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South Africa
Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) Mine

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 Location:
30 km NE from Richards Bay, South Africa

  Address:
The Farm RBM
PO Box 401
Richards Bay
South Africa
3900
Phone  ...  Subscription required
Fax+27-(35)-901-3368
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  • Overview
  • Owners
  • Geology
  • Mining
  • Processing
  • Production
  • Reserves
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  • Personnel
  • Filings & News

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Overview

StageProduction
Mine TypeOpen Pit
Commodities
  • Titanium
  • Zircon
  • Rutile
Mining Method
  • Dredging
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader
Processing
  • Gravity separation
  • Electrostatic separation
  • Spiral concentrator / separator
  • Electric furnace
  • Magnetic separation
  • Roasting
Mine Life2038
Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) manages and operates several dredges, dry mining units, heavy mineral concentrators, and mineral separation plant. RBM has also a smelter with furnaces to produce titania slag, pig iron in addition to rutile and zircon.
Latest NewsRio Tinto resumes operations at Richards Bay Minerals     August 24, 2021


Owners

Source: p. 396
CompanyInterestOwnership
BEE 24 % Indirect
Rio Tinto plc 74 % Indirect
Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) is a joint venture between Rio Tinto (74%) and Blue Horizon – a black empowerment consortium of investors (24%) and Host Communities Mbonambi, Sokhulu, Mkhwanazi, and Dube – which own 24%. The remaining shares (2%) are held in RBM employee trust.

Deposit Type

  • Sediment-hosted
  • Mineral sands


Summary:

The Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) heavy mineral-rich sands coastal dune deposits (Tisand, Zulti North) extend parallel to the beach. Mining was started within the Tisand lease just north of Richards Bay. Currently, the Zulti North mining lease (north of Lake Nhlabane) is being mined.

The deposit covers a coast-parallel dune belt some 20 km long and about 2 km wide. The height of the dune is about 60 – 110 m, with increasing altitude northwards.

Type of mineralisation: Coastal mineralised sands.

Quaternary heavy mineral-bearing aeolian dunes of the upper portions of the Maputaland Group (Sibayi and Kwambonambi Formations) resting on a Pleistocene beach are mined. Clay-enriched, weathered Kosi Bay Formation dune sands and the Port Durnford Formation estuarine deposits form the underlying beds. KZN Sands, located south of the Mhlatuze River, mined the clay-enriched, rubified weathering profile which formed within the older Umkwelane Formation dune ridge.

According to Wipplinger (1998) the dune sand contains about 10 % heavy minerals, on average consisting of 6.08 % ilmenite, 0.28 % rutile and 0.83 % zircon. The heavy mineral assemblage also comprises monazite and magnetite. The grade of the ilmenite is too low (49.7 % TiO2 on average) to be marketable in its existing form and thus has to be upgraded by a smelting process to produce an 85 % TiO2 slag.


Mining Methods

  • Dredging
  • Truck & Shovel / Loader


Summary:

Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) uses a system of ponds and floating dredges to mine the ore body, where heavy valuable minerals such as ilmenite, zircon and rutile are recovered from the sand.

RBM uses six floating dredges at four mine sites (B, C, D and E) at various places within the dunes. In areas inaccessible to the dredges, or in dunes which are higher than 60 m, dry mining is performed.

A large artificial freshwater pond is created in the dunes, on which float the dredger and concentrator plant. While the dredge removes the material from the front end of the pond, the tailings generated by the separation process are stacked at the back; as a result the pond continuously moves in a forward direction. Burrowing into the mining face of the dune, the dredger advances at a rate of 2 - 3 metres per day, depending on the height of the dune. As the sand face is undermined it collapses into the pond forming a slurry, which is sucked up and pumped to a floating concentrator. At this point, the heavy minerals are separated from the sand by exploiting differences in mineral density via a multi-stage circuit of sluices.

A portion of the magnetite and the chromium-containing minerals are removed magnetically, and the resulting heavy mineral concentrate (HMC) stockpiled for transportation by road to the Mineral Separation Plant (MSP).


Crushing and Grinding


Processing

  • Gravity separation
  • Electrostatic separation
  • Spiral concentrator / separator
  • Electric furnace
  • Magnetic separation
  • Roasting

Flow Sheet: Subscription required

Summary:

Upon arrival at the Mineral Separation Plant (MSP), located at the smelter site, the heavy mineral concentrate is re-slurried and pumped into the feed preparation circuit. The nonmagnetic materials, including zircon and rutile, are concentrated for further processing in the dry mill. Roasting, smelting and slag and iron processes are used to extract the final products.

Products are several grades of ilmenite, titanium slag, rutile, zircon and high-quality pig iron. Monazite-rich talings are stockpiled, with RBM investigating its potential as a source of rare-earths.

The ilmenite is processed through an oxidizing roast followed by magnetic separation and is then partially reduced to an 85 per cent TiO2 slag in one of four six-in-line a.c. electric arc furnaces. The slag containing approximately 85 per cent titanium dioxide and a high-purity (low manganese) pig iron as a co-product.

The slag is milled and then classified into two product sizes suitable a ........


Production:

CommodityProductUnits202120202019201820172016
Titanium dioxide Slag kt  ......  Subscription required *  ......  Subscription required *  ......  Subscription required1,116 *1,315 *1,048 *
Zircon Mineral in concentrate t  ......  Subscription required
Rutile Mineral in concentrate t  ......  Subscription required
Iron Pig t  ......  Subscription required
* Combined production for Lac Tio (Havre St-Pierre) Mine, Fort Dauphin (QMM) Mine and Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) Mine
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Operational Metrics:

Metrics202120202019201820172016
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required1,050,000 t of titanium dioxide slag1,050,000 t of titanium dioxide slag1,050,000 t of titanium dioxide slag1,050,000 t of titanium dioxide slag
Annual production capacity  ......  Subscription required  ......  Subscription required565,000 t of iron pig565,000 t of iron pig565,000 t of iron pig565,000 t of iron pig
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Reserves at December 31, 2021:

CategoryTonnage CommodityGradeRecoverable Metal
Proven 922 Mt Titanium dioxide 2.2 %
Proven 922 Mt Zircon 0.3 %
Probable 471 Mt Titanium dioxide 2.5 %
Probable 471 Mt Zircon 0.3 %
Proven & Probable 1,393 Mt Titanium dioxide 2.3 % 14.6 Mt
Proven & Probable 1,393 Mt Zircon 0.3 % 3.5 Mt
Indicated 9 Mt Titanium dioxide 9.5 %
Indicated 9 Mt Zircon 7.8 %


Heavy Mobile Equipment as of December 31, 2012:
HME TypeQuantity
Dredge ....................... Subscription required
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Mine Management:

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 11, 2022
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required May 11, 2022
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

Staff:

EmployeesContractorsTotal WorkforceYear
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2021
Subscription required Subscription required Subscription required 2019
Subscription required 2015

Corporate Filings & Presentations:

DocumentYear
................................... Subscription required 2021
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2020
................................... Subscription required 2019
Annual Report 2017
Annual Report 2016
Sustainability Report 2015
Other 2012
Other 2006
Subscription required - Subscription is required.

News:

NewsDate
Rio Tinto resumes operations at Richards Bay Minerals August 24, 2021
Rio Tinto plc: Richards Bay Minerals shuts furnace as engagement continues July 21, 2021
Rio Tinto declares force majeure at Richards Bay Minerals June 29, 2021
Rio Tinto scales back international operation March 24, 2020
Rio Tinto to Resume Operations at Richards Bay Minerals December 30, 2019
Rio Tinto cuts Richards Bay output after security incident December 4, 2019

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