Terex washing systems win the day for African sand producers

A 30-year partnership between Terex Washing Systems and multi-brand distributor, ELB Equipment, has helped customers in southern Africa deliver high quality washed sand and aggregates for use on many of the region’s flagship infrastructure projects.

The advanced nature of Terex washing systems provides quarry and mine operators with a solution to efficiently separate waste from saleable products and offer their customers a range of options to suit their construction requirements in all conditions.

This has made Terex solutions the first choice for sand and aggregate providers seeking to maximise productivity without sacrificing quality. ELB Equipment’s extensive branch and dealer network throughout southern African has also meant that customers operating Terex washing systems get the best out of their plants.

Minerals processing specialist and product manager for Terex Washing Systems at ELB Equipment, Heath Dickson, says centuries of mining South Africa’s rich resources has led to the depletion of many of the reserves especially those that are close to the surface and easy to obtain.

This is especially true for those in the sand and aggregates business, with experienced miners noting that there are few free dig areas left in the-region. Aggregates and sands are mostly contaminated with fines, clay and or organic matter that require further processing before they can be brought to market.

“For concrete construction purposes sand should have minimal fines smaller than 75 microns as these require more cement to bind. Above this threshold sand mixes can be optimised to customers’ requirements depending on the application. Most other wash plants battle to recover fines smaller than 500 microns which means aggregate suppliers can lose up to 30% of their saleable sand extracted. It also burdens water treatment plants that need to carry 30% more silt,” says Dickson.

Heath says Terex Washing Systems has a large range of products which are suitable for South African and African conditions. These are available in a wide range that can fulfil the requirements of all types of sands while producing two different grades of sand from 0-2mm and 0-8mm simultaneously. This enables the supplier to process two streams simultaneously on the same machine.

Different systems are available for each application including washing, aggregate rinsing, scrubbing and wastewater management systems from 20 to 200 tonnes per hour. These can produce high-grade sand for large scale construction projects such as, plaster sand, manufactured sand, concrete sand, paving sand, glass manufacturing sand and even sand used in tile adhesives. “Many golf courses also benefit from our machines’ ability to produce some of the best bunkers and drainage sand available. Specialised fracking sands can also be produced,” adds Dickson.

ELB Equipment’s Terex machines have found favour locally due to their small footprints and technological advancements that enable higher efficiency and recovery of more useable sand.

“Even the best equipment needs to be properly specified and setup correctly with current and future plans and substrates considered. This is where ELB Equipment’s expert staff play a critical role in working with, understanding and meeting the requirements for each of our customers’ plants. There are simply too many variables to provide a single solution that fits all.

“Issues like substrates, geology, water availability, location and most importantly the final product and tonnages required will determine the types of equipment needed. Beyond that it is a matter of securing the required finance and planning for the transport, delivery and commissioning of the equipment onsite.

“That’s why it pays to partner with ELB Equipment that has the required resources, including the largest branch network countrywide, as well as a substantial dealer network across the borders,” concludes Dickson.