Minimising the Environmental Impact of Ship Unloading

Client Overview

Gladstone is situated at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, and is home to Australia’s biggest aluminium smelter, and the world’s largest refinery producing alumina, the main raw material for aluminium.

Client Challenge

To produce five tonnes of aluminium, a smelter requires carbon anodes containing about two tonnes of petroleum coke (Petcoke). Petcoke is transported into Gladstone by ship and loaded from the shipping hull into storage containers using a “grab” method.

This process generates a considerable amount of dust which is harmful to workers, the environment, and the surrounding community.

There is zero tolerance for any of the hazardous coke material to enter the waterway during this process.

Our Solution

Grydale has provided dust collection from four different locations throughout the entire unloading process by using 3 x JMS-20-MDT (20m3/s Mobile, Diesel, Track) Dust Collectors, along with an experienced Operations Maintenance Technician to provide 24-hour support to ensure continuous productivity and avoid costly shutdowns.

Results

By taking this holistic approach to dust control, the client has avoided costly interruptions to operations and protected the environmental from damage due to product spillage into the atmosphere and waterways.

The positive benefits of dust control can be seen in the ability to increase conveyor speeds without loss of valuable product resulting in an improvement in efficiencies and profitability.

Using track mounted dust collectors allows for units to be moved when not in use.