Why quarries are critical to a net-zero future

Kayasand-manufactured sand uses up to 20 per cent less cement than natural sand to create concrete of the same strength.

Kayasand believes quarries are critical to the construction industry’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The United Nations warning of a global sand shortage was described by United Nations Environment Programme’s Pascal Peduzzi as the “elephant in the room” for the 21st century.

The world’s second most consumed material is used to make roads, bridges and houses. Given the world’s reliance on natural sand in concrete creation, the “elephant in the room” left many searching for sustainable alternatives.

Manufactured sand is often used as a substitute for natural sand in concrete, especially in areas where accessible natural sand sources are scarce or of poor quality. This is also true in countries where heavy government regulation limits companies mining natural sand for construction.

Manufactured sand used to be solely about repurposing surplus quarry materials, like crusher dust. It was often labelled unequal to natural sand in concrete production, especially in developed construction industries. However, it has come a long way since it first entered the market.

Kayasand believes with the innovative technology available today, it’s more consistent in quality and performance and can be precisely engineered for specific construction applications.

When processed well, this ‘engineered’ sand has many advantages over traditionally manufactured sands: precise shape, good particle size distribution, no contamination, and regular consistency. In fact, it produces stronger concrete than many natural sands with less cement.

Kayasand trials show that concrete made with Kayasand-manufactured sand uses up to 20 per cent less cement than natural sand to create concrete of the same strength.

While most countries support the future of manufactured sand, not all of them have embraced its potential. New Zealand Green Investment Finance delivered $3.5 million earlier this year to support Kayasand’s first V7 high-technology manufacturing demonstration plant in the Waikato region of New Zealand.

Global bodies, including the United Nations, have warned about the shortage of natural sand and the need to reduce carbon emissions, so manufactured sand is set to become an increasingly critical construction material.

A United Nations Environment Programme report suggests that 50 billion tons of sand and gravel are used yearly. This makes it the second most used resource after water.

In an interview with Quarry, Kayasand’s national sales manager, Frank Grech, said the opportunity for quarries selling manufactured sand is better than ever.

Kayasand-manufactured sand uses up to 20 per cent less cement than natural sand to create concrete of the same strength.

The process

Innovative technology, like Kayasand’s Kemco quad-deck air screens and V7 sand plants, makes the process dust-free, low-noise and uses no water for washing. This means quarries no longer need sediment ponds or water tailings and there are no hidden costs for water management.

Kayasand’s unique design combines the accuracy of mesh screens with the high throughput of air classification system. Their equipment specialises in screening materials that have high fines content. The fully enclosed nature of the V7 plant limits dust exposure, while its negative pressure from the built-in dust extractor keeps dust contained and away from operators.

Waste glass can be recycled into concrete sand. Cement substitutes can be created from limestone filler and waste slag using Kayasand’s V7 plant.

Grech says this versatility allows quarries to reduce their environmental impact while increasing revenue opportunities and enabling a circular economy

Researchers are exploring ways to enhance the properties of manufactured sand for use in sustainable concrete mixes.

By incorporating manufactured sand in innovative concrete formulations (such as carbon-sequestering concrete or high-performance, sustainable concrete), the construction industry can reduce its carbon footprint per unit of construction material.

Grech said engineering sand to have highly consistent properties, allows for more precise and optimised concrete mix designs.

This can lead to reduced material wastage during construction, which, in turn, facilitates a project’s overall carbon footprint.

ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS

Using manufactured sand enables the construction industry to minimise waste generation and maximise resource utilisation to align with sustainable development principles and carbon reduction reporting requirements.

It helps to conserve natural resources by reducing the riverbed and coastal sand demand. Preserving these ecosystems can help mitigate carbon emissions associated with habitat destruction.

Manufactured sand produced in quarries is often closer to construction sites, reducing the need for long-distance transportation. Producing sand locally allows quarries to help reduce transportation emissions.

Grech said transporting natural sand over significant distances can result in higher emissions due to fuel consumption.

Given this and companies are trying to

find ways to lower costs, it makes sense to

embrace sustainable materials, like high

quality, ‘engineered’ sand, and move

towards a circular economy.

Peduzzi, who coordinated the United Nations Environment Programme’s report on the sand shortage, has supported the push for such an economy.

“If we can get a grip on how to manage the most extracted solid material in the world, we can avert a crisis and move toward a circular economy,” he said.

“To achieve sustainable development, we need to drastically change the way we produce, build and consume products, infrastructures and service.”

The environmental benefits, lower carbon footprint, repeatable design quality, and circular economic potential make manufactured sand a viable and scalable solution.

By embracing manufactured sand, the construction industry across the value chain can build a more sustainable future.

As the construction industry sets its sights on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, quarries that sell quality manufactured sand are essential to the vision. •

For more information, visit kayasand.com

Australia’s new largest gold miner

TIM BOND

The Cadia gold operation in New South Wales.

Newcrest Mining disappears from the ASX, having been officially swallowed-up by gold giant Newmont.

The takeover creates a veritable gold behemoth in control of over half of the world’s Tier-1 gold assets. The enlarged Newmont, which sees foreign ownership of Australian gold assets rise above 50 per cent, will oversee 10 “large, long-life, low-cost Tier-1” operations across the world.

Newmont already owned the Boddington and Tanami gold operations in Australia and will now add Cadia and Telfer to the fold. This puts Newmont in control of four out of six of Australia’s largest gold mines.

Other additions include the Brucejack and Red Chris operations in Canada, which are located nearby Newmont’s Saddle North project. Newmont president and chief executive officer Tom Palmer called this combination of gold assets a “golden triangle”.

The Lihir operation in Papua New Guinea will also fall under Newmont’s control.

Newmont expects to generate pre-tax synergies of $500 million, and at least $2 billion in cash improvements, in the first two years after closing the deal as it optimises its portfolio of assets.

“Today marks a historic milestone in our company and the industry with the successful completion of this transformational acquisition of Newcrest by Newmont,” Palmer said.

“Our attention now turns to safely, efficiently, and responsibly integrating Newcrest’s assets and people into Newmont’s proven operating model, so we can accelerate the delivery of our value-focused strategy for all our stakeholders.”

Australia’s new largest gold miner

TIM BOND2 days ago

The Cadia gold operation in New South Wales.

Newcrest Mining disappears from the ASX, having been officially swallowed-up by gold giant Newmont.

The Lihir operation in Papua New Guinea will also fall under Newmont’s control.

Newmont expects to generate pre-tax synergies of $500 million, and at least $2 billion in cash improvements, in the first two years after closing the deal as it optimises its portfolio of assets.

“Today marks a historic milestone in our company and the industry with the successful completion of this transformational acquisition of Newcrest by Newmont,” Palmer said.

Revealed: Kinder Australia unveil new chief executive officer

ADAM DAUNT

Charles Pratt is the new CEO of Kinder Australia. Picture: Kinder Australia

Kinder Australia has announced a major step for the company by unveiling a new chief executive officer.

The Australian company has appointed long-time employee Charles Pratt to take the top job after starting his journey with Kinder more than two decades ago.

Kinder Australia founders Neil and Christine Kinder have transitioned into managerial roles on the company’s advisory board. Neil will maintain his role as a managing director.

In a statement, Kinder welcomed the promotion of Pratt as the company prepares to celebrate its 39th anniversary in the bulk handling industry next year.

“Charles Pratt is characterised by his unwavering diligence and diplomatic approach to achieve the best possible outcomes and practical solutions,” they said.

“He encourages a culture of inclusiveness and upskilling – qualities that have played a pivotal role in his rapid rise within the company.

“His hands-on experience and profound understanding of heavy process industries make him a remarkable problem solver, not only for Kinder but also for the company’s valued customers.

“Charles has an uncanny ability to dive deep and uncover issues, often identifying challenges that even the most discerning customer might overlook.”

Pratt previously served Kinder as the operations manager and is remaining as a company shareholder.

Surface mining at its Zenith

ALEXANDRA EASTWOOD

Zenith in action.

With its next generation of ground-engaging tools, supported by intelligent digital offerings, Bradken is driving the future of surface mining.

B radken has evolved over the past 100 years to become a leading wear solutions provider to the global mining and resources market, delivering ground-engaging tools (GET), bucket and undercarriage solutions that equip customers to achieve their production objectives.

The company’s range includes mining buckets for excavators, face shovels and front-end loaders. Its buckets have long been known for their proven quality, reliability and performance.

The cast beam bucket, the latest in Bradken’s bucket range, takes that proven history of success and dials it up to 11.

“Buckets are traditionally fabricated and that inherently means you have structural welds in areas that are highly stressed and fatigue prone – particularly around the upper structure or beam of the bucket,” Bradken head of product and marketing, Simon Burgoyne, told Australian Mining.

“This results in a lot of bucket maintenance cost and asset downtime.

“We have leveraged our foundry expertise to design a new bucket that converts the entire beam into a casting. The cast structure gave us the freedom to design smoother and more organic transitions, placing steel where it’s needed to reduce stress throughout the beam. Importantly, the design eliminates welds from fatigue-prone areas and that, along with Bradken’s proprietary alloy, has produced a structure with significantly longer fatigue life that is more durable and reliable.”

Bradken is delivering an optimised future.

The result is a bucket that delivers a stronger, safer, and more productive solution than a fabricated counterpart.

“We’re projecting that the cast beam will last up to 2.5 times longer than a fabricated bucket,” Burgoyne said. “This gives the customer a reliable asset, less downtime repairing buckets, and better productivity as the shape of the bucket has been optimised for dig efficiency.”

The Zenith plate lip GET system is also new to Bradken’s range. Engineered to minimise dig energy and extend the wear life of its points, the Zenith design is reliable and intuitive to use.

“Zenith is a next-generation plate lip GET system from Bradken and has been engineered to suit excavators from 100-tonne up to the 250-tonne class,” Burgoyne said.

The Zenith plate lips currently come in standard, long and heavy-duty options, to suit all application requirements.

Beyond efficiency, Zenith is designed to keep workers safe.

“Once GET has been used for a long time, it can become fused to the bucket and requires tools like sledgehammers and oxy torches to remove it,” Burgoyne said.

“This exposes operators to all sorts of hazards, including burns, hammer strikes and dangerous metal shards.

“The industry has been trying to move away from using hammers with GET for a while now. A lot of vendors have been able to introduce locking systems that don’t require hammers to remove points, but very few have been able to produce a truly hammer-free GET system like Zenith.

“Zenith has been designed so that it doesn’t require a hammer on the lock or in the removal of any part from the lip. It stays on when you want it to stay on, and it’s easily removed when you want to take it off.”

In support of these innovations and building on its longstanding digital product, SmartLiner, used in fixed plant for asset management and condition monitoring, Bradken is further expanding its digital offerings to include a range of solutions that enable customers to get the most out of their GET.

Bradken’s GETVision solution provides a remote monitoring system that detects GET on mining buckets and alerts operators if they become lost, delivering an operational benefit that reduces downtime and costs related to delayed production.

“Through the use of a vision system and object detection algorithms, GETVision detects the loss of GET on a machine, which can be quite disruptive to production were it to fall into plant equipment,” Bradken principal product manager, digital, Tim Radbone told Australian Mining. “It’s a huge problem when an uncrushable bit of steel falls off and gets stuck inside a crusher, for example.”

GETVision alerts operators in the event of GET loss, helping mine sites avoid catastrophic and expensive disruptions.

Bradken Inspect is another digital tool the company has developed.

Bradken Inspect is a mobile app allowing operators to digitally capture wear-life data for GET, helping to efficiently coordinate change-out timing for maintenance scheduling and monitor wear trends for forecasting maintenance programs.

“GET wear-life data has historically been captured on paper which is easily lost and difficult to collate for any useful analysis or insights,” Radbone said.

“Bradken Inspect allows workers to capture that information digitally to provide sites with a more detailed level of understanding of their GET usage.”

Bradken Inspect can be used both online and offline to capture information and supply detailed reports. Report outcomes allow the operations to determine wear metrics relevant to conditions and maintenance requirements.

“Whether a site’s GET is lasting three months or they’re chewing through parts on a daily basis, Bradken Inspect can help customers understand GET wear rates and performance across their fleet,” Radbone said.

The latest additions to Bradken’s range of GET, along with the supporting digital tools, are helping to make operations more predictable, safer and efficient. From its traditional manufacturing origins to today’s mining solutions brand, Bradken is constantly pushing the envelope when it comes to surface mining technology.

Next-generation WEDA D95 dewatering pump delivers strong performance

ALEXANDRA EASTWOOD

Atlas Copco has launched a next-generation electric submersible dewatering pump, the WEDA D95, incorporating state-of-the-art Wear Deflector technology.

The robust and reliable pump delivers a best-in-class performance over a longer lifetime than comparable pumps in heavily abrasive environments such as mining, tunnelling and construction, and enables operators to improve their sustainability and productivity.

WEDA D95 has a power rating of 37–43 kilowatts (kW) and is the latest pump in the WEDA D drainage range to feature the innovative Wear Deflector technology designed to minimise wear and provide consistent performance over a longer operating life.

Features such as a high chrome wear resistant impeller combined with solid-redirecting auxiliary vanes contribute towards its performance. The pump also features re-adjustable hydraulics which allow the pump to be simply realigned to compensate for any wear, thus prolonging its life.

All these elements have a significant positive impact on the overall operational productivity, meaning users can achieve a lower total cost of ownership.

“There are often many suspended solids in harsh applications which can cause excessive abrasion and wear to the internal workings of the pump,” Atlas Copco Power and Flow product marketing manager – submersible pumps Bart Duijvelaar said.

“At Atlas Copco, we are driven by innovation, and so we have taken the fundamental design of the drainage pump back to the drawing board. We have optimised the hydraulic design using computational fluid dynamics and applied 21^st century manufacturing techniques combined with decades of experience to produce this new long-lasting and reliable pump.”

The pump has also been built with maintenance and serviceability front of mind. Thanks to the clever design, users can also carry out inspection and maintenance on site themselves and reduce downtime and associated costs. For example, the mechanical seal is a unique stainless-steel single cartridge, rather than many separate components, and so it is easy to replace in one piece.

For Atlas Copco Power and Flow achieving a more sustainable future is crucial. Therefore, facilitating the repairability of its pumps has been at the forefront of the design to ensure less time-consuming maintenance and best-in-class service support. It gives a second life to these pumps with increased uptime.

WEDA D95 also features external oil inspection screws. Operators can easily access the screws to check the quality of the oil and the health status of the seal without having to dismantle the whole pump. This makes preventive maintenance easy so users can detect problems before they lead to failure.

Overall, with the ease of service, it is possible to readjust the pump to the original performance without changing many parts. The pump’s repairability prolongs the life of the pump, giving it a second life and contributing towards a more sustainable future.

Additionally, the pumps in the D range are available with various accessories including different types of discharge connections, pump rafts and zinc anodes to provide extra corrosion resistance.

The new WEDA D95 pumps are backed by Atlas Copco’s service team and supported by a wide network of local dealers and technicians worldwide with readily available parts to help users keep their operations up and running to improve productivity.

With state-of-the-art manufacturing and 3D modelling tools, Atlas Copco is addressing product performance and technical challenges at the design stage. The WEDA D95 submersible pump is the latest example of a well-crafted and thoughtfully designed pump range, with more models expected in the company’s portfolio in the coming years.

KERAMOS

Keramos is located in Port Kennedy, Western Australia in the heart of the Western Australian mining industry. We have customers throughout all states of Australia and supply throughout the world to countries including New Zealand, Laos, Dominican Republic, Solomon Islands, Senegal, South Africa, Mali, Tanzania and Ghana.

Keramos acquires C-Tech Engineering, a metal fabrication business located in the industrial hub of Canning Vale, Western Australia. C-Tech will be fully integrated into Keramos, and we are excited to welcome the experience and expertise of the C-Tech team to Keramos.

Read about Keramos silicon carbide ceramic cyclone overflow pipes and how we can extend the wear life and increase the reliability of pipes in slurry wear applications.

https://www.keramos.com.au/

Keramos_Pump-Wear-Linings-and-Impellers Download

Whitehaven coal swoop a matter of longevity

TIM BOND

As the ink dries on Whitehaven Coal’s $US4.1 billion ($6.5 billion) acquisition of two of BHP’s Queensland coal assets, movement on the ASX shows that stakeholders are mulling over the broader significance of the deal.

Following the announcement of the deal on Wednesday, Whitehaven opened on the ASX with a bang at $7.79 per share (up from $6.69 on Tuesday), its highest share price since the coal boom at the beginning of the year.

The purchase of BHP’s Daunia and Blackwater coal mines comes with a price tag of $US2.1 billion in cash up front, $US1.1 billion in cash over three years after completion and the potential for up to $US0.9 billion in a price-linked earnout payable over three years. This comprises a total sale price of around $6.48 billion, with completion of the deal expected in the June 2024 quarter.

Whitehaven chief executive officer and managing director Paul Flynn called the acquisition of the two metallurgical coal assets ‘transformative’ for the company.

Metallurgical and thermal coal differ in quality and carbon content. Thermal coal is traditionally burned to generate electricity, but as Australia and the world transition to cleaner energy, thermal coal is heavily regulated and arguably falling from relevance. Metallurgical coal, on the other hand, is a higher quality coal used in steelmaking with strong global demand.

The deal will mean 70 per cent of Whitehaven’s coal production will be metallurgical, giving the miner some much needed longevity in the heavily regulated realm of coal mining.

“Daunia and Blackwater produce metallurgical coal that is in high demand across Asia… where population growth and economic development is expected to drive strong demand for steel production and metallurgical coal through to at least 2050,” Flynn said.

The two mines also expand Whitehaven’s coal assets outside of NSW, where the company currently operates four mines in the Gunnedah Basin.

But BHP seems to feel differently when it comes to the longevity of Daunia and Blackwater – at least under its own capital investment model. The mining giant first flagged the two Queensland mines for sale so it could focus on producing higher quality metallurgical coal, a move it views as more sustainable.

“A key route for steelmakers to be able to reduce their carbon intensity will be through more efficient blast furnace operations. That requires the highest of quality coking (metallurgical) coal. And that’s what we have in assets like Peak Downs, Goonyella, Saraji and Broadmedow,” BHP said.

“And so those assets we see as having both sides through the energy transition. What we’re doing here is further concentrating our portfolio on the best of the best assets.”

Glencore to close Mount Isa

KELSIE HARFORD

Glencore has announced plans to close its Mount Isa copper operations in Queensland by the end of 2025, but said it will keep its other metal assets open.

Operating for over 60 years, the company’s copper mine life has already been extended six years past its original life expectancy.

All three copper mines at the Mount Isa operation – Enterprise, X41 and Black Rock – are set to close, as well as the company’s copper concentrator.

Other Mount Isa mines and operations will remain open, including the copper smelter, the George Fisher mine, the zinc-lead concentrator, the lead smelter in Mount Isa, as well as the copper refinery in Townsville.

Glencore said it has conducted a range of studies and reviews seeking to further extend the life of the underground copper mines, but the end of mine life has been confirmed.

Glencore’s Lady Loretta zinc mine, located 140km north-west of Mount Isa, which was a finite orebody with a seven-year mine life, will also close in 2025.

“We know this decision will be disappointing for our people, our suppliers, and the Mount Isa community,” Glencore Australia zinc asset chief operating officer Sam Strohmayr said.

“The reality of mining is that mines have a beginning, middle and end. And unfortunately, after 60 years of operation, Mount Isa’s underground copper operations have now reached that end.

“We want to give our people as much time as possible to consider the best options for them and their families, which is why we are notifying our workers and the community almost two years before these mines close.

“Our focus over the coming months will be to work closely with our people and contractors, our suppliers, and the Mount Isa community to provide support as we move towards closure of these assets.”

Glencore’s Mount Isa underground copper mines, copper concentrator and supporting services currently employ around 1200 people.

BHP scales new copper heights

TOM PARKER

BHP’s acquisition of OZ Minerals is paying dividends, with operational records falling across its new copper district in South Australia.

The Carrapateena mine, located 100km south-east of BHP’s Olympic Dam operation, achieved record development metres in September, producing 14,100 tonnes of copper in the September quarter. This is a 21 per cent increase on the previous three months (11,700 tonnes).

Olympic Dam, which BHP owned before the OZ Minerals acquisition, mined 2.64 million tonnes (Mt) of material during the September quarter – its highest mark since the 2014–15 financial year (FY15).

This equated to record gold production of 53,028 ounces, the second time Olympic Dam has achieved this in three quarters.

Combined with a 48 per cent increase in copper production at Prominent Hill, BHP produced 71,700 tonnes from its South Australia copper operations – a 44 per cent uplift from the same quarter last year (bearing in mind it only owned Olympic Dam at this point).

BHP achieved a 11 per cent group copper production uplift from the third quarter of 2022, with the Escondida and Pampa Norte operations in Chile also delivering strong performances.

Iron ore production fell three per cent from the same quarter last year, which the major miner attributed to “tie-in activity for the Rail Technology Programme (RTP), the ongoing ramp up and maintenance at the Central Pilbara hub (South Flank and Mining Area C), and the timing of track renewal maintenance”.

BHP said South Flank remains on track to ramp up to full production capacity of 80 million tonnes per annum by the end of FY24.

The miner’s quarterly was released on the same day as the divestment of BMA’s Daunia and Blackwater coal mines was revealed, with Whitehaven buying the mines for $US3.2 ($5.02) billion.

BMA is a joint venture between BHP and Mitsubishi Development.

First Quantum Minerals’ Honeymoon continues

OLIVIA THOMSON

Canadian-based First Quantum Minerals has commenced a maiden diamond drilling program along the Yarramba Palaeovalley on the tenements of Boss Energy’s Honeymoon uranium project in South Australia.

Boss Energy first entered into an exploration earn-in agreement with First Quantum Minerals in February 2022. The agreement covers the base metals rights of five tenements at the Honeymoon project, which commenced mining operations last week.

“With a proven track record in discovering and developing deposits, Boss considers First Quantum Minerals an ideal partner in the exploration and potential development of any base or precious metal discoveries at Honeymoon,” Boss Energy said of the agreement.

The new drilling program will target basement-hosted base metal mineralisation below the Yarramba Palaeovalley and will cover three high-priority targets identified from extensive analysis and modelling of geophysical and geochemical datasets.

It will consist of at least five diamond core holes for a minimum of 1800m drilling. Global drilling company DDH1 – which was acquired by Perenti last week – will complete the 4–6 week-long drilling program.

The geochemical assay results are expected to return within 1–2 months after the program’s completion.

“This agreement is an outstanding opportunity for Boss and our shareholders,” Boss Energy managing director Duncan Craib said.

“We have a global leader in First Quantum Minerals funding base metals exploration at Honeymoon, giving Boss significant exposure to their success at no cost to us while we focus on our goal of becoming Australia’s next uranium producer.”

After the drilling program’s completion, First Quantum Minerals may choose to earn a 51 per cent interest in its agreement with Boss by spending $6 million on exploration within five years, as well as maintaining minimum annual expenditure on the project of $500,000.

If First Quantum Minerals follows this path, it will enter into a joint venture agreement with Boss Energy.