Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
<strong>Glatt</strong> Builds Sodium Cyanid Factory For Lukoil<br />
In the <strong>Glatt</strong> Times, edition 19 we reported the order received<br />
for the above mentioned project. The complete plant was <strong>in</strong>augurated<br />
about a year ago.<br />
Sodium Cyanide is used to separate precious metals such as<br />
gold from ore, even if only conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> small quantities. The ore<br />
is milled and turned <strong>in</strong>to a slurry with water and the necessary<br />
dress<strong>in</strong>g chemicals. The cyanide (HCN) conta<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> the formulation<br />
is extremely toxic and is usually produced from ammonia<br />
and methane. It is however also produced as a by-product from<br />
acrylnitril, which was the case for our customer OOO Saratovorgs<strong>in</strong>tez<br />
<strong>in</strong> Saratov, member of the Russian Lukoil Group, who up<br />
to now had to thermically destroy the HCN. Due to environmental<br />
and economical reasons it was decided to use the by-product<br />
HCN for the production of sodium cyanide. The necessary<br />
license for this was obta<strong>in</strong>ed from Dupont, the global ma<strong>in</strong><br />
supplier of this product.<br />
By Christian He<strong>in</strong>emann, <strong>Glatt</strong> Weimar<br />
<strong>Glatt</strong> Weimar modified and modernized an exist<strong>in</strong>g build<strong>in</strong>g to<br />
accommodate the new planned project, with responsibility of<br />
design, eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g and national approval procedures; the latter<br />
however, <strong>in</strong> cooperation with a national project <strong>in</strong>stitute. All<br />
equipment was <strong>in</strong>stalled by our customer, however supervised<br />
by us. The Russian operational staff was tra<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>in</strong> parallel on<br />
the process itself and all relevant safety aspects by Dupont <strong>in</strong><br />
Memphis/Tenessee.<br />
The plant was launched <strong>in</strong> 2008 and is produc<strong>in</strong>g 15000 tons<br />
per annum, which are packed and sold <strong>in</strong> steel barrels. This<br />
quantity is however by far not sufficient to cover actual demands,<br />
particularly when look<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to separat<strong>in</strong>g more gold from ore with<br />
poorer metal content.<br />
As the ma<strong>in</strong> contractor we fully measured up to our customers<br />
expectations with regards to the entire design, eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g,<br />
equipment supply, <strong>in</strong>stallation, start-up and staff tra<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g. Hence<br />
we are confident that this project will not be the only one, nor the<br />
only Sodium Cyanide factory <strong>in</strong> Russia and elsewhere.<br />
Christian Heiermann is a graduated process eng<strong>in</strong>eer<br />
and works at <strong>Glatt</strong> s<strong>in</strong>ce 2002 as project and sales<br />
manager.<br />
Contact: c.heiermann@glatt-weimar.de<br />
International Times No. 27 · March 2009<br />
13
Change language