Van Dykspruit Mine News Update

Van Dykspruit Mine is now in Production: Inaugural 5,000 tonnes of washed silica sand has been sold.

State of the Art Technology:  uses new high tech wet-screen technology to produce high quality rock and washed sand products. 

Sustainably Washed Sand:  Our technology recycles 90% of the water used to wash the sand, ensuring that ASTs sales conform to the highest possible environmental standards.

Located close to Cullinan, VanDykspruit mine is now open and producing: High Quality washed “River Silica” (Less than 3% sub 75micron)

Washed and screened sand of - 8mm + 75µ

Dry screened building sand

Typical feed grading is 100% passing 1.18mm and 13% passing 75µ.

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AST’s pilot plant at VanDykspruit – the first complete plant of its kind in South Africa. The modular design of this washing system ensures highly accurate separation of silts and clays from mined material. This results in the production of high quality sand products that command the highest possible commercial value.
There is an increased shortage of water. AST’s technology offers operators a proven way to increase the efficiency of sand washing operations while at the same time maintaining the highest levels of product quality.
The waste-water treatment process, reduces the volume of fresh water to feed the washing plant by over 90%, a step that meant the plant requires only 22m³ of fresh water/hour. Without the addition of the AquaCycle thickener the figure would be 220m³/hour – a HUGE reduction in water usage, being controlled, and confined to a much smaller plant and mining operation “footprint.”

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AST’s new technology has the following benefits

Recycles up to 90% of water usage

Reduced plant “footprint” – allows for a small, safe mine.

Recovers “fines” as a saleable product

Cheaper than managing “settling ponds”

Compliance with environmental requirements

Installed and Commissioned quickly

Relevant to Sand & Gravel, Crushed Rock and Crusher Dust

The washing system will produce concrete sand (coarse) and plastering sand (fine), but it can also produce a single plastering sand or concrete sand in larger quantities as required by the customer.

The washed sand product is typically less than 12% moisture content (by weight) which ensures it is suitable for use immediately.

Operational highlights:

Guarantee production of in-specification sands;

Eliminate loss of quality fines;

Eliminate costs of expensive pond dredging;

Ensures final sand products command the highest commercial value.

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VanDykspruit has a 10 million tonne weathered sandtone resource in situ.

Recent drilling has shown 16m weathered sandstone resource over a quartzite basement

The Quartzite is suitable for crushing, ACV of 19.  PI value of 7.

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