The African mining industry recognizes the benefits of continued open pit mining. Many regions have adopted this method, and some have refrained from drilling and blasting. This is because continuous open pit mining maximizes productivity while minimizing noise, vibration, dust and security concerns.
Continuous surface mining mechanism
Continuous open pit mining tracks the ore body in three dimensions and separates the ore from the waste. This mining technique eliminates the need for a primary crusher and produces material with a tight and uniform particle size distribution. It also produces less fines than when drilling and blasting the same material.
Continuous open pit mining optimizes mining operations in Africa
Frank Beerthuis, Vermeer Equipment Supplier’s Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa, has been serving Africa’s mining communities since 2008. Ruben de Meyer, Managing Director of Vermeer West Africa, joined the community in 2013. The two shared their thoughts on continued open pit mining.
Continuous open pit mining in a copper mine in West Africa
Beerthaus clearly remembered the introduction of continuous open pit mining in his area.
“Freeport-McMoRan had majority ownership of the Tenke Hungulumi copper deposit in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The copper deposit was generally a thin layer of high-grade ore,” he said.
This proved to be an opportunity to introduce continuous mining using the Vermeer Terrain Leveler® surface excavator (SEM).
Freeport-McMoRan workers used a Vermeer open-pit miner to level the site and remove overburden from the orebody to gain access to the copper formation.
Once the first ore processing plant was operational and open access to the orebody was available, the area was sampled to a depth of 23.5 inches (60 cm) using a Vermeer trencher. “There were visually obvious differences in the color of the ore, which allowed us to map high-grade and low-grade areas. The Tenke mine then mined the copper ore using an open pit and stockpiled it by selectively loading seams of low-grade ore,” said Beerthuis. From 2009 to 2012, the mine invested in a total of five Vermeer T1255III Terrain Leveler SEMs. ”
Continuous open pit mining in a bauxite mine in South Africa
De Meijer’s first sustained open-pit customer was SMB-Winning’s bauxite mine in Guinea, Africa. Societe Miniere de Boke (SMB) was established to extract, process and transport materials from mines.
The African Mining Consortium is committed to optimizing all aspects of its operations and has invited Vermeer West Africa to visit.
The group collected rock samples for experts at the Vermeer Institute of Petrology and conducted a series of tests to determine how the material would react when cut. Local dealers helped SMB estimate the production and service costs associated with using the Vermeer open pit.
SMB invested in two Vermeer surface mining machines and arranged to run them in conjunction with drills and blasts for side-by-side comparisons. The SMB Consortium was impressed.
Overall, the consortium says using open-pit mining equipment is more cost-effective than drilling and blasting,” DeMeyer explained.
After these “early adopters” began using continuous open pit mining, other companies followed suit. Mr. Beerthaus reported that more than a dozen mines and quarries are currently engaged in open pit mining in sub-Saharan Africa. There are currently 10 to 15 open-pit mines on De Mayer’s territory.
Continuous open pit mining yields measurable results
Removal of explosives increases mine safety, improves the surrounding environment, and reduces environmental impact. Both de Meijer and Beerthuis reported that the adoption of continuous open pit mining has completely replaced drilling and blasting methods in many mines without loss of productivity.
Some of our customers use Vermeer T1255III single-sided direct drive models to produce approximately 2.97 million tpy to 3.53 million tpy per unit,” said Demeyer.
Vermeer’s continuous open pit mining machine sets the standard
Although Vermeer is not the only source of information about open-pit miners, their machinery stands out.
“Customers sometimes can’t believe it when we tell them that our machines have nearly 8,000 engine revolutions per year, but there are only 8,760 hours in a year,” says Demeyer.
Both said that Vermeer’s track record in supplying and maintaining continuous open pit mining equipment is the biggest attraction for African mines.
“Dealers can support mining companies from the research phase to the operational phase, providing all the support needed to successfully complete a mining project,” Demeyer said.
The future of continuous open pit mining in African mining
Does continuous mining have a future in African mining regions? Neither Mr. De Meyer nor Mr. Beerthuis had any doubts.
This will become even more likely as a result of tighter restrictions on the use of explosives,” said Berthuis.
One thing is certain. Continuing open pit mining is helping to improve the safety, sustainability and productivity of African mines.
For more information about Vermeer continuous surface mining equipment, please contact your local Vermeer retailer.
Vermeer Corp. reserves the right to make changes in engineering, design, and specifications. Add improvements. or discontinue production at any time without notice or obligation. Equipment shown is for illustrative purposes only and may show optional accessories and components specific to your region of the world. For detailed machine specifications, please contact your local Vermeer retailer. Vermeer, the Vermeer logo, and Terrain Leveler are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Co. in the United States and other countries. © 2023 Vermeer Corporation. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
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The article is available online: https://www.globalminingreview.com/mining/04042023/african-mining-industry-employs-continuous-surface-mining-methods/
