THE STRENGTH LIES IN ITS COMPLEXITY: The National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan is 25!

This year marks the twenty–fifth anniversary of the establishment of the RSE "National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 1090 dated 21.01.93; Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 642 dated 22.07.93). The jubilee milestone is the time to collect stones.

The main purpose of creating a new institute in the structure of Kazakh science was a time–dictated requirement to eliminate the phenomenon of science's isolation from production that had developed over the decades of the Soviet state. According to the main priorities of the economy of Kazakhstan, four national centers were formed, one of them is the National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials (NC KPMS) as the basic organization of the mining and metallurgical industry, acting at all times as the whale on which the economy is based. The idea of organizing NC KPMS was to unite leading industry and academic institutes in the field of mining, enrichment and metallurgy to comprehensively solve the problems of extraction and processing of natural and man-made raw materials with the introduction of ready-made technologies. As a result of a number of reorganizations, the company's composition has changed. Currently, the NC KPMS includes as branches: D.A. Kunaev Institute of Mining, Chemical and Metallurgical Institute (KHMI) named after Zh. Abisheva, the Eastern Scientific Research Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals "Vniitsvetmet", the State Scientific and Production Association of Industrial Ecology "Kazmehanobr", the Metallurgy Center in East Kazakhstan Region, a branch in Astana, among whom there are two more anniversaries of the current year. These are KHMI named after J. Abishev and Kazmehanobr, both 60!

It's nice to talk about anniversaries today. During the difficult period of its formation in the era of perestroika, not only a single organization, but the entire country faced the primary task of survival. The leadership of the NC KPMS understood that it was possible to survive by solving the task set by the Government – to work closely with production, but not to preserve science with this approach. Scientific progress is not possible without the free flight of thought. In order to preserve and develop Russian science, scientists had to continue working "on the shelf." Funds to cover these costs could only be obtained from the sale of technology, since with the transition to market relations, the state component in financing scientific work in those years was minimized. The owners of the privatized enterprises did not want to pay for the technology. There was no such practice: in the Soviet Union, everything belonged to the state, and, accordingly, the state paid for everything. The conclusion of contracts with enterprises only for the development of technologies automatically secured their ownership of the technologies themselves.

Therefore, it was necessary to get used to living in a new way, to break the established relations and stereotypes between scientists and industrialists, and to learn how to sell technology. Serious work in this regard has yielded results. In the 90s of the last century, industrial enterprises were put into operation in Kazakhstan, China, and Canada. The beginning of the 2000s was marked by the active involvement of NC KPMS in scientific and technical support for the development of the mining and metallurgical industry as part of a number of government programs. At the same time, relations with domestic and foreign companies continue to expand and strengthen. In Kazakhstan, CIS countries and far abroad, hundreds of technologies and developments have been mastered both at existing industrial facilities and with the launch of new production facilities.

The Aktobe Ferroalloy Plant has introduced a technology for stabilization from silicate decomposition of highly basic metallurgical slags using borate ores with great economic effect. Resource-saving technologies for mining powerful ore deposits have been developed and the Maleevsky mine of JSC Kazzinc has been brought to its design capacity. A new production facility for processing lead slags to produce commercial zinc sublimes has been established in Shymkent. The complex of dry magnetic separation of magnetite ore at the Kentobe mine (Orken LLP) and processing plants for processing iron and chromium ores at the Zapadny Karazhal mines (Orken-Atasu LLP) have been launched Voskhod (Voskhod-Oriel LLP), Rubtsovskaya Processing Plant (Russia) for processing polymetallic ores with a complex multicomponent composition, a plant for the production of microspheres for the production of plastic products and acid-resistant coatings for JSC Kazzinc (Ust-Kamenogorsk CHPP). Technologies for smelting complex ferrosilicoaluminocalcium and ferrosilicoaluminarium alloys have been introduced in AiK LLP and crystalline silicon at two mini-plants built in Karaganda and Ushtobe. A new zinc plant of Kazakhmys Corporation LLP in Balkhash has been launched, the world's second enterprise based on the environmentally friendly technology of two–stage autoclave leaching of zinc sulfide concentrates, which allows working with low-grade zinc raw materials.

Over the years, the production of a new type of active reducing agent (low-ash special coke) was launched at the plant of SpetSkoxStroy LLP and Novator LLP (Karaganda), Silicon CJSC (Russia), etc. The manufactured products have been successfully tested and are supplied to RWsilicium Gmbh (Germany) and TOO Tau-Ken Temir for silicon smelting. Based on the developments of NC KPMS, work was carried out on the conversion of the Dzhambul Production Association Khimprom and the Temirtau Chemical and Metallurgical Plant into enterprises for the production of carbonaceous ferromanganese and silicomanganese, which was, in fact, the basis for the creation of manganese alloy production in Kazakhstan.

In order to improve blasting operations, new emulsion explosives have been developed and installations for their production have been launched (Moynakskaya HPP, Kotur-Bulaksky quarry of Tas-Kum LLP, Vasilkovsky GOK, Bogatyr coal mine, Bogatyr Accesses Komir LLP, Karazhyra LTD LLP). For operational planning and management of technological processes at quarries, SSGPO JSC, Kostanay Minerals JSC, Gemcom Russia PTY Ltd. have been created and implemented. and JSC Orenburg Minerals (Russia), various modules of the automated corporate management system for the geotechnological complex at the open-pit developments of Jetygara. A geomechanical justification for the deepening of the Sarbai and Yuzhno-Sarbai ore pits to -660 m and -400 m, respectively, has been developed and implemented, ensuring a stable condition of the sides and ledges.

Comprehensive design of facilities of SSGPO JSC, general design of a sulfuric acid plant with a capacity of 500 thousand tons/year was carried out. A sulfuric acid plant was launched in the Zhanakorgan district of the Kyzylorda region (SKZ-U LLP, Kazakhstan-Italy). According to the projects of NC KPMS, solid waste recycling complexes were commissioned in Astana (Altyn-TET LLP) and Almaty (Vtorma-Ecology LLP). Based on the "heap leaching-SX-EW" method (liquid extraction-electrolysis), enterprises for processing oxidized copper ores from the Aktogay, Ayak Kojan deposits and the Kounrad mine dumps with a capacity of 25,000, 2,500 and 10,000 tons of cathode copper per year, respectively, have been launched. Another hydrometallurgical plant is being prepared to launch to produce 9,000 tons of cathode copper per year from oxidized copper ores from the Almaly deposit.

Significant results were obtained during the implementation of the republican programs of 2009-2017 to ensure the development of the rare metal industry, conduct pilot tests of ferrosilicon aluminum production from domestic and foreign raw materials, intensify gold production and develop the mining and metallurgical complex as a whole.

New technologies have been developed for processing all types of industrial products of rare metal production at Zhezkazganredmet (lead sludge, cakes, dust and black sludge) to produce ammonium perrenate and osmium concentrate with the associated release of crystalline iodine. Highly efficient osmium concentrate processing technology ensures the production of the purest isotope of osmium-187 at minimal cost. A mini-production has been created. This activity ensured Kazakhstan's entry into the top three countries in the production of stable isotopes. The production of ammonium metavanadate using the technology of low-temperature atmospheric sulfatization of Karatau quartzites has been established in the Kyzylorda region (Balausa LLP). To ensure the domestic market of Kazakhstan, a technology has been created for the production of antimony metal (currently imported in full) from the industrial product of Kazzinc LLP. The new technology achieves a high yield of branded antimony while reducing its cost compared to its analogues. The invention for the production technology of pure antimony was awarded the Medal of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Breakthrough technologies for extracting gold from hard-to-enrich ores have been mastered at the deposits of Kazzink LLP, Kelinshektau, Shovan, Verkhniye Kumysty, Zholbarysty, Varvarinskoye, Mizek, Bestobe, Uzboy, Zhanan, Mukur, Miyaly, Balazhal, Aksu, Zhaltyr-bulak, Vasilyevskoye and many others. Based on the developments and projects of NC KPMS, the Varvarinskoye gold processing plant, the Dore plants in Ust-Kamenogorsk, Semipalatinsk and Stepnogorsk with gold production of 1.5 tons per year each, the Refining Plant in Astana, the Akbakai ZIF with a processing capacity of 1 million tons of ore per year and the ZIF at the Pustynnoye deposit with a capacity of 2 million tons of ore were launched. per year, the production workshop of hot cyanidation (the second precedent on the whole globe) for processing stale and current tailings of sorption leaching to produce 0.4 tons per year of high-quality gold-silver Dore alloy at the Suzdalsky site, Allah-Yun ZIF (Sakhazoloto CJSC, Russia), a number of factories in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

A technology has been developed for the production of a complex alloy of iron, silicon and aluminum, known as "Kazakhstansky", from substandard carbon-containing raw materials for alloying and modifying steel. The use of the Kazakhstansky alloy ensures cost savings of up to 10% in the production of each ton of steel. The alloy has been tested by experts from the world's leading metallurgical companies Thyssen Krupp (Germany), Posco (South Korea), Nippon Steel and Kobe Steel (Japan) with high marks. The technology is protected by 25 security documents from different countries, including the main steel producers (China, Japan, the USA, Russia, the European Union, Ukraine, Mexico, Australia, South Africa, etc.). Industrial production of the Kazakhstansky alloy began at the LigasGerais Eletrometalgia Ltda plant in Brazil. The technology is being commercialized in Iran. The first stage of the Karaganda Complex Alloys Plant is being built in the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the first stage of the Ferroalloy Plant with a design capacity of 200 thousand tons of alloy per year is being built in Kyrgyzstan. The work is carried out in cooperation with ThyssenKrupp (Germany) and POSCO (South Korea).

The half-century-old problem of processing substandard limestone raw materials has been solved. Despite significant global reserves (400 billion tons), this type of ore was not considered as a raw material source due to the lack of effective processing technology due to its complex structure. For the first time in the world, the technology of thermomagnetic enrichment and dephosphoration of highly phosphorous lignite ores and concentrates has been created, which opens up the possibility of obtaining high-quality iron concentrate that fully meets the requirements of metallurgical processing, while significantly reducing production costs in comparison with the raw materials traditionally used in ArcelorMittal Temirtau JSC.

A technology for smelting composite alloy steel of strength category X80 has been developed. For the first time in Kazakhstan, steel for oil and gas pipes has been obtained that meets the requirements of the API (American Petroleum Institute) Spec 5L international standard. The technology has been adopted for development in the production of JSC ArcelorMittal Temirtau.

A self-rotating refractory mass has been created for the manufacture of refractory bricks for lining high-temperature components of metallurgical units of non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy. Industrial production of refractory materials using domestic raw materials, including waste from metallurgical enterprises, and delivery to ArcelorMittal Temirtau JSC in the amount of 2.5 thousand tons with a total cost of 1.5 billion tenge has been organized. The issue of their shipment to the enterprises of Iran, Russia and Ukraine is being worked out. Practice has shown that refractories produced using the new technology provide an increase in the productivity of metallurgical units, which, of course, has a positive effect on the efficiency of technological processes.

Based on its own technology, a pilot production of thermal processing of renewable raw materials has been launched – a multi-tonnage waste from rice production, the so-called rice husk, with the production of several commodity products in one technological cycle: silicon carbon composite, organic product and energy fuel, which have a wide range of applications. The technology has been patented in Kazakhstan and recognized as the best invention following the results of the republican Shapagat competition. Technical silicon of the highest grade was obtained using a silicon-carbon composite by carbothermal smelting. Recommendations have been issued for the industrial development of technology in the conditions of TOO "Tau-Ken Temir". The issue of creating a production facility for the production of ferrosilicon with a low aluminum content is being considered.

The real breakthrough in the field of non-ferrous metallurgy was the creation of lead calcite. In 1970-1980, in the Soviet Union, the oxygen-suspended cyclone-electrothermal melting method was used on a pilot scale for copper smelting at the Irtysh Polymetallic Combine (Glubokoe settlement, East Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan). In the same years, VNIItsvetmet scientists managed to develop and implement the KIVCET process in relation to lead production. Factories in Bolivia, Italy, and Kazakhstan have started operating using this method. Due to the deterioration of the quality of raw materials, as well as the increasing tightening of environmental standards, there is a need to modernize the technology. The solution found by scientists at NC KPMS made it possible to make this technology practically universal, i.e. applicable to both rich (~70% Pb) and very poor (20% or less Pb) lead raw materials, which gave it indisputable advantages over all known methods of lead smelting in the world. Patents have been obtained for the upgraded KIVCET process and the unit for its implementation from 14 countries that are the world's leading lead producers, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Finland, South Korea, Mexico, China, India, etc. Using the upgraded KIVCET technology, a lead plant in Canada was launched in 1997, processing the lowest-grade lead-containing raw materials in the world. In 2003 and in 2013, the reconstruction of the KIVCET installation in Italy was carried out. The worldwide recognition of the upgraded KIVCET was confirmed by the construction and launch in China in 2012 and 2013. based on the license agreements of two installations with a design capacity of 100 and 120 thousand tons of lead per year, which raised the share of high-grade metal to 8.5 - 9.0% of the global primary lead output.

The presented facts demonstrate a wide range of activities of NC KPMS from the extraction of raw materials to the production of finished metal products and their promotion on the market, which is due to the flexible organizational structure of both the entire Center and each branch institute. The consolidation of mining scientists, concentrators, metallurgists, environmentalists, specialists in ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, the rare metal industry and the production of precious metals, engineers and designers ensures the integrity of solving issues in all sectors of the mining and metallurgical industry. Of course, the form of organization of the National Center for Integrated Processing of Mineral Raw Materials, combined with a focus on industrial tasks and needs, is a distinctive advantage of the company. Describing the image of the NC KPMS, the thesis "Strength lies in complexity!" is absolutely appropriate.

The merits of the NC KPMS are recognized by the state, which is confirmed by the awarding of all State Prizes of Independent Kazakhstan in the field of science and technology in metallurgy (and there were 8 of them!) for the work performed by scientists of the Center or with their participation. The leadership of NC KPMS in a number of areas in the mining and metallurgical industry is internationally recognized, which is proved by technology transfer abroad and the construction of dozens of plants and factories with a total investment of more than 3.5 billion US dollars.