Metso has signed a contract with MMX mining company in Brazil containing vertical grinding technology. Metso’s 14 vertical grinding mills will be assembled to the expansion of the Serra Azul iron ore project, located in São Joaquim de Bicas, Brumadinho and Igarapé, in the state of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil. The value of the order was not disclosed.
“The Serra Azul project is a very important one as it consolidates the stirred milling technology in the iron ore regrinding applications,” said Eduardo Kubric, sales director, Metso’s Mining and Construction, Brazil.
After completing the assembly of the new grinding mills, the iron ore production capacity of MMX at Serra Azul will reach 24 million metric tons per year. MMX mining company’s power savings with Metso Vertimill technology is expected to be about 18 MW in comparison with conventional ball milling.
The high-capacity vertical grinding mill has proven to be a versatile tool that exhibits many advantages over traditional ball milling, including 30% to 50% less energy and significantly lower grinding media consumption. The machine has fewer moving parts than a ball mill, translating into lower maintenance and operating costs. These features bring substantial savings for mining companies. Since its introduction in late 1979, close to 400 Vertimills have been sold worldwide.
The complete MMX order comprises 14 Vertimill VTM-3000-WB grinding mills, equipped with drives of 2,235 kW each.
