BGRIMM: Heartfelt Efforts in Crafting the "Belt and Road" Model Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Source: BGRIMM technology group
Published on: January 20, 2020

Recently, the "PE527 Mining Rights Lusushi Copper-Cobalt Mine Development Project" in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) undertaken by BGRIMM won the First Prize in the 2019 Excellent Engineering Design Achievements Award in the non-ferrous metals construction industry in China.

Minmetals Group PE527 Lusushi Copper-Cobalt Mine Development Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

The Lusushi Copper-Cobalt Mine Development Project (PE527) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was successfully completed and began production by the end of 2017. Since its commissioning, the project has been running steadily, meeting production targets, and achieving significant economic and social benefits. It has been recognized by the owner as a model project for mining development in the DRC, a management demonstration platform, and a benchmark for economic success. The project has become a vanguard of the DRC's "Belt and Road" strategy.

Overcoming Challenges: "BGRIMM Design" Showcasing "Chinese Quality"

From the moment the feasibility study for the project began, BGRIMM took on the important responsibility of bringing "Chinese Quality" to the DRC, showcasing it to the people of the country. The mining area is located about 25 km northwest of Lubumbashi, and the ore has a complex nature, containing both sulfide and oxide copper-cobalt ores. The sulfide copper minerals are primarily composed of chalcopyrite, azurite, bornite, and chalcocite, with many varieties and varying flotation characteristics. The oxide ores mainly consist of malachite and silica malachite, with silica malachite being twice as abundant as regular malachite. Silica malachite has a strong hydrophilic surface and poor flotation properties, making it difficult to generate a hydrophobic film during flotation. Additionally, the ore contains a certain amount of carbonaceous material that competes with valuable minerals for flotation reagents, leading to increased reagent consumption and instability in flotation performance. Furthermore, the ore contains talc, which is easily floatable and prone to slaking, affecting copper flotation.

Going abroad means representing the country, and thus the engineering design quality must reflect China’s standards. To effectively recover copper and cobalt resources, reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and achieve comprehensive resource utilization, BGRIMM design team collaborated closely with research departments and visited overseas project sites for discussions. After extensive research and thorough consideration of future mining and beneficiation operations, they finalized a selection process using a flotation-magnetic separation combined approach. The design incorporated a pre-decarbonization flotation process before the copper-cobalt flotation, to remove carbonaceous minerals and minimize their impact on subsequent flotation operations and concentrate quality. The decarbonized tailings underwent coarse selection, followed by several stages of selection and scavenging to recover sulfide copper-cobalt. Sulfide copper-cobalt flotation tailings were further treated to recover oxide copper-cobalt. The flotation tailings and carbonaceous materials were then combined and processed using coarse selection and strong magnetic separation to further recover copper-cobalt. The final concentrate underwent a two-stage dewatering process using thickening and pressure filtration.

Focusing on Quality, Setting an International Benchmark for Development

The Lusushi Copper-Cobalt Mine project was completed and put into production within one year, and after its completion, the project was successfully launched with smooth processes and efficient equipment. The trial production quickly met the set standards, even with fluctuations in ore properties. The product indicators remained stable, and the project was recognized by the owner as a model project in DRC’s mining sector, a management demonstration platform, and a benchmark for economic success. The project designers from BGRIMM embodied dedication, growth, intelligence, and innovation, reflecting their pursuit of engineering excellence and quality.

In light of China’s severe shortage of copper and cobalt resources, the Lusushi Copper-Cobalt Mine development plays a crucial role in improving the global influence and competitiveness of China’s non-ferrous metal smelting technology and equipment. The project is also a significant step toward expanding into the African market and exemplifies China’s "Belt and Road" initiative. This is a key move for BGRIMM in implementing the national "going global" strategy, contributing to China’s participation in international competition and cooperation and accelerating its transformation and upgrade.

Building a World-Class Benchmark Project

The Lusushi Copper-Cobalt Mine project is another flagship international mining project undertaken by BGRIMM, demonstrating the company’s commitment to quality control, technological innovation, and excellence. The project has enhanced BGRIMM’s brand influence in the global mining industry. It has become a demonstration project for BGRIMM in the DRC, with the advanced technologies, design concepts, and strong economic performance attracting numerous domestic and international companies to visit. The project has also driven the expansion of BGRIMM’s consulting, design, and general contracting businesses across Africa.

BGRIMM will continue to stay true to its political mission under the guidance of Xi Jinping’s thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. With a focus on the development of key technologies for comprehensive mineral resource utilization and materials science and engineering, BGRIMM is committed to innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing. The company upholds the spirit of unity, pragmatism, exploration, and dedication, striving to become a world-class, globally competitive mining and metallurgy technology group. BGRIMM will work toward the realization of the Chinese dream, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and the construction of a modern socialist strong country.

Source: State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council
Article Link: http://www.sasac.gov.cn/n2588025/n2588124/c13584329/content.html