South Africa: New Process for Tailings Treatment
Hatch has completed, under budget, the engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services for a new tailings treatment plant at the Richards Bay Minerals site on the Indian Ocean.
The $175-million treatment plant, jointly owned by Rio Tinto, BHP Billiton and a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) consortium, recovers valuable zircon and titanium-dioxide-bearing minerals lost in the minerals separation process.
The plant will use a new process to treat tailings that have been stockpiled for more than 30 years. The new process was tested in a pilot plant to evaluate its full potential.
As part of their EPCM contract, Hatch provided basic and detailed engineering; conveyor design and detailed drawings; steel detailing; cost and change management; planning and scheduling; procurement; construction management; and commissioning.
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