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Partnerships lower cost of ownership

MAXIMUM RECOVERY The stainless steel thickeners in Roytec’s counter-current decantation circuit are designed to ensure the maximum recovery of copper and cobalt after each acid leaching step

LARGEST FILTERS IN AFRICA Roytec supplied vacuum belt filters to Eurasian Resources Group’s Boss 50 mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Pictured are Roytec CEO Alan Fanton, Roytec project manager Piet Kruger and ERC project director Hakkies Griesel

4th November 2016

By: Robyn Wilkinson

Features Reporter

  

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In response to the mining industry’s focus on lowering capital and operating costs, filtration and separations solutions provider Roytec Global, whose R240-million order book is predominantly filled by large African mining projects, has concentrated its manufacturing capacity in China, enabling it to reduce total cost of ownership of some of its products by up to 60%.

Roytec has cultivated long-term licence and support agreements with strategic partners in China for the development and manufacture of filtration products, enabling it to produce many of its major components at a lower cost than would be possible in South Africa or Europe.

“There is currently very little money available in the mining sector for new projects and, therefore, there is a strong focus on lowering capital costs and reducing total cost of ownership to make operations viable. A great deal of Roytec’s product development has been in line with this and our success in this endeavor is evident in the number of African mining projects in which we have been involved,” says Roytec marketing and business development director Peter Sampson.

He notes that an area of particular interest for the company is the copper and cobalt region in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): “There are rich mineral deposits there and several interesting projects in the pipeline, if capital can be raised.”

Roytec is involved in two notable projects in the DRC, both of which are scheduled to be commissioned before the end of the year. The first project involves the supply of four vacuum belt filters to diversified minerals company Eurasian Resources Group’s Boss 50 mine. At 145 m2 each, the company says, the filters are the largest of their kind to be installed at any mine in Africa.

Sampson highlights that partnering with Chinese filtration company Yantai Tongxing for the manufacture of the filters’ major components enabled Roytec to reduce the cost of the capital installation of the filters by an estimated 35%.

Employing a three-stage, countercurrent cake-washing system to deliver the best possible efficiency, the filters will assist in copper recovery after tank leaching. The filters are a combination of 316 stainless steel and mild steel, and are fitted with standard European- and South African-brand mechanical components, which are fully serviced and guaranteed by Roytec.

The filters were delivered free on board 12 weeks after the contract had been signed and Roytec has carried out on-site testwork and completed the process specification in conjunction with the client’s engineers. A dual-feed system, allowing for a precoat of coarse material, before the addition of flocculated fines, was also specified by the client as part of the project.

The second project entails the supply of a countercurrent decantation (CCD) circuit to mining company Shalina Resources subsidiary Lubumbashi-based Chemaf’s Etoile copper and cobalt project, as part of a plant engineered by Johannesburg-based project management company Senet.

Sampson explains that the CCD circuit comprises five 35-m-diameter stainless steel thickeners, which are designed to ensure the maximum recovery of copper and cobalt after the acid leaching step.

In response to the common misconception that products produced in China might be of an inferior quality to those produced in other parts of the world, Sampson stresses that Roytec and its customers have been impressed by the high quality of the products produced by its Chinese partners.

In addition to supplying products that have been tailored to support the African mining industry, Samson highlights, Roytec offers ongoing technical support to its customers through plant optimisation services and service-level agreements. He notes that a high reliance by mine operators on vendors for technical support is a common trend in the African mining sector, leading Roytec to make this aspect a priority in its offering.

Key Partnerships
Roytec has signed a long-term licence and support agreement with Chinese mining technology institute the Beijing General Research Institute for Mining and Metallurgy (BGRIMM), covering the BGRIMM’s supply of mineral flotation technology in Africa.

The BGRIMM has been active in flotation research, design and construction since 1956 and its machinery and automation technology division is the leading float cell supplier in Asia, having governed over 80% of the Asian market, with over 20 000 float cells in operation on the continent.

Roytec highlights that the BGRIMM has extensive experience in the flotation of different mineral types and offers some novel technologies. One such technology is an internal pumping mechanism for middlings and froth, allowing for flat cell layouts and the elimination of interbank pumps.

Following the success of the BGRIMM’s float cells on platinum-group metals in the Rustenburg area, in South Africa, and copper oxides and sulphides in the DRC and Zambia, the institute is assisting a large South African copper sulphide flotation project in designing and manufacturing 16 cells. The institute will also supply a further 50 cells for a graphite concentrator being constructed in Mozambique.

Roytec will support the BGRIMM in a range of services, including testwork, equipment sizing, adaptation to South African standards, project execution, commissioning, after-sales service and the local stocking of spares. The combination of the BGRIMM’s technology, economical Chinese fabrication and strong local support from Roytec provides local clients with an attractive option for their flotation needs, says Roytec.

The company has also signed an exclusive licence agreement with filter press technology company Xingyuan Filters for the supply of filter presses to the Southern African mining and industrial markets. The agreement enables Roytec to cover the upfront research, testing, equipment specification and basic design for filter press applications in Africa, as well as subcontract manufacturing to Xingyuan’s manufacturing facility, in China.

All mechanicals fitted to the filter presses are well serviced South African and European brands, ensuring ease of maintenance during the filters’ life cycles, states Roytec. Fully automated presses are available in sizes of up to 800 m2.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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