The pumps will be commissioned for tailings disposal duty at a new paste plant, which is expected to become operational in the first half of 2017.
Weir Minerals will provide GEHO PD pumps, main pump related equipment such as feed pumps, valves and spares, and will assist Outotec in the commissioning of the pumping section of the tailings transport system.
The Siilinjärvi mine produces about one million tonnes of apatite (rock phosphate) concentrate, which creates approximately 10 million tonnes of tailings per year. The tailings, a mixture of sand and water, are currently disposed in the tailings storage facility as conventional tailings slurry. The new high density tailings disposal system with dewatering will increase the percentage of solids in the slurry, enabling it to be deposited as paste and extending the lifetime of the tailings storage facility. Reclaimed water is returned to the process for reuse.
