Resource company Merafe Resources improved its ferrochrome production in the first quarter of 2013 by 3% over the comparative 2012 period on the back on enhanced overall furnace performance, realising attributable production of 67 000 t.

The furnaces, at the company’s Tswelopele pelletising plant, in Rustenburg, exceeded expectation in terms of production volumes and efficiencies, owing to the successful commissioning and ramp-up of the plant.

Additional production was surrendered in the first quarter of 2013 as a result of State-owned power utility Eskom’s buy-back arrangements, which would be effective until May 31.

Merafe’s production upsurge emulated the boost in the European benchmark ferro- chrome price, which saw producers achieving a 13% increase from 112.5c/lb in the first quar- ter of 2013 to 127c/lb in the second quarter.

The company reports that the R900-million Tswelopele pelletising and sintering plant was completed on schedule and within budget, being hot-commissioned on October 7 and reaching its designed production capacity within two months of operation.

Further, it says a period of over 1.6-million hours was worked without any lost-time injuries.

“The project’s approach to safety was to keep it simple. It used a one-page document to summarise the high-risk activities facing a team on a particular day and to explain to the team how to perform these activities safely. Supervision levels were improved by not allowing more than 15 team members to work without a supervisor. Management practised ongoing visible felt leadership and there was zero tolerance for any deviation from the project’s 20 cardinal rules,” says Merafe Resources.

The project also achieved positive audit results on both internal and external audits for all aspects of project management.

The capacity of the plant is 600 000 t/y of pellets.

“Since it went into production, the ore and electricity consumption efficiencies of the Rustenburg plant have improved by more than 21% and 11% respectively. Other advantages are that the plant will produce less slag, emit fewer fugitive emissions and use less water and diesel by reducing transport requirements.
“The plant also enables the use of more upper group 2 (UG2) ore that cannot be used without being agglomerated,” it said.

The principal constituents of UG2 ore are chromitite (60% to 90%), orthopyroxene and plagioclase, as well as minor amounts of talc, chlorite and phlogopite. It also contains smaller amounts of base-metal sulphides and other sulphides, as well as platinum-group minerals. The base-metal sulphides are pre- dominantly pentlandite, chalcopyrite, pyrrho-tite, pyrite, and to a lesser extent millerite.