Materials handling equipment supplier Big Lift Trucks (BLT) has been appointed the official distributor in Africa for global trommel screens and apron feeder specialist MDS International.

This development, announced in May, is in line with its “carefully structured” expansion programme – an ongoing policy of extending the company’s range of materials handling equipment to meet exact market demand in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

“MDS trommels and apron feeders, which are available from BLT on a fully serviced rental basis, are designed specifically for mineral processing and recycling applications,” says BLT MD Ken Mouritzen.

He notes that these flexible systems are used to remove the small fractions, or fines, from a waste stream to make the remaining material easier to handle for the operators or for processing equipment. Trommels are used in the classification of solid waste, the treatment of wastewater and the recovery of valuable minerals from raw materials. They are also used in the screening process of composts and in the food industry to sort dry foods of different sizes and shapes.

MDS trommels can be designed and manufactured to specification and will, therefore, vary in terms of width, diameter and the aperture of the holes in the trommel’s cylinder. The size of fines removed by the trommel screen is predetermined by the holes in the trommel drum and varies depending on the operation, waste stream, volume of material and product specifications.

Heavy-duty MDS trommels, which are available as mobile and stationary units, have output capacities of between 250 t/h and 1 000 t/h and can handle rock sizes of up to 1.5 m.

The M515 track trommel, with a 30 t hopper capacity, is supplied with fold-out stockpiling conveyors and is ideal for moving around the quarry and from one site to the next. BLT notes that the M515 is the most popular in the MDS range and can produce three products concurrently at more than 400 t/h.

Mouritzen points out that, in a project that took place this year, the M515 removed fines of up to 120 mm using the swivel fines conveyor at its rear. A midsized product (120 mm to 250 mm) was produced by the left conveyor and oversized materials (250 mm to 750 mm) were expelled from the front of the machine. “A notable feature of this unit is that it can also . . . separate difficult and sticky materials,” he says.

MDS notes that the unit is being used in Australia, the US, the UK and the rest of Europe in the toughest mining conditions. The M515 also featured in the live-demonstration area at the 2016 Hillhead exhibition, which ran from June 28 to 30 at the Hillhead quarry, in Derbyshire, UK.

Mouritzen adds that the MDS M615 static trommels are designed for removing soils and fines from riprap (overburden) or blasted rock. These machines have an output capacity of between 350 t/h and 500 t/h.

The M820 unit is a large, heavy-duty rock trommel capable of screening rock of up to 1 m in size at about 750 t/h. This modular machine is available with three or four splits and is suitable for cleaning dirty rock or for screening blasted material.

Additionally, the static M825 machine handles rock of up to 1.5 m in size. Mouritzen explains that the unit is suitable as a primary screen for material coming directly from a blast site. The M825 has a 100 t/h capacity, can be loaded by dump trucks, has an output of 1 250 t/h and is available with a hydraulic rock breaker.

The heavy-duty, recycling M820R trommel, with 15-mm-thick steel screens and apertures between 10 mm and 250 mm, is designed for concrete and demolition waste separation.

Also in the range is the M520R, which is used for light recycling materials, including compost and bark. Screens, with apertures between 5 mm and 50 mm, can be changed easily to suit specific requirements. This machine has an output capacity of about 15 t/h.

The MDS apron feeders, with an electric or hydraulic drive, are available as standard units for quarries, aggregates or recycling applications and as heavy-duty machines for the mining of ore and coal.

BLT also supplies an extensive range of container handling equipment, as well as variable-reach trucks, mobile container handlers and terminal tractors. Automated bulk handling systems include link conveyors, grab hoppers, surface feeders, radial boom stackers and mobile shiploaders.

The company offers technical advisory, spare parts and maintenance services throughout Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.