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Zimplats intends to set up a sulphur dioxide acid plant that will reduce emissions from its smelter

Happiness Zengeni and Tinashe Makichi
Zimplats plans to invest about $80 million towards the setting up of sulphur dioxide acid plant that will improve the company’s environmental impact and compliance.
An acid plant is used for the reduction of sulphur dioxide emissions from the smelter especially in platinum mining.
Since the promulgation of the new air quality legislation in Africa, sulphur dioxide has been a pollutant of concern especially in the heavily industrial South African regions and the impact of these emissions have been exacerbated by the poor atmospheric dispersion by some companies.

Zimplats parent company Implats group corporate relations manager Mrs Alice Lourens confirmed the intentions of the company to set up an acid plant.
“The SO2 acid plant is in the planning stage with an approximate cost of US$80 million  and this plant is set to improve the company’s environmental impact and compliance,” said Mr Lourens.

Mr Lourens said the two projects (The acid plant and the base metal refinery) will take around three years to complete and any possible expansion phases beyond these two initiatives are in the very early stages of technical consideration.

The projects among other things will depend on the business environment and the state of the PGM industry,” said Mrs Lourens.
She said the projects will be financed through internal cash flows.

The Implats board has approved the $110 million base metals refinery upgrade and work has commenced.
Beneficiating the platinum to matte enables producers to realise 88,5 percent of potential revenue, at BMR stage they get 89,7 percent, rising to 90 percent at precious metal stage.

Zimplats was also working with fellow miner RioZim to rehabilitate and expand its Empress Nickel Refinery to process by-products from the BMR.
Zimplats revenue in the quarter to June 2014 increased 21 percent to $166,9 million from $137,8 million in the previous quarter due to an increase in sales volumes and firming nickel prices.

This saw the group achieving a 39 percent increase in operating profit at $50 million compared to last quarter $36,1 million.