressive media such as a combination of saltwater and oil, or brine). Th e smooth inner surface of GRP also results in lower friction and higher fl ow effi ciency

• jacket pipes (corrosive soil, non-conduc-tive in railway areas where stray current is a problem)

• exhaust lines and chimneys (corrosive me-dium, lightweight)

• handling and storage of almost all aggres-sive chemicals.

GRP composites have found a wide range of applications in industrial environments over the last four decades. Most progress has been made in the areas of composite pipe work, storage tanks and fl uid handling equipment. Th e high cost of replacing steel (alloys) and the increased service life in new constructions favour the use of composites that withstand extreme conditions.

GRP leads to lower life-cycle costs, re-duced problems with corrosion and a reduction in structural support sizes, and material handling problems during construction. Th e resistance of GRP to corrosion helps to improve reliability and safety. GRP pipes can be used for fi re wa-ter systems, seawater cooling, draining systems, (chemical) process lines, fuel lines, sewerage systems and much more. Th e cost advantages of GRP plant are in-creased even more when they substitute expensive corrosion-resistant alloys such as copper-nickel alloys, duplex/super du-plex stainless steel, and titanium.

Th e selection of suitable resin plays an im-portant role for imparting durability of the composites when exposed to aqueous fl uids or gases.


GRP IN SOUTH AFRICA Industrial water cooling and GRP experts,

Industrial Water Cooling (IWC), based in Isando, Gauteng,

have acquired the Vectus pipe system from Fibrepipe South Africa.

Roger Rusch (left), MD at IWC, says, “The acquisition of

the Vectus pipe system is a solid

addition to

our existing GRP manufacturing plant affording full turnkey GRP solutions across industries in South Africa and Africa.”

The GRP pipe system production method is a discontinuous double-helix reciprocal-fi lament winding process that gives the pipes a balanced combination of axial and hoop mechanical properties. The system also includes a complete range of standardised and special fi ttings.

IWC’s existing GRP design and manufacturing capabilities extend to freestanding GRP cells and GRP liners

for electrolytic and electro-winning metal refi neries; GRP scrubbers, cooling towers, process vessels and GRP storage tanks, plus the design, manufacture and installation of GRP piping and fi ttings from 25 mm up to 2.5 m in diameter, GRP ducting, GRP overwrapped thermoplastics and fl uoroplastics such as polypropylene, HDPE, PVC, PVDF, PFA, ECTFE, pipelines, fi ttings, tanks, process vessels, ducting, stacks, etc., and polypropylene, PVC and HDPE vessels and piping.

b d i I anquisteper RIWcqe Vs

based in Isahave acqpipe sysFibrepi

RogerMD at I“The a

th

Glass-fi bre-reinforced plastics (GRP) are being used as an alternative to steel, stainless steel and rubber-lined steel


GOWRIE FARM is a residential and golf estate in Nottingham Road situated in the KZN Mid-lands. Th e original farm prop-

erty did not have a waterborne sewerage system, therefore installation of a septic tank type of soak-away system was neces-sary. Consultant Drennan, Maud & Part-ners was appointed to carry out a feasibility study of the on-site wastewater disposal and make suitable recommendations.

SolutionTh e proposal suggested that a percola-tion test be carried out for each of the three houses on the property. Typically, a four-bedroom house on this estate pro-duced effl uent of 1 100 litres and needed an eff ective evaporation area of 470 m2. Th e outfl ow from the septic tank was to be dis-charged into a conventional soak-away sys-tem with a minimum length of 31 metres. On-site conditions, including a clay content in the soil, restricted the depth of excava-tion for installation of the drains where deeper excavations may have resulted in

Creative alternativeMines are often established where municipal infrastructure does not exist, such as a waterborne sewerage system. So, ‘what to do’ is the question? Fortunately there are creative alternatives.

the drains being placed on less permea-ble or bedrock material. Kaytech provided an alternative solution to the traditional stone-fi lled drains using the Infi ltrator Chamber System. Th e Infi ltrator chambers provided a maximum exposed infi ltrative area and since they only require an excavat-ed depth of 700 mm to be installed, they made for the most viable option.

Th e Infi ltrator Chamber is a pre-manu-factured open underground unit that acts as a direct replacement for conventional stormwater and wastewater attenuation, promoting effl uent infi ltration into the soil effi ciency. Th e lightweight units and end-caps were supplied separately to maxim-ise transport, handling and storage of the units. Th e Infi ltrator Chamber System is a direct replacement for old-fashioned stone and pipe French drain soak-away and may require as little as half the space, off er-ing designers, installers and homeown-ers greater fl exibility in placement of this French drain soak-away alternative, while minimising disruption of the landscape and saving money. Th e quick installation mini-mised heavy construction traffi c that may damage and compact sensitive soils.

Quick and easy to install, Kaytech’s In-fi ltrator Chambers have the advantage of


being 100% environmentally friendly as they are produced from recycled plastic waste material. Th ey are also chemical-re-sistant and UV stable, with a powerful arch design that supports axle loads of 70 kN, with 300 mm of compacted cover, equiva-lent to an AASHTO H-10 load rating.

A total of 200 Infi ltrator Chambers were manually installed to accommodate the effl uent from the three properties on the estate.

BenefitsCompared to a conventional stone and pipe French drain system, this method halves the installation time and results in a 43% cost-saving of approximately R7 500. On returning to the site after nine months, Kaytech’s system is working eff ectively. Th e benefi ts of Infi ltrator Chambers compared with stone and pipe systems are:• small footprint with equal or better per-

formance allowing less site disruption• larger eff ective infi ltrative area per lin-

ear metre allows installation on limited area sites

• fast, easy installation saves time and money• equivalent or greater storage capacity

means increased safety factor and peace of mind

• higher long-term acceptance rate guaran-tees a reliable, top-performing system

• patented sidewalls provide maximum infi ltration

• entire bottom of chamber is open for un-obstructed infi ltration into soil.

Kaytech’s superior technology includes: easy to handle lengths, which allow for

more installation fl exibility; system sizing determined by local shaping capabilities; advanced contouring capability with Contour Swivel Con-nection; StraightLock Tabs ensure straight alignment, compact nest-ling provides more trench length in a smaller storage area; and Multi-Port End Caps off er multiple piping options and minimise the use of pipe fi ttings.

University laboratory research and extended fi eld evaluation has verifi ed the infi ltrative effi ciency of the open-surface architecture pro-vided by Infi ltrator Chamber Sys-tems over old-fashioned stone and pipe systems.

DIAGRAM 1 (Below left) The Infi ltrator Chamber System. Highly effective, easy to install


INNOVATION ALLIANCE (Pty) Ltd

VALUE ENGINEERINGThe real ‘experts’ work in your company. They know it best and we know how to draw tailored solutions from their knowledge and experience.

Value engineering breeds workers who are personally invested in the company. It creates optimal solutions for unique problems and both saves and generates revenue.

Visit www.inall.co.za or call 082 377 5127 for answers.



RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIPof this vital resource is a must, but how do we determine opti-mal solutions that will benefi t

both the business and the community?Creative and practical solutions for sus-

tainable water management are essential for good mining practice. Not only do mines need to use water in signifi cant quantities, but the water that comes into contact with mining activities also can have contact with communities around the facility and far downstream.

Current debates on the potential of cli-mate change due to our excessive use of fossil fuels over the past 150 years has highlighted the potential crisis that many communities may experience through is-sues pertaining to water. In some regions of the world, the incidence of violent storms and fl oods presents a particularly dramat-ic scenario, while the prospects for Africa

Value-driven water management solutionsBY JONATHAN MEINTJES

are much the opposite, with the potential for harsh and protracted droughts. In any event, water, or the lack of it, is going to be a strong focus in the years to come.

Mining, by virtue of its nature, needs wa-ter and also can be a potential contaminant of this precious commodity. Communities downstream of mines are vulnerable, where water fl owing from mine properties is used for drinking and washing. Where water is tainted with traces of poisons like arsenic and cadmium, the consequences of usage can be disastrous.

Given the fact that many, if not most, mines in Africa are in water-scarce places, the potential for recycling of this commod-ity becomes a priority. Th e problem is, how eff ectively and what is the appropriate treatment necessary to ensure that it is safely reusable? What works in one place may not necessarily work in another and for that reason unique solutions need to be

developed. It is therefore disingenuous to attempt to foist a one-size-fi ts-all solution on any given operation.

Notwithstanding, there is a fi ne balance between responsible care and cost. Unique solutions sometimes are prohibitively ex-pensive and the temptation is to overlay the problem with a generic solution that costs less. Th e problem with this is that re-sults may be less than satisfactory and, in the long run, may end up costing more.

A useful mechanism for design ing and developing systems is a workshop process known as value engineering. Th is process has been used to identify and develop op-timal solutions to a range of operational problems and opportunities. Th e process used evolved in response to the manufac-turing requirements of General Electric during the Second World War. Value en-gineering is a function-based approach to problem solving which ensures that opti-mal value is achieved.

Typically, a value-engineering approach would draw on the intellectual resources of a wide range of people who have an im-pact on the problem or opportunity being addressed. Th is ensures that ownership for the solutions is achieved across the organ-isation and not just with one department perceived as having the vested interest in it. Th e process is consensus-driven, which also means that the results are fully owned by everyone.

Mines that need to address their water is-sues – be they around the interaction with the operation and the surrounding com-munities, or in the process of recycling the resource for internal use – would do well to develop value-driven solutions using prov-en techniques such as value engineering. Ultimately, a carefully thought-through, consensus-driven method will yield ben-efi ts that will be far better than a generic one-size-fi ts-all approach.


THIS & THAT

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

Atlas Copco 36

Babcock 49

Bell Equipment 42

Booyco Electronics 35

Golder Associates 19

Hansen Industrial Gearboxes 47

Innovation Alliance 55

Kaytech IBC

Mining Indaba 2

Mintek OBC

M&J Engineering 46

Na-Sera 44

NuWater OFC

Polypipe 52

Pumptron 51

Southern Mapping 31

Tega Industries 38

Trysome IFC

Weir Minerals 40

In remembrance...A brave artist and sculptor – himself a victim of a shooting – has come forward with a vision to create a lasting symbol, a memorial of remembrance to the Marikana miners who died.

IT WAS A CHANCE meeting. Tony Stone, editor of Inside Mining, and George Togara-Mudzvovera, artist, sculptor and curator of the Daville

Baillie Gallery, got talking when Tony vis-ited the Gallery to view the Kim Ludbrook ‘Mandela 2.8’ exhibition.

George, a permanent resident in South Africa who hails from Zimbabwe, was shot twice in the stomach and once in his right hand while on his way home in Mondeor south of Johannesburg. Followed from a bank in Johannesburg to Monde-or, the criminal opened fi re when George put up a struggle for his brief-case. After two months in

the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and some months recuperating, George has nothing but praise for the hospital staff .

Now, this single father of a boy – because of his own experience – wants to honour the Marikana dead and wounded. Tony, who subsequently visited Marikana after that fateful day, was moved by the three small white crosses that bedeck the not-too-big mound of rock upon which the

miners stood. For miles around this there is nothing but fl at ground. In a way, the mound of rock stands defi antly, like the miners themselves, refusing to budge. But such stubbornness can be dissolved by a mightier power, as happened to the miners.

Th e Farlam Commission found that the police were clearly untrained and disor-ganised, unable to manage a protest situa-tion and, when that small group of miners approached them, all discipline, of what-ever they had, faded. Panic and individual self-preservation set in. When the smoke cleared, 34 men were dead, including the green-blanketed man.

Th e tragedy of Marikana was that the lives of fathers, sons and brothers were lost because leadership failed, the miners were misled and communications broke down. But, the time has come to heal. In the process, we need to learn and put past mistakes behind us. We need to build our future, together. At the same time, we need to remember the dead.

Th is is where the idea of a memorial comes in – one that refl ects the bravery of all who died, the struggle for a better life, the travesty of the entire incident while at the same time embracing the principles Madiba left us in his legacy: that to heal we must forgive and reconcile.

It is planned that the unveiling of the memorial sculpture will be attended by the people, family members and loved ones, the Minister of Minerals and Energy and mining executives to commemorate the second anniversary of the Marikana massacre.

A sponsor is needed for the creation of the sculp-

ture, its transport and installation. Anyone who

is interested can contact Tony Stone via email at

[email protected].

Engineering Growth through Infrastructure Modern infrastructure is the key to economic growth, job creation and raising living standards and the quality of life.

Kaytech has the products and professional engineering support to meet the needs of your specifi c infrastructural project.

For more information, contact Kaytech today.

bidim R

octa

rine

3845

Johannesburg 011 922 3300Port Elizabeth 041 453 0755East London 043 727 1055Cape Town 021 531 8110Durban 031 717 2300www.kaytech.co.za

Documents

Inside Mining November December 2014