Norway: TiZir Titanium & Iron plans to restart production at its ilmenite upgrading facility in Tyssedal in mid-January 2017. A fire took place at the plant on 15 August 2016 that required the furnace to be relined. The unit has a production capacity of 230,000t/yr of titanium slag and 100,000t/yr of high-purity pig iron. TiZir has agreed with its insurance company on a full and final settlement of US$35m. TiZir is a joint-venture between Eramet and Mineral Deposits Limited.
Iranian mining body reports on Kahnuj titanium slag plant
Iran: The Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) has released information about the Kahnuj titanium slag plant that was opened in November 2016. The unit has a production capacity of 70,000t/yr of titanium slag that will be used in the pigment industry, replacing foreign imports. Alongside this unit the 130,000t/yr Kahnuj titanium concentrate plant was also opened.
Breedon buys Sherburn Minerals for Euro18.4m
UK: Breedon has agreed to acquire the Sherburn Minerals Group for a total consideration of up to Euro18.4m, subject to completion adjustments. The acquisition will add Sherburn’s two terminals in northeast England and eastern Scotland, that are used to import cement and ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS), to Breedon’s Hope cement plant.
Sherburn is an independent heavyside building materials business headquartered in County Durham, employing approximately 110 people. It operates four quarries and five ready-mixed concrete plants in County Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Cumbria. It also distributes cementitious products from two import terminals at Blyth near Newcastle and Dundee in eastern Scotland.
Following completion of the acquisition Paul Allison, Sherburn’s current Managing Director and a minority shareholder, will remain with the business as a consultant.
Ecocem France orders Loesche mill for Dunkirk plant
France: Ecocem France has ordered a Loesche type LM 46.2+2 CS mill for a slag cement grinding plant that it is building in Dunkirk. It follows a previous order by Ecocem of a LM 46.2+2 CS mill for the dry grinding of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) at its plant at Fos-sur-Mer.
The LM 46.2+2 CS for the plant in Dunkirk is designed for the grinding of cement clinker and granulated blast furnace slag at a capacity of 105t/hr GGBFS. The gearbox will have a capacity of 3150kW.
All the mechanical equipment for the grinding plant starting from mill feed to the product discharge into the product silos is included in the Loesche scope of supply. The Loma heater type LF 28-L will be a full-inlined type designed to burn natural gas as well as blast furnace gas. The burner supplied by Loesche will be the MSBZ type, complete with fitting rack and local switch cabinet.
The lead-time for the main components of the mill and for the additional units included in the scope of supply is 6 to 13 months. The commissioning of the vertical roller mill is planned for the middle of 2017.
Ecocem’s grinding plant will be installed close to Arcelor steelworks for use of their granulated blast furnace slag. This LM 46.2+2 CS will be the seventh Loesche vertical roller mill installation for slag and cement grinding in France.
