Solutions for reducing emissions and increasing energy efficiency
Solutions for energy and emissions efficiency
More efficient and sustainable solutions in minerals processing are essential, as our customers must satisfy the growing demand for minerals while battling against reducing ore grades and tighter sustainability requirements. Our products offer energy-efficient options for material transport, size reduction, mineral separation and dewatering.
In aggregates, the biggest potential for reducing emissions lies in moving to electric equipment. Around 50% of our aggregates product portfolio is already electric. We are also developing a new and complete range of electrically driven track-mounted crushers and screens.
The new Lokotrack® transformational technology will support crushing and screening customers by providing easy-to-use diesel-electric equipment that can be run from an integrated Genset or connected to an external power source. This results in lower operational costs and allows access to renewable energy sources.
Metso’s comminution portfolio includes products such as the HRC™ high pressure grinding roll (HPGR), the Vertimill® and the HIGmill™ which all directly reduce the amount of energy required in comminution.
Our extensive portfolio
Our comminution portfolio also has positive impacts on the indirect, or embodied, emissions created by our customer’s operations. Grinding media is a perfect example of embodied emissions. Vertimills® typically consume 20% less media than an equivalent ball mill, and approximately one half the grinding media compared to a ball mill.
In addition to comminution, there are other areas where our portfolio improves the energy efficiency of our customer’s operations. FloatForce, for example, is a novel impeller mechanism available as a retro-fit in large flotation tanks cells. A key additional benefit of this technology is improved metallurgical performance. Improved recovery in flotation means that more concentrate can be produced per tonne of ore, thereby significantly reducing energy intensity per tonne.
Metso also leverages Advanced Process Control (APC) to reduce our customer’s energy needs. APC comprises of sensors and regulatory control systems that can pro-actively optimize the operation of various parts of a concentrator. Similarly, camera-based sensors are used to evaluate the formation and transport of froth in flotation cells. Changes in air flow and reagent dosage automatically adjusts to optimize recovery, which can lead to substantial energy savings and greater profits for our customers.
