International trade consultancy Acrux Sorting Technology’s subsidiary Acrux Sorting Coal (ASC) has signed a coal beneficiation agreement with two wholly owned subsidiaries of JSE-listed mining company Wescoal.

Under the terms of the agreement, ASC will provide a fully funded turnkey crushing, screening and sensor-based sorting solution centred on an advanced dual-energy X-ray transmission (XRT) unit to process run-of-mine (RoM) coal.

As part of a unique partnership with ASC, the plant will be designed, built, commissioned, operated and maintained by IMS Engineering.

ASC believes sensor-based sorting has a significant role to play in minerals beneficiation owing to its strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) benefits.

Its sorting solution offers significant economic benefits as coal resources can now be upgraded to be included as a saleable product that will reposition the mines along the cost curve.

“The XRT technology has proven its ability to upgrade RoM coal through rejecting material that has sulphur or ash content that exceeds programmed parameters,” says IMS MD Paul Bracher.

He adds that the solution will also have a positive environmental impact as no water is used during beneficiation, and the carbon footprint is reduced through the optimisation of transportation and materials handling.

“This sorting technology solution will enable us to impact on ESG, while creating shareholder value from optimising our coal resources at no capital investment,” comments Wescoal executive director Thivha Tshithavhane.

“We are very happy to have concluded this agreement with Wescoal,” comments ASC chairperson and group founder Sean Browne, who says that partnering with Wescoal underlines ASC’s commitment to driving sustainable innovations that reduce the environmental impact of mining.

The combination of a reduced environmental footprint, plus a proven opportunity to reposition at a lower point on the cost curve, will only add to the appeal of ASC’s funded solutions incorporating sorting technology to the mineral and coal sectors.