1. I S S U E 1 s 2 0 0 1
FEATURING
Refurbished Larox PF Shines
Light on Cosmos Nickel Project
A Star Is Reborn
Larox Solutions for Nickel, Copper, Platinum Group Metals,
Niobium and Fine Iron Ore Concentrate
Refurbished Larox PF Shines
Light on Cosmos Nickel Project
A Star Is Reborn

2. 2 L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
T
he majority of Larox’s clients are either
domestic or international leaders in
their fields of business. Continuous
improvements in our product develop-
ment, operations as well as customer service
are creating increasingly stronger relationships
with these clients. They have confidence in
Larox’s solutions and services, as evidenced
by the considerable number of repeat orders
we are seeing.
As a result of continuous dialogue with our
clients, last year we successfully launched fully renewed pressure filter prod-
uct families and a SCADA-based solution for complete plant automation. The
two new product families are designed for the specific needs of their respec-
tive industries.
Orders for the Larox M Series for mining and metallurgy, the Larox C Series
for chemical processing, and the Larox Automation System have been deliv-
ered and are meeting or exceeding client expectations. Combined, our new
pressure filters and automation solution are raising the standard for filtration
plant performance.
Larox products normally need to operate day and night, year round. This
sets high requirements for the reliability and availability of Larox equipment
and service. To this end, we are continuing to grow our after sales business
and are conducting our first big modernizations. This issue’s main feature on
the refurbishment of a Larox pressure filter for the Cosmos Nickel Project in
Australia is testament to the long-term durability and versatility of Larox prod-
ucts.
By ensuring total satisfaction from equipment to process performance –
throughout the life of the product – Larox is building a solid foundation for
continued success around the world. As we continue to add more stars to our
constellation of winning solutions, we look forward to shining their light on
your business.
Toivo Matti Karppanen
President
Larox Stars Burn Bright
Larox News 1/2001
Published in July 2001 by
Larox Corporation
Editor-in-Chief
Kaisa Nurminen, Larox Corporation
Managing Editor
Terence Poje
Design and Layout
Green Beast Graphics Ltd.
Contributors
Sherval & Associates Pty. Limited
Printhouse
Frenckell
Articles and illustrations may be reprinted in
full or in part with Larox News credited as
the source.
Larox Corporation
P.O. Box 29
53101 Lappeenranta, Finland
Telephone +358 (5) 668 811
Telefax +358 (5) 668 8277
E-mail info@larox.com
Internet www.larox.com
Subsidiaries and Sales Offices
Australia, Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany,
Mexico, Peru, Poland, South Africa, United
Kingdom, United States, Zambia
Representatives
27 countries
LAROX is a leader in solid/liquid
separation, liquid polishing filtration and
valve solutions. Larox is dedicated to serving
the world’s process industries by developing
high-performance automatic pressure filters,
polishing filters and pinch valve products.
Larox solutions expand production
capacities, simplify processes, reduce
energy consumption and improve the quality
of end products.
CORPORATE VALUES
Customer Orientation • Reliability •
Continuous Improvement • Innovation and
Expertise • Fair Play

3. 3L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
I S S U E 1 s 2 0 0 1
4 Touring the Cosmos Nickel
Project
6 New Technology Enhances
Refurbishment
8 The Ore of Pará
9 Platinum:
South Africa’s Millennium Metal
11 Mining & Metals Harmony in
Brazil
13 Desert Flowers Soothe
Copper Giant
The Millennium Metal
Demand is hot for platinum
group metals! Meeting the
demand means turning up the
heat on filtration efficiency. See
how Larox meets the challenge
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 9
A Star Is Reborn
Larox pressure filters keep performing even when they’re recom-
missioned for the next owner or project. Read how Larox brings
the latest technology to refurbished equipment
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 4
Desert Flowers
The copper giant Codelco loves
the sweet smell of reliability and
cost-efficiency. Two Larox-
grown desert flowers provide
these soothing scents
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .page 13
Just Look for the Larox Red!
Katowice 2001
Katowice, Poland
September 4-7, 2001
International fair for mining, power gen-
eration metallurgy and chemistry
Extemin 2001
Arequipa, Peru
September 10-14, 2001
25th annual event organized by the
Peruvian Institute of Mining Engineers
www.conv-min.com
Expo 2001
Acapulco, Mexico
October 17-20, 2001
Trade show at the next Congress of
Mexican Geologists, Mining Engineers
and Metallurgists
www.geomin.com.mx
ChemShow
New York, USA
October 23-25, 2001
The leading source for new products,
process equipment, systems and ser-
vices for all process industries
www.chemshow.com
Chemtech&Pharmatech
Mumbai, India
November 9-12, 2001
International chemical and pharmaceuti-
cal exhibition and conference
Exponor 2001
Antofagasta, Chile
November 20-24, 2001
Regional mining show in Antofagasta,
the mining capitol of Chile
www.exponor.cl
Visit us at these trade shows to learn more about our latest
products and services!

4. 4 L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
P
rized as much for their durability as
for their performance and versatil-
ity, most Larox pressure filters that
have outlived their original assign-
ments are snapped up either by machinery
brokers for resale or by process plant oper-
ators looking to minimize capital expendi-
ture. This is the story of one such machine.
On to the Next Job
In April 1992, two new Larox pressure fil-
ters were commissioned at the Woodlawn
mine, near Goulburn, Australia. The
machines were the key components in an
equally new turnkey filtration plant,
designed and built by Larox to replace out-
dated vacuum filters, driers and ancillary
equipment installed to process copper, lead
and zinc concentrates.
Operating in a highly automated envi-
ronment, both machines ran virtually unat-
tended – apart from routine maintenance
– until the Woodlawn mine ceased oper-
ations in 1998. When the process plant
was decommissioned, the filters were
partly dismantled, sold to a machinery bro-
ker and removed to a storage yard in
Goulburn.
Touring the Cosmos
Like a star that keeps
burning, Larox pressure
filters continue to shine
even after they move on to
the next owner or project.
Nickel Project
The Larox pressure filter after refurbishment and commissioning at the Cosmos plant.

5. 5L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
The larger of the two machines was the
first to find a new home. In May 1999 a
Melbourne-based company purchased the
Larox PF. Destined for a radical career
change, the unit was later refurbished by
Larox and then recommissioned for cam-
paign production of starch products.
Cost-Effective Plant for Jubilee
In the same year the first ex-Woodlawn fil-
ter was refurbished, Jubilee Mines NL of
Western Australia was following up the
discovery of a modest but viable nickel
deposit in the Australian outback.
Preliminary exploration drilling on the
newly named Cosmos Nickel Project had
revealed an ore body of about 420,000
tons, averaging 7.25% Ni and promising
some 31,850 tons of contained metal.
Given the size and character of the
deposit, mine life was initially estimated at
only 33 months, leading to the initial
requirement for a relatively small plant of
about 20 tons/hour capacity. When oper-
ational, the Cosmos plant would process
about 150,000 tons a year to achieve a
projected nickel yield of 10,000 tons
annually.
With that in mind, Jubilee called tenders
for the design and construction of a basic,
conventional plant that would be eco-
nomical to build, operate and maintain.
Additionally, the owners did not want to be
left with a costly inventory of near-new
machinery to dispose of once the pro-
cessing plant was no longer required.
Based on a feasibility design prepared
by JR Engineering Pty Ltd, of Perth, the
plant was subsequently built by GDR
Minproc around a conventional process
flow-line incorporating a single-toggle pri-
mary jaw crusher, a SAG mill and cyclone
circuit, a 10-cell flotation circuit, concen-
trate and tailings thickeners and a pres-
sure filter discharging directly to the
product stockpile.
A Star Is Reborn
Project management for construction and
commissioning of the plant was the
responsibility of Perth-based engineering
consultant Alan Senior, of Senior
Consulting Pty Ltd. With an eye to con-
taining costs, Senior and his colleagues
had scoured the country for used but well-
maintained process machinery that could
be fully refurbished, transported to the
Cosmos site and quickly put back to work.
Among their most rewarding finds was the
remaining ex-Woodlawn filter, for the final
stage of concentrate production.
Acquisition of the pressure filter in
October 1999 coincided with com-
mencement of open cut mining and con-
struction of the process plant on the
Cosmos site. The machine was first trans-
ported from Goulburn to Sydney, where it
underwent a 12-week refurbishment pro-
gram before traveling a further 4,500
kilometers by road from Sydney to its new
home in Western Australia. Undertaken by
Larox and completed in January 2000, the
program encompassed:
s Complete disassembly of the machine
s Cleaning and repainting of all external
components
s Refurbishment or replacement of all
hydraulic components and systems
s Modifications to accommodate the
addition of solids-washing and
secondary pressing cycles
s Mechanical re-assembly
s Electrical rewiring
s Testing, final repainting and packing for
road transportation to the Cosmos site
The plant and the refurbished filter were
wet commissioned in mid-April. In early
Checking out the concentrate end product, Larox West Australian sales manager Bernie
Treichel (left), with Cosmos process technician Neil Conroy.

6. 6 L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
Larox in the Process
Cosmos Process Flowsheet
When a Larox pressure
filter is refurbished,
incorporating the latest
technology is an integral
part of the job.
T
he initial Cosmos find was
expected to provide resources for
almost three years of mining and
processing. But as construction of
the process plant began, Jubilee Mines
discovered a second nickel find at about
400 meters. The deposit would provide
an estimated 560,000 tons averaging
8.2% nickel and containing a further
46,000 tons of metal. With the discovery
of the Cosmos Deeps, mine life
expectancy was suddenly extended by
five years.
Given the extended mine life, increas-
ing head grades and an ongoing neces-
sity to monitor and minimize process
water salinity, Larox engineers recom-
mended installation of an automated con-
trol program for maintaining the desired
solids thickness. Since December 1999,
a similar program had been successfully
operating in a Larox pressure filter for
zinc concentrate on another West
Australian mine site.
Consistent Thickness Boosts
Productivity
In pressure filtration, machine throughput
and solids washing efficiency are both
affected by variations in solids thickness.
Other key factors affecting solids thick-
ness include variations in particle size,
feed rates, feed pressures, feed densities
and – most importantly – feed cycle
duration. This determines the volume of
slurry admitted to the filter plate chamber
and is the key to the effectiveness of the
solids thickness program.
When setting up the program, plant
operators first determine a solids thick-
ness set-point or datum that produces
optimum results in terms of machine
throughput and product quality. The oper-
ator enters the set-point via the PLC sys-
tem’s touch-screen interface. When the
program is running, any significant dif-
ference between the set-point and the
solids thickness produced triggers an
immediate, automatic adjustment of the
next feed cycle’s duration. The result is a
shorter filtration cycle, leading to
increased machine throughput and uni-
form moisture content.
24% Higher Throughput
Following installation of the solids thick-
ness program, Cosmos metallurgist
Jason Chaplin ran a series of tests to
determine the thickness that would
achieve optimum solids-washing results
without compromising either the machine
throughput or the moisture content of the
end product.
With the Cosmos concentrate slurry,
the optimum solids washing results were
achieved when the solids thickness was
maintained between 25mm and 30mm.
Under these conditions, chloride readings
were reduced to specification, tonnages
per hour were proportionately increased
and plant throughput overall was
increased by almost 24%. Additionally,
the moisture content of the concentrate
product consistently averaged around
8%, below the required TML of about
10%.
New Technology Enhances Refurbishment

7. 7L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
August the first shipment of Cosmos con-
centrate, a consignment of 8,000 dry tons
with a very satisfactory nickel content of
16.26%, was dispatched from the mine to
the port of Esperance, there to begin its
journey to the smelters of Inco Limited, in
Canada. Since then, production targets
have consistently been met or exceeded,
despite abnormally high chloride levels in
the process water.
Cutting Down the Chlorides
On many Australian mine sites, artesian
bores are the only available source of
process water. For the Cosmos Nickel
Project, the water is piped overland from
the Yakabindie Bores, more than eight
kilometers away, where the chloride levels
vary greatly and frequently exceed
2,000ppm, far in excess of the 250-
300ppm normally considered acceptable
in the nickel concentrate end-product.
While the salinity problem was greatly
reduced by solids-washing and secondary
pressing cycles, the condition of the
process water is still monitored due to the
high variation in salinity caused by the
area’s extremes of rainfall and drought.
Cycling times and machine settings are
adjusted to achieve optimum solids-wash-
ing efficiency while maintaining plant pro-
ductivity and product quality.
Fully exposed to the elements, and oper-
ating two 12-hour shifts daily, the Cosmos
concentrate plant is comfortably exceed-
ing its specified concentrate production
capacity of 8.75 tons/hour by approxi-
mately 20%. Processing mill feed grades
that sometimes vary from 5% to 11%, the
plant produces about 8.0 cubic meters/hr
of nickel concentrate slurry having a den-
sity of 1900g/l, a dry solids content of 60-
65% and a filter feed sizing of 80%
passing 60-70 microns.
To the delight of the investors, mill feed
grades have also been significantly higher
than expected, resulting in increased pro-
duction of nickel concentrate.
Shining Day and Night
Interviewed on site, Cosmos plant super-
intendent Barrie Hancock said that exten-
sive use of the refurbished Larox
machinery appears to have had little or no
effect on process plant utilization, avail-
ability or productivity.
“We’re certainly getting value for money,”
says Hancock. “Working two 12-hour
shifts a day, seven days a week, we’re tar-
geting 22 hours plant utilization out every
24, or 91.6%.”
Since commissioning in April 2000,
Cosmos averaged better than 92% uti-
lization for the remaining eight months of
the calendar year. One year later the plant
was running at about 95%.
Process plant availability, he said, is aver-
aging 95.5%, and the plant is comfortably
processing throughputs over 20% higher
than initially expected.
Up to Maximum Power
Commenting on the performance of the
refurbished Larox PF, plant foreman Stuart
Milne said that machine availability
matched or exceeded that of the process
plant.
“The pressure filter is always there when
we want it,” says Milne, “and we’ve never
yet had to shut down the upstream plant
because of a filtration stoppage.”
As of April 2001, the filter had
processed more than 40,000 tons of
nickel concentrate, with gradings in the
December 2000 quarter averaging 19%.
Given the potential of the Cosmos
Deeps find, and plans for a further five
years of operations due to a second nickel
find, Cosmos’ pressure filter might yet real-
ize its full potential and be upgraded to its
maximum filtration capacity. s
Operating two 12-hour shifts per day, the Cosmos concentrate plant exceeds nameplate
production capacity by 20%.

8. 8 L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
I
n the late 1960s a helicopter carrying
a crew of geologists landed on a
clearing in the forested southern
region of Pará, Brazil and discovered
a massive iron ore bed.
Today, 34 years and $3 billion later,
monstrous trucks ceaselessly exit the
mine’s excavations to dump their 240-ton
loads into crushing machines. The high-
grade hematite, after going through
grinders and sieves, is rolled down the
mountain on conveyor belts. From the
Carajás range iron is transported to the
neighboring state of Maranhão and then
shipped to destinations around the world.
The mine’s output reaches almost 50 mil-
lion tons a year. Local deposits are
expected to last 250 years.
In the heart of the Amazon region, Pará
has engaged in extractive activity for cen-
turies, beginning with medicinal plants and
later rubber. Today the Carajás range in
Pará is considered the largest mineral
province in the world.
Iron Ore and More
In addition to iron ore, Companhia Vale do
Rio Doce (CVRD) also extracts 120 tons
of manganese and gold in a typical year,
and is considering the possibility of mining
for copper and nickel.
The other activities of the CVRD group
in Pará constitute a fine example of a
modern extractive industry. Bauxite
obtained from mines near the Trombetas
River is transported by ship to the port of
Vila do Conde, 50 kilometers to the south-
west of the state capital Belém. The clay
rocks are first converted into aluminum
oxide by Alunorte, which is then cast into
ingots by Albras.
With an output of 357,861 tons in 1999,
Albras ranked first worldwide among 162
competitors. The company endeavors to
create a stimulating atmosphere for
employees. The prestigious Exame maga-
zine classifies Albras among “the best
companies where you can work.”
Committed to Conservation
The industrial complex on the shores of
the Pará River is flanked by a green belt
comprising more than 3,500 hectares of
reforested area. In the south of the state,
CVRD’s commitment to conservation
includes partnership with the environment
and renewable resource authority IBAMA
and the native Brazilian foundation FUNAI,
to protect the Carajás National Forest.
Three conservation units and an Indian
reservation create a truly green island in a
region that also supports agriculture. The
company has also built a town in the for-
est for its 4,500 workers. The CVRD
group is directly and indirectly responsible
for almost 10,000 jobs and invests more
than $450 million a year in the state’s
economy.
Based on a story by Werner Rudhart for
Ícaro Brazil magazine, May 2000 s
The Ore of Pará
New Application for Iron Ore Concentrate
In 2001 Larox will install four Larox M 60 pressure filters for the filtration of fine
iron ore concentrate (hematite) at CVRD’s iron ore mine in Carajás, Pará. Larox auto-
matic pressure filters significantly improve the overall cost-efficiency of the iron ore
pelletizing process. This new application was jointly developed with Companhia Vale
do Rio Doce. CVRD is the world’s largest iron ore producer and exporter and one of
Brazil’s premier industrial enterprises.
The delivery will also include the new Larox Automation System. This SCADA-based
solution optimizes the performance of Larox pressure filters under variable process
conditions. The system brings complete online information, process visualization and
reporting to plant control rooms.
Companhia Vale do Rio
Doce (CVRD) is both
protector and developer of
one of Brazil’s most
important economic
regions. The state of Pará is
home to the world’s largest
mineral province, as well as
a growing number of Larox
applications.

9. 9L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
P
latinum deposits were first dis-
covered in South Africa in 1923
near Naboomspruit, but were of
limited extent. The following year
Dr. Hans Merensky found platinum on the
Maandagshoek farm, 200 kilometers to
the east. By the late 1920s the plat-
inum–bearing horizon, which became
known as the Merensky Reef, had been
traced around the perimeter of the
Bushveld Igneous Complex, a bowl-
shaped, layered intrusive underlying an
area of about 40,000 km2
.
Merensky Reef is between 0.2 and one
meter thick. Under the reef lies a platinum-
bearing chromitic layer known as the
U.G.2, which is 0.5 to 2.5 meters thick. The
narrow deposits are mined by open pit
methods at surface outcrops, or under-
ground to depths of 1,500 meters.
Processing Platinum
South African platinum mineralogy is com-
plex. In the Merensky Reef, PGMs occur
in the approximate proportions of Pt 57%,
Pd 25%, Au 4%, Ir 1%, Ru 8%, Os 1%
and Rh 4%. Predominantly, PGMs are
associated with pyrrhotite, pentlandite and
chalcopyrite, and to a lesser extent with
ferroplatinum alloys. The PGM mineraliza-
tion can extend beyond the reef into the
hanging and footwalls. Stoping methods
recover all three rock types, which have
different grinding and recovery character-
istics.
PGM is primarily recovered through
flotation of the associated base metal sul-
fides, although some “metallics” are pro-
duced by gravity concentration. Base
metal head grades in PGM ore are lower
than the tailings grades of conventional
concentrators. The low grades, and
pyrrhotite’s slow flotation kinetics, require
relatively long rougher and scavenger res-
idence times, and multiple cleaning stages
are used to increase concentrate grade.
Depressants are required to eliminate talc,
and chromite must also be eliminated to
avoid slag viscosity problems at the
smelter.
Flotation concentrates are smelted to
produce a PGM-rich copper-nickel sulfide
matte. The matte is processed hydromet-
allurgically to recover the base metals and
further concentrate the PGMs, before final
refining to separate the individual PGMs.
Supplying the World
Anglo Platinum, of South Africa is the
largest single platinum producer in the
world. Production exceeded 2.2 million
ounces in 2000. In 2000 the company
announced a program to increase pro-
duction by 75% within five years. Part of
this increase will come from new mines,
and part from expansions and de-bottle-
necking.
Anglo Platinum mines and processes
platinum ore at sites spanning the
Bushveld Igneous Complex. Concentrates
are transported by road, for distances of
up to 400 kilometers, to Anglo Platinum’s
smelters at Rustenburg and Union
Sections. Dry concentrate is required to
reduce transport costs, improve handling
and blending, and cut dryer fuel con-
sumption.
Platinum has been identified as the “Millennium Metal”
because of the popularity of jewelry manufactured from
the white metal. The new millennium has witnessed a
dramatic rise in the price of platinum, palladium, and other
platinum group metals (PGMs). Demand has increased for
jewelry, autocatalysts, electronics, and fuel cell
development, as have uncertainties over supply.
PLATINUM
South Africa’s Millennium Metal

10. Pd & Pt Supply Pd & Pt Demand
10 L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
Anglo Platinum Chooses Larox
Larox Southern Africa has worked closely
with Anglo Platinum to optimize PGM
flotation concentrate filtration.
Mineralogical variations between under-
ground, open pit, Merensky and U.G.2 ores
significantly affect filtration characteristics
of the different concentrates produced.
Larox has conducted filtration tests on
concentrates from all ore sources, and ore
blends, for all of Anglo Platinum’s opera-
tions.
A Larox pressure filter was commis-
sioned at Potgietersrus Platinums in
1998, to dewater the additional concen-
trate produced by the expansion of the
open pit operation. The concentrate is rel-
atively difficult to dewater, but the
achieved moisture of 11.5% represents a
significant improvement on previously
installed equipment.
Subsequently, another Larox pressure
filter was commissioned at Anglo
Platinum’s new Bafokeng Rasimone mine
in December 1999. Open pit ore is being
processed initially, but as the underground
mine develops, the plant will treat only
Merensky Reef. The filtration rate for
Merensky Reef flotation concentrate can
be six times higher than that of concen-
trate from open pit ore.
Another two Larox pressure filters were
commissioned at Amandelbult concentra-
tor in April 2000 to replace vacuum drums.
Per month, Amandelbult mills approxi-
mately 360,000 tons from Merensky Reef,
130,000 tons U.G.2 (increasing to
190,000 tpm) and 28,000 tons open pit
ore. Separate concentrates are produced,
and dewatered to <12% moisture for road
transport.
In early 2001, Anglo Platinum ordered
a further three Larox automatic pressure
filters for its Waterval and Maandagshoek
concentrators.
Delivering Continuous Support
The Larox Southern Africa office in
Midrand, where a comprehensive stock of
spare parts is maintained, provides ongo-
ing maintenance, automation, engineering
and optimization support to Anglo
Platinum.
Larox has also supplied filters for dewa-
tering PGM concentrates at Mimosa Mine,
Zimbabwe; Lac des Isles, Canada; and
Stillwater, USA. s
Amplats (SA) Impala (SA)
Lonplats (SA) Northam (SA)
Aquarius (SA) North America
Russian Sales Other
Secondary Supply
PtPd
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
-
Autocatalyst Chemical Dental
Electronics Jewellery Glass
Investment Petroleum Other
PtPd
9,000
8,000
7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
-
Estimated palladium and platinum supply and demand in 2000. Palladium supply is dominated by Russia, whereas platinum supply is
dominated by South Africa.

11. 11L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
T
he pyrochlore deposit of Araxá in
the Minas Gerais state of Brazil is
the world’s largest known
exploitable niobium resource. This
mineral deposit represents 70% of the
known economically extractable reserves.
Minais Gerais is also the home of
CBMM, the world’s largest niobium pro-
ducer and the first mining and metals
company to be granted the ISO 14001
certification.
Secured Future
At the present rate of niobium consump-
tion, the reserves at Araxá will last for cen-
turies. The reserves of soft material and
fresh-rock material have been calculated
to sustain 500 years and 1000 years of
mining, respectively, at the current con-
sumption rate.
Today CBMM provides more than 65%
of the world’s niobium consumption, which
totals 28,000 metric tons of ferroniobium
alloy annually (1998). However, with its
production capacity of 45,000 metric tons
of ferroniobium per year, CBMM alone
could guarantee the whole world supply.
Ferroniobium prices are very stable in the
marketplace, which presently stand at
about USD 15/kg Nb contained.
The most important application for nio-
bium is as a micro-alloying element for
high-strength-low-alloy steels used in
automobiles, high-pressure gas transmis-
sion pipelines, offshore platforms and con-
struction. Niobium also provides creep
strength in super alloys operating in the
hot section of aircraft gas turbine engines.
Niobium is also used in stainless steel
automobile exhaust systems and in the
production of superconducting niobium-
titanium alloys used for building MRI
(magnetic resonance imaging) magnets.
For years, nearly 350 CBMM customers
have enjoyed the company’s commitment
to consistent product quality, just-in-time
delivery and price stability. This has been
achieved by continuously upgrading pro-
duction and distribution processes, which
includes strategic inventories in the main
consuming areas.
On a Sustainable Path
While investments in state-of-the-art tech-
nology play an integral role in price stabil-
ity and steady production capacity, they
also reflect CBMM’s concern for the envi-
ronment. “All our industrial activities are
based on sustainable development con-
cepts,” says Bruno Fernando Riffel, coor-
dinator for the company’s environmental
management system. “Landscaping, con-
servation and ecology have been man-
agement concerns since the founding of
the company in 1955. The consolidation
of all initiatives into an environmental man-
agement system enabled CBMM to have
all its operations ISO 14001 certified.”
Environmental Management System
The ISO 14001 certificate granted in
1997 applies to the entire production
process including the mine and the plants
to process the concentrates, ferroniobium
standard, ferroniobium vacuum grade, nio-
bium oxide, nickel-niobium, niobium metal
and niobium-zirconium.
Companhia Brasileira
de Metalurgia e
Mineração
harmonizes
business with
social
responsibility and
environmental
management.
Mining & Metals Harmony
CBMM’s new pyrometallurgical plant is supported by the latest in Larox technology
and equipment.

12. 12 L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
The two hundred routine activities of the
environmental management system
(EMS) include effluent, emission, waste
and dam monitoring; proper waste dis-
posal and recycling of scrap from alloys
production as well as from the bag-houses
and lubricating oils; transportation of ore
through a 3.2 km belt; recirculation of
process waters, and inspection of the tank
trucks. CBMM suppliers all co-share these
and other responsibilities.
Concern for the environment is visible
everywhere at CBMM. The unique pro-
duction area is lush with flower and tree
settings; all facilities are well maintained
and even follow a similar color scheme.
Old production areas have been demol-
ished and replaced by tree plantations or
gardens.
Environmental Development Center
To keep its harmony with the environment
thriving, CBMM hosts an Environmental
Development Center. The facility occupies
an area of roughly 26,000 m2
of Araxá’s
production facilities and includes a con-
servation-oriented wildlife nursery, a plant
nursery and an environmental education
center.
The animal nursery reproduces threat-
ened animal species of Brazil’s Cerrado
region. Particular attention is paid to
species from Minas Gerais such as curas-
sow and manned wolf. Each year the nurs-
ery, located inside the production facilities,
produces 35,000 saplings of 65 Cerrado
tree species. A total of 200,000 trees
have been planted on company premises
and in surrounding areas.
“For us - CBMM personnel and share-
holders - implementing sustainable devel-
opment concepts is a concrete way of
demonstrating our commitment to future
generations as well as to environmental
development involving human, societal and
technological aspects,” explains Riffel.
New Pyrometallurgical Process
Mining is performed using the open-pit
method. A 3.2-kilometer conveyor belt
transports the mineral ore from the mine
to the concentrator plant. The concentra-
tor plant has an installed production
capacity of 84,000 tons per year. It utilizes
wet grinding, magnetic-process separa-
tions, desliming and flotation processes.
CBMM’s new pyrometallurgical process
is part of the company’s environmental
management system. Concentrate refin-
ing reduces the phosphorous, sulfur and
lead content of the concentrate, ensur-
ing the purity levels required by the indus-
try.
“In addition to actions preventing pol-
lution and meeting regulatory require-
ments, continuous process development
plays an integral part in the Environmental
Management System implemented at
CBMM,” comments Alberto Borges Filho,
Production Superintendent. “The latest
result of this ongoing development work
is the pyrometallurgical process to replace
the wet leaching process for floated con-
centrate.”
The new process is aligned to meet all
the environmental laws of the state Minas
Gerais. The technology upgrade will also
enable a decrease in production costs and
raw material consumption.
Plant Gets Latest Larox Technology
CBMM’s new 25-meter-high pyrometallur-
gical plant was completed in January 2000
and houses a Larox PF 30-60 (now the
Larox M 30), which was commissioned the
following month. After the upstream
processes of excavation, milling, flotation
and thickening, the process slurry contain-
ing pyrochlore (niobium) concentrate is fed
to the Larox pressure filter. Slurry temper-
ature is kept between 15 to 30 degrees
Celsius. The solids containing pyrochlore
have a particle size of 63% < 37 µm. The
specific filtration rate is 16 tons of dry solids
per hour.
In the downstream process the dry solids
of 7.5% w/w moisture are pelletized and
sintered. The end product, sinter of
pyrochlore concentrate (purified niobium
concentrate) is fed directly into the metal-
lurgical process. The Larox pressure filter’s
carefully planned location in the plant allows
the unit to make use of two separate silos.
One is used only when the pelletizing
process is not running, in which case the
dry solids are bagged and stocked.
According to Adriano Porfírio Rios, pro-
duction engineer, CBMM hopes to double
the refined pyrochlore concentration pro-
duction capacity with the help of Larox
once all the production processes are fully
up and running. The new plant has an
annual production capacity of 84,000 tons
of dewatered concentrate.
“The Larox pressure filter has provided us
with consistent process results for sinter-
ing. Even for us dry solids moisture and
capacity are the key issues. We also value
Larox’s testing, service and spare parts sys-
tem in Brazil.”
Larox is represented by Tornator®
Representa ôes Ltda. based in Mogi das
Cruzes. For more information, visit
www.tornator.com.br. s
CBMM’s animal nursery promotes the
reproduction of the region’s native manned
wolf.
CBMM has enough production capacity
to satisfy the world’s current demand for
ferroniobium.
Left to right: Production engineer Adriano
Porfírio Rios, Larox representative Jaakko
Kuntonen and Larox PF operator Fabiano
Silva.

13. 13L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
C
hile has the largest known copper
reserves in the world. With 270
million tons of known reserves,
the country possesses enough
copper to continue current production for
75 years. This wealth of reserves has
made Chile the world’s largest copper-
producing country. Chile produced 4.4 mil-
lion tons of copper in 1999, equal to 28
percent of the world’s copper consump-
tion.
Codelco, Chile’s largest copper pro-
ducer, owns the Chuquicamata, El
Teniente, Andina, Salvador and the
Radomiro Tomic mines. The company
holds about 21% percent of the known
copper reserves and 16% of the global
market share of copper, and accounts for
approximately one fourth of the country’s
total exports. Codelco’s main product is
copper cathode of grade A.
30 Years of Giant Production
Chuquicamata is the leading division of
Codelco. Codelco’s production in 1999
reached 1.5 million mt of fine copper with
Chuquicamata providing 630,000 mt. The
division’s annual output of fine copper rep-
resents 39% of the company’s total pro-
duction. Chuquicamata’s products include
electro-refined and electro-won cathodes
of copper, concentrated molybdenum,
molybdenum oxide, metal dore and sele-
nium.
The production facilities include two
open-pit mines, one concentrator plant for
copper and one for molybdenum, a refin-
ery with four acid-sulfuric plants and two
oxide plants. The division employs over
7,000 employees.
The main open-pit mine has a diame-
ter of eight kilometers and a depth of 800
meters, the reserves of which are esti-
mated to last for at least 30 years. Most of
the ore comes from the main open-pit
mine, with approximately 10% being pro-
duced at the adjacent Mina Sur mine. The
Chuquicamata refinery has a capacity of
740,000 tons, but is currently run at a rate
of 600,000 tons. Water supplied by Bolivia
is transported through 300 kilometers of
pipeline. Chuquicamata recycles its water,
and initial actions are being taken to gain
ISO 14001 certification.
Partnering with Larox
Since 1993 Chuquicamata had sought an
alternative to the vacuum filters then in use
at the filtration plant. Four suppliers were
considered for the modernization. In 1997
Codelco and Larox signed a strategic part-
nership agreement, setting up the condi-
tions for the company to provide ongoing
process design support to Codelco.
Desert Flowers Soothe
Copper Giant
Highly reliable, cost-efficient Larox pressure filters
produce the sweet smell of success at Codelco.
Chuquicamata is situated approximately 250 kilometers from Antofagasta at 2800 meters above the sea level. Man has mined in the
region since prehistoric times, but it was not until 1910 when the Group Guggenheim followed by Chile Exploration Company and
Anaconda Copper company initiated exploration activities. The region’s treasures are now mined by Codelco’s Chuquicamata division.

14. The deal held special significance for
Larox. Not only did the Codelco order
come as Larox celebrated its 20th
anniversary, but the first delivery repre-
sented the 500th Larox pressure filter to
be commissioned. A Chile-based company,
Metaproject Ingeniería e Innovación S.A.,
did its share in helping Larox close the
deal comprising the first pressure filter
sale. A consulting and engineering busi-
ness, Metaproject, advised Codelco on its
investment decision using risk and
expense analyses.
Larox’s Desert Flowers
In December 1997, two Larox pressure fil-
ters were shipped to the Chuquicamata
plant in the Atacama Desert. The new
plant was commissioned in June 1999,
and during their first year in operation
Paulina and Liliana (the names given to
the units by the start-up and automation
engineers) both performed to the satis-
faction of Chuquicamata management.
Larox provided guarantees on availability,
solids moisture, dry production in tons,
energy and water consumption, spare
parts and auxiliaries.
“The operating costs of Larox pressure
filters are less than competing technolo-
gies. This means reliability,” comments
Ernesto Rivas of Codelco Chuquicamata.
“Not only have we been pleased with
the performance of the filters but also with
the service back-up Larox has offered.
Larox Service’s account manager system
has been of great use to us,” he adds.
The Codelco Chuquicamata account is
managed by Mr. Sixto Monje. He is based
at Larox’s office in Antofagasta.
s
14 L A R O X N E W S 1 / 2 0 0 1
Larox in the Process
Codelco Chuquicamata refinery’s desert flowers “Paulina” and “Liliana” soar above Codelco and Larox representatives.