JSC "Dolomit" is completing the installation of a Czech line, which will allow the production of powders for the glass industry
The enterprise has already produced glass powder, but it was only suitable for manufacturing containers. Today, "Dolomit" faces new challenges. With the launch of a project at Gomelsteklo OJSC to produce high-quality polished sheet glass, the need for appropriate raw materials arose. In this regard, an investment project for the production of dolomite powders for the glass industry has been launched at the Pridvinsk "Dolomit" in the village of Ruba.
As a result of a tender, a modern Czech technological line was selected, which should ensure higher quality of manufactured products. The main advantage of the implemented technology is the improvement of the grain composition of the powders and purification from foreign impurities.
– By its natural characteristics, the dolomite we extract has a high content of iron and other foreign impurities, – says the chief process engineer of the enterprise, Leonid Ermakovich. – In turn, the new line will allow us to maximally purify the raw material, reduce the content of hardware iron and other insoluble inclusions (clay, silicon) in the finished product. Modern technology involves preliminary crushing and washing of dolomite, numerous magnetic separators that capture all unnecessary impurities. As a result, we expect to obtain a higher quality glass powder to meet the current needs of OJSC "Gomelsteklo" and other glass factories in the republic.
Specialists of "Dolomit" also note other advantages of the imported line, including its compactness. The complete technological process fits into a relatively small area – from the receipt of raw materials for processing to packaging the final product in big bags, and its shipment by road and rail transport. The new line is fully automated.
To install the equipment, one of the old technological lines was previously dismantled, major repairs were carried out in the building, the roof and windows were replaced, and interior finishing work was done. The project is being implemented using funds from a foreign loan, the innovation fund of the Ministry of Industry of Belarus, and the enterprise's own funds.
Currently, chief engineers from the Czech Republic are working at "Dolomit". By the end of the year, it is planned to complete all construction and installation work, and in the first quarter of 2014, to carry out commissioning and start-up of the line, and obtain an experimental batch. Ultimately, the goal is to reach the design production capacity of up to 140 thousand tons of glass powder per year.
Similar lines are installed at some enterprises in Russia and Ukraine, and the implementation of modern technology will provide the Belarusian glass industry with high-quality domestic raw materials, in which OJSC "Dolomit" plays a direct role.
Meanwhile, other tasks are also being addressed at the enterprise. Although the main product is dolomite flour, produced mainly for the domestic market, work is underway to obtain international certificates, which will allow increasing exports. For example, in November, the European quality certificate for mineral powder for asphalt concrete mixtures was extended, ensuring a long service life of the road surface. This product is supplied to the Baltic countries and the CIS, and is also used by Belarusian road builders. This year, a crushed stone-sand mixture, which was previously produced only for the needs of the domestic market, was submitted for compliance with European standards. Lithuanian consumers have shown interest in the new product and plan to purchase 100 thousand tons of it. An experimental batch has already been delivered to the Baltics, and the customer is currently testing it, with adjustments to the technology being made in collaboration with the manufacturer.
Natalia Ryzhkova, "Vitebskiye Vesti"