Hanson’s Flagstaff Gully Quarry in Lindisfarne, about 10km east of Hobart, Tasmania, was presented with the Environmental Innovation Award at the Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia Environmental, Health and Safety Awards in Melbourne on 27 October.
The site, which has been operating since the 1960s, is notable for being developed on the eastern side of the Meehan Range at an elevation of 330m.
Incomplete earthworks meant the only way to the main crushing site was via a dirt road over a steep incline, preventing access to heavy haulage transport.
Hanson decided to use gravity to its advantage by developing a downhill, power-generating conveyor.
An 840m conveyor delivers processed aggregate from a modular Terex MJ47 primary crusher – installed in 2015 – to the main processing plant below.
The movement of the conveyor generates electricity for use by other equipment on the site.
Frank Carpenter, the quarry manager at Flagstaff Gully, told Quarry the plant had been able to maintain an average throughput of 350 to 400 tph while also achieving some “good” regenerative power statistics.
He added some “finetuning” had taken place to optimise the MJ47 plant.
“It was rewarding to have won, it meant that all involved could take pride and recognition for this project,” Carpenter said. “I would like to congratulate all involved with this project.”
Tasmanian Government Minister for Resources Guy Barnett congratulated all involved at Hanson on the “well-deserved award”.
“Turning a liability into an opportunity, Hanson’s solution reduces its environmental impact, with reduced energy usage, reduced fossil fuel use and improved dust and noise emissions,” Barnett commented.
“This is a great example of the innovation that Tasmanian industry is capable of delivering to solve problems and deliver positive outcomes.”
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