Growth through technology

The quality of ore raw materials is deteriorating, and the introduction of high-tech technologies in the mining and metallurgical industry of Kazakhstan is still proceeding at a slow pace. However, the MMC is actively modernizing and updating production, introducing modern technologies, which significantly reduces losses and allows for the rational use of mineral resources.

These and other issues were discussed at the international conference "Mining and Metallurgical complex on the threshold of the Third Industrial Revolution", which was held yesterday in Almaty and was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The conference participants noted the importance of the mining and metallurgical industry for the country's economy, and also talked about the main problems that accompany the industry and ways to solve them.

As Abdurasul Zharmenov, General Director of the National Center for Integrated Processing of Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan, said during the conference, the development of the mining and metallurgical industry in Kazakhstan is moving to a higher, qualitatively new stage. "Some, for example, are proud that they have established the production of pasta using Italian technologies, while others have the production of panels using German technologies and so on. But the fact that foreign brands have started using Kazakhstani developments and technologies in the mining and metallurgical industry is a new stage in our development, something we can all be proud of," he gave an example.

The main task facing the industry today is the search for technologies that would make it possible to efficiently extract metals from stubborn ores. "Ores are becoming more and more "difficult" to enrich due to the fact that they contain many harmful components, for example, arsenic. Thus, ores are becoming more difficult and expensive to process," said Yuri Gusevon, Vice President for Production at Kazzinc LLP.

According to Agibai Sabitov, Chairman of the Management Board of ENRC Research and Engineering Center LLP (IIC), the use of new technologies in the industry is necessary to reduce the cost of marketable products, improve safety, reduce environmental impact and increase labor productivity. And the IIC, created last year, pursues exactly these goals.

Thus, ENRC metallurgical plants use special coke in large volumes as a reducing agent. It is a product of thermal coal processing of JSC "ShubarkolKomir", which is part of the corporation. According to some experts, the introduction of special coke technology in circulating fluidized bed gasifiers with associated electricity generation will solve the problems of simultaneous supply of electric arc furnaces with electricity and improvement of the environmental situation near metallurgical plants.

The technology already used at the corporation for the additional recovery of metal concentrates from high-carbon ferrochrome slags has allowed not only to increase the degree of chromium extraction into finished products and reduce the environmental burden by reducing industrial waste, but also to ensure the release of construction rubble. "The processing of medium- and low-carbon ferrochrome slags is on our agenda. This task can also be linked to the global task of greenhouse gas utilization," says A. Sabitov in this regard.

"The goals of the modern development of the mining and metallurgical complex are increasing modernization, scientific, technological and technical security. Companies in the mining and metallurgical sector need to take measures that include the use of innovative technologies to improve production, economic and environmental performance," summed up Yerzhan Karibayev, Deputy Chairman of the Industry Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In general, the conference participants noted that companies in the MMC sector pay increased attention not only to issues of ensuring technical and environmental safety, but also to modernization, active implementation of modern technologies, energy and resource conservation, and loss reduction, which allows moving on to the next redevelopment.

Source: www.and.kz