Muadinoon Mining Company, based in Saudi Arabia, mines frac sand (silica sand) from deposits near Tayma located in northwestern Saudi Arabia, and sells the product as raw material to a wide range of industries. Recently, Muadinoon sought to improve the quality of its products through further washing and cleaning of the mined sand.
As Muadinoon is committed to adopting responsible mining practices that have the lowest environmental impact, the optimal solution would be a wet processing system that ensured water recirculation and conservation in the dry region. Therefore, the company decided to collaborate with CDE, a leading provider of wet processing equipment for quarries, mines and recycling operations, to meet its specific requirements.
Members of CDE team visited the sand deposit site in Tayma and analysed Muadinoon’s existing operations to identify the right technologies that could meet the company’s environmental goals as well as its business ambitions.
Turki, CEO of Muadinoon Mining Company, finalised the partnership as he found CDE to have an in-depth understanding of the project at hand and was confident in the company’s expertise in wet processing solutions.
“We felt supported throughout the process, and CDE was fully on board with our vision. CDE conducted tests in its labs and gave us an indication of the results we could expect from our new solution, and we were very pleased with their analysis. We believe there will be no unpleasant surprises – only positive outcomes from this partnership,” says Turki.
CDE commissioned its EvoWash Evo101 sand wash plant and AquaCycle A200 water management system to run alongside the mining company’s existing dry screens to ensure the size fractions of the required product. Utilising CDE technology, the new plant will enable Muadinoon to produce 0–600 micron silica sand (frac sand) at a rate of 75tph.
CDE’s EvoWash will intake pre-screened material which has been sized to suit the client’s needs. The sand will be washed by cyclone technology, thus reducing the fines content to market acceptable limits and providing an in-spec product to the customer. The EvoWash’s sump and hydrocyclones provides unrivalled control of silt cut points and eliminate the loss of quality fines with significant commercial value.
CDE’s AquaCycle is a highly efficient water management solution, significantly reducing costly water consumption (both economically and environmentally) by ensuring up to 90% of the process water is recycled for immediate recirculation. The water treatment unit, consisting of a thickener and polyplant, reduces fresh water requirement drastically and helps to accelerate return on investment by maximising production efficiency, minimising the loss of valuable fines and reducing water and energy costs.
According to Turki, the investment exemplifies the company’s commitment to environmental protection and its mission to be a leading industry supplier in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
“Our investment decisions are based on our responsibility to our environment and our people. Our mining model takes into account all the different ways our business affects the environment at all stages of our operations. For example, we examine the ecosystem of the surrounding environment during exploration and prospecting to determine how our operations will affect the wildlife and vegetation. We also examine the water use in the area and identify potential water supply problems. This is the reason it was important to have a wet processing solution that employed water recirculation,” says Turki.
Ruchin Garg, regional manager, CDE, says: “Muadinoon is a new established mining company that is already making great traction and highlighting its potential to achieve its business aims. We are proud to be on board to help make these ambitions a reality, and to be part of the journey as Muadinoon continues as a leading industry figure while maintaining its ecological pledges.”
“Environmental education is compulsory among all the technical and managerial employees at Muadinoon, as the company believes that healthy environmental practices invariably lead to healthy business practices. It has been wonderful working with such an eco-conscious team and helping to develop a solution that is in line with their principles. We have already built close relations with this client through our visit to the site and deepening our understanding of their needs. Muadinoon is embarking upon a new chapter with this very specific product, and we have seen promising results in our lab work. We look forward to seeing this replicated at the Tayma deposit and to seeing the positive impact on this company,” adds Ruchin.