WORLD PROSPECTS
Doofor rock drill for tight spaces
At the bauma 2022 show in Munich last October , attended by IM , Doofor presented the new Doofor DF560S rock drill , which falls into the 20 kW power class . The new rock drill bears a lot of resemblance to the DF560L , which has been in the market now for a decade . The DF560S model allows for uninterrupted drilling where space is limited . The hydraulic motor is located on the top-side of the rock drill , making it an excellent tool for underground drilling applications where every millimetre counts . “ We wanted to offer our attachment manufacturing OEMs a rock drill that is narrower in its physical presence , and we did
Epiroc & Gold Fields cooperate on hybrid Minetruck
Recently , Epiroc and Gold Fields Australia formally entered into a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) to partner on the development of the next generation of electric drive hybrid underground mine trucks . The companies will work in a formal partnership to develop and test a proof of concept for the 65 t class Minetruck MT65 E-Drive with the aim of having a prototype at Gold Fields ’ Granny Smith Mine site in Western Australia at the beginning of 2024 . A diesel-electric mine truck combines a traditional combustion engine with electric drive system technology , providing the opportunity of significantly reducing the amount of diesel used across a mine ’ s fleet and increasing operational productivity . that by placing the rotation motor on top of the body ,” explained Kalle Kuusento , Managing Director of Finland-based Doofor Inc . “ The DF560S also has improved bearing solutions that make the rock drill more durable . The overall structure is quite simplistic , and it makes the rock drill an easy one to service ”, says Kuusento . The Doofor DF560S is designed to drill holes with a diameter up to 89 mm in hard rock . Doofor was exhibiting at
Gold Fields ’ Executive Vice President Stuart Mathews highlighted the alignment of sustainability targets as a key driver for the partnership . “ Gold Fields is committed to its decarbonisation targets and we have been a leader in the Australian mining sector at
integrating renewable energy and battery storage into our operations . This agreement with Epiroc broadens that emissions reduction focus to our underground vehicles and equipment . We are pleased to be partnering with a company like Epiroc who are investing in technical solutions that support our target of reducing carbon emissions while maximising our potential from current assets like Granny Smith through innovative solutions ,” Mathews said . The Gold Fields project team will now work with Epiroc ’ s R & D team in the Underground division , headquartered at the Orebro , Sweden based facilities to review development and plan the trial phases . https :// www . epiroc . com ; https :// www . goldfields . com
Draslovka moving to glycine leach mining demo phase
bauma for the fourth consecutive time . “ Prior to that we were often present within our OEM customer stands ,” says Kuusento . “ bauma is our main trade fair and will continue to be so .” The company has manufactured hydraulic rock drills since 1993 and supplies its products globally mainly to OEM manufacturers in the mining and construction machine sector . https :// doofor . com
Czech Republic-based Draslovka Holding is heading into a busy 12-month period where its glycine leaching technology will be showcased at numerous mining projects across the globe , the company told IM on the side lines of the Resourcing Tomorrow conference , in London , in late November .
According to Ivor Bryan , Director of Mining Innovation at Draslovka Mining Solutions and the former MD of Mining & Process Solutions ( MPS ), the entity responsible for the development of the GlyCat™ and GlyLeach™ technologies , the company is embarking on around 10 projects in the mining space , which will prove up the 3,500 hours of testing that has been conducted at MPS ’ facilities in Perth , Western Australia . MPS was acquired by Draslovka , a major sodium cyanide producer in 2022 , with the aim of the transaction being to grow and develop the glycine leaching business .
Gold leach testing via GlyCat has been the major area of focus over the last decade .
Yet , the company is also now starting to make inroads into the base metal space through
GlyLeach , with nickel and cobalt two specific areas of interest . The technology is able to leach the targeted metals with enhanced selectivity compared with conventional methods . It will solubilise copper , nickel , cobalt and zinc , while gangue minerals such as iron , manganese , silicates and carbonates remain in the leach residue , Draslovka says .
This is allowing the company to promote that it can reduce the capital expenditure associated with processing these metals by removing the need for smelting , or in the case of tailings deposits , helping recover metal from assets previously written off as ‘ waste ’.
While the technology could have applications at run of mine operations , Bryan and his colleague Jackson Briggs , Corporate Development Manager of Draslovka , believe the most immediate opportunity is in tailings where the application of glycine leaching on ‘ waste ’ material could recover valuable metals while reducing the potential liabilities associated with such storage facilities .
Of the 10 or so projects the company has ahead of it , one is situated in Western Australia where the company is looking to recover nickel and cobalt metals from a tailings deposit of a major mining company . Another project – much closer to fruition – is in Chile and involves leaching a carbonate-hosted copper oxide deposit containing some 600 t of material . In both cases , the company is looking to demonstrate that it can recover valuable metals at high recovery rates , with low impact – namely rationalising reagent and water use and , in the case of nickel-cobalt , removing smelting from the equation . https :// www . draslovka . com
8 International Mining | JANUARY 2023