Hanson investment leads to lime dust deal with Corus

"LIME sinter dust is now being supplied from Hanson’s Batts Combe Quarry in Cheddar, Somerset, to Corus’ Port Talbot steel works following a £250,000 investment in a modern and efficient crushing plant at the quarry."

The new plant produces the very fine lime dust required by the steel works for the initial processing of raw iron ore before it is fed into the blast furnace.

"The crushing plant is fully enclosed and meets strict environmental regulations. It operates automatically and is linked to the quarry’s existing computerized control system, which runs the limekiln. It has been designed to be energy-efficient with any waste being recycled back through the system."

"Production manager Keith Savory explained: ‘We already supply Corus with the lump lime used at Port Talbot and they were keen for us to produce the dust, which is why we made this investment.’"

The new plant can crush and screen up to 27 tonnes of lime an hour and has silo storage for 160 tonnes. Batts Combe is currently supplying 75 tonnes of sinter dust a day to Port Talbot and it is hoped that this will double next year when Corus commissions a new blast furnace to replace the one destroyed by an explosion last year.

"In addition to the fine lime dust, Batts Combe supplies 350 tonnes of burnt lime a day to the South Wales steel works."