JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – AltX-listed Mine Restoration Investments (MRI) plans to fully commission its 5 000 t/m coal briquetting plant, in Vryheid, KwaZulu-Natal, in November.

Initial coal briquette production started earlier this month, following several delays in commissioning the plant, owing to excessive rainfall, which created a hazardous on-site working environment and made the mine area inaccessible to heavy-duty vehicles, halting operations at the plant.

The plant produces coal briquettes through processing coal fines – traditionally an unwanted by-product in the coal mining industry – from South African coal miner Keaton Energy's Vaalkrantz colliery’s existing fines stockpiles, as well as the mine’s monthly fines production.

MRI indicated that historical figures indicated that about 10% of the run-of-mine (RoM) coal production at Vaalkrantz was made up from fines in the washing plant thickener underflow.

“The initial trial shipments of briquettes was shipped to potential customers this month. The aim of this is for the customers to provide feedback on the final specifications of the briquettes produced,” MRI CEO Jaco Schoeman told Mining Weekly Online.

MRI says that while product specification is monitored regularly, it is dependent on the quality of the fines produced by the RoM feedstock.

Final product specification and the sale of the produced briquettes is subject to final customer confirmation, which will be based on bulk tests conducted at the customer’s facilities over the next six weeks.

The Vaalkrantz mine has a first right of refusal to buy the coal briquettes; however, should it elect not to exercise this right, alternative customers have been identified.

Construction of the plant, which started in March 2013, is almost complete, with the final drying section of the plant being commissioned.

Schoeman noted that while the company was focused on achieving full production from the Vryheid plant, it would also investigate the possibility of increasing the plant’s capacity.