The Serra Norte iron ore mining area is part of Vale ’ s Northern System and is located in the municipality of Parauapebas in the state of Pará , northern Brazil . The N4W , N4E and N5 mines are currently operating , generally referred to as the Carajas mining complex . Serra
Norte is distinct from the other two Northern
System mining areas in Pará – Serra Sul in the municipality of Canaã dos Carajás which primarily includes S11D , one of the world ’ s largest in pit crushing and conveying mines , and
Serra Leste in the municipality of Curionópolis .
The current Serra Norte life of mine plan runs from 2022 to 2038 . The ongoing mine plan involves opening new mining areas for extraction at the currently inactive N1 , N2 , and N3 orebodies . Mining is by traditional open pit mining methods . Ore is hauled by off-road trucks to strategically positioned primary crushing facilities , and waste is hauled to waste dumps .
Plant 1 has a mixed beneficiation process , 55 % wet process and 45 % dry while Plants 2 and 3 have a 100 % natural moisture process . The
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current nominal production rates are 85 Mt / y for
Plant 1 , 40 Mt / y for Plant 2 , and 20 Mt / y for Plant
3 . The Serra Norte mines have been operating since 1984 and being expanded laterally and in depth , with simultaneous mining of more mineral bodies . Consequently , the average haulage distance is increasing . Crushers have previously been implemented for the run of mine ( ROM ) ore in the pits for use with conveyor belts , to reduce haulage distances . There are also ongoing projects for the installation of new crushers with the same objective . Also , there are projects under study for the implementation of semi-mobile crushers with conveyor belts for the waste . In regions where is a needed vibration control in rock blasting , surface miners are also being used .
There is a very large truck fleet in the Carajas mines which has included the electric drive
Komatsu Mining 227 t 830E and 290 t 930E plus the 363 t Liebherr Mining T 282B , as well as mechanical drive 231 t Caterpillar Inc . 793Ds and
363 t 797Fs . In September 2021 , Vale also started operating six autonomous trucks in the Carajás
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iron ore complex as part of its main fleet , which increased to 10 by end 2021 & is set to hit 37 in
2024 . Capable of moving 290 t at a time , the
Komatsu 930E-AT autonomous diesel trucks with electric drive were tested in an isolated area in
Carajás since 2019 before moving to the N4E mine for final testing then live production . In
April 2022 in its 20-F Annual Information Form for
2021 , Vale also added that a new trolley assist system is “ expected to operate in 2023 ” at the
Carajas mines . This would reduce emissions from the Carajas electric drive truck fleet through cutting diesel usage & will also have the distinction of being the first trolley assist line in
Brazil . It should also increase productivity through higher on ramp speeds . www . vale . com
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Anew technology start-up that came out of research from the University of California , Berkeley is looking to commercialise a novel , cost-effective process to capture and permanently sequester ambient carbon dioxide while producing sulphuric acid .
The process should , the company says , enable carbon-negative critical element extraction and fertiliser production .
Travertine Technologies , Inc . has announced a $ 3 million seed financing jointly led by Grantham Environmental Trust and Clean Energy Ventures to enable the company to scale up its team in Colorado , and to accelerate its pathway to pilot-scale technology implementation in 2023 .
Carbon dioxide removal has widely been acknowledged as a key piece in the climate change puzzle , with the IPCC believing it must be scaled concurrently with decarbonisation to achieve the goals from the Paris Climate Accord .
Travertine ’ s electrochemical process mineralises CO 2 from the air and co-produces sulphuric acid used for extracting raw materials such as lithium , nickel and cobalt . It accelerates the Earth ’ s natural carbon cycle to precipitate carbonate minerals from carbon dioxide in the air – producing
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sulphuric acid , green hydrogen for renewable energy and oxygen as a by-product – and permanently storing carbon in the solid phase , according to Travertine .
Travertine Founder and CEO , a former University of California , Berkeley Professor , Laura Lammers , told IM : “ For every tonne of sulphuric acid produced , half a tonne of CO2 is saved and sequestered .”
Some 300 Mt of sulphuric acid is used annually in extractive industries including mining and fertiliser production , with demand set to grow with the surging need for critical elements .
Lammers , one of the leading scientists in carbonate mineralisation , says Travertine is
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engaging with companies looking to expand or bring online new production of energy minerals such as lithium that would typically go down the normal sulphuric acid plant route , telling them Travertine can provide another option .
“ In addition to that , there are many tonnes of sulphate waste out there that come with recycling options using the technology ,” she said . If the technology proves successful in these applications , it could prevent the accumulation of millions of tonnes of waste annually that contaminate water and are deemed as liabilities for mining companies .
And there are also options to bolt-on the technology for retrofits / upgrades in existing sulphuric acid processes , she added .
To this point , the company is working with mining companies to trial this technology , with Lammers hoping to say more about these partnerships next year .
She concluded : “ There are a number of companies looking at the carbon-to-value landscape , but we are focused on redressing the needs of the industry and the environmental balance .” www . travertinetech . com
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