Boral Limited has over the years secured its market leading position with the development of three main divisions, namely construction materials, cement and a diverse range of building products. Alongside significant operations in the US and Asia, Boral has successfully established its Boral Construction Materials division in the domestic market, with about 400 operating sites, ensuring the construction materials division has a regional focus to serve the company?s local markets.
With the recent growth in the contracting sector, water and materials recycling has become an increasingly important consideration for Boral, allowing the company to efficiently meet demand for quality aggregates while continuing to improve environmental management for the protection of areas in which it operates.
Situated in Moora, north of Perth, Boral was on contract with a quarry operation owned by Simcoa Operations, a company committed to producing the world?s highest quality silicon from a site that has been in operation for more than 20 years.
At the outset, Boral?s aim was to produce a high quality quartzite ore for use by Simcoa in its silicon production process. This ore is typically 7-25mm in size, with all 0-7mm previously being sent to the waste lagoons.
Boral essentially wanted to implement a process whereby water could be recycled and recovered from within an extremely dry climate.
Paul O? Brien, Boral?s fixed plant engineering manager, began a consultation process with CDE Global, a specialist in sand washing and recovery plant.
After this initial consultation, CDE offered a design and proposal that demonstrated efficiencies in operations and huge savings in material recovery. CDE ultimately designed, manufactured and installed a system that eliminated the loss of quality fines (0-5mm) to nearby settling ponds while controlling water levels for reprocessing.
As a result of its operating needs, Boral invested in a CDE EvoWash 101 fines recovery sand plant complete with an M1508 radial stockpile conveyor and a LQPP 25 flocculant make-up and dosing system.
With the chosen equipment, the end result is a high quality, fine sand recovery with an efficient cut at 63 micron (um). Before the introduction of the new CDE fines recovery plant, the operation was losing a significant proportion of quality fines to the waste ponds.
The main ore product is 7-25mm and is smelted by Simcoa Operations for a variety of purposes, including silicon chips, improving the strength of aluminium, optical glass and use in solar energy, namely the production of solar panels.
Boral?s Moora quarry manager Jeff Post said: ?The washing equipment from CDE Global has allowed operations to accurately separate at 63um, which has in turn produced a high quality sand product with low moisture levels, while rapidly recirculating water following treatment processing.
We are now recovering and producing 25 to 30 tonnes per hour of quality sand, with the total feed rate to the plant being 225 tph. This technology has allowed us to increase efficiency by reducing the costs incurred through pond dredging to recover sand we had lost using the previous system.?
The improved opportunities for the recycling of process water and reduction of fines to settling ponds have facilitated a move to production throughout the year, whereas previously the site was operating over an eight month period.
The by-products of the production process are currently sold to third parties in the region for various uses including further processing and general aggregate use, thus ensuring there is zero waste from the process.
?We are delighted to be working with Boral in Australia and hope that the efficiencies realised at Moora allow us to build our relationship over the coming months and years,? CDE global sales director Enda Ivanoff said. ?
Source: CDE Global