PT Timah Tbk ensures that low-level tin processing projects with the Top Submerge Lance (TSL) Ausmelt Furnace in the Metalurgi Muntok Unit area, West Bangka Regency, Bangka Belitung Islands Province can start operating at the end of November 2022.
This project is a collaboration between PT Timah and PT Wijaya Karya Tbk (WIKA) and cooperates with Outotec Australia as TSL Ausmelt Furnace technology provider.
"The operation of the ausmelt can reduce the cost processing by 25 percent compared to using the Reversibility Furnace," said Timah Corporate Secretary Abdullah Umar Baswedan to the media, Thursday, November 3.
He added that the purpose of transforming the processing technology was to optimize technology, increase capacity, production efficiency and safety as well as environmental health.
"With the operation of the Ausmelt Furnace TSL, it can certainly increase production effectiveness with a more efficient processing process," he said.
On October 20, 2022, President Joko Widodo visited the Ausmelt Furnace construction project and said that the presence of the Ausmelt Furnace TSL was an effort to encourage downstreaming in the context of the availability of tin minerals as commodities.
He continued, the construction of the Ausmelt Furnace TSL is a strategy to answer the challenges faced by the tin mining industry today because the availability of tin seeds with high levels or above 70 percent is limited.
Just so you know, the current tin smelting technology owned by PT Timah, Tanur Reverweighty does not have the flexibility to process low-level tin ore concentrate below 70 percent.
In addition, it takes a relatively longer time to merge lead and silver. The Reveropower Tanur uses fuel oil with more anthracite coal-reductors and requires a relatively large cost.
To be able to compete with the world's tin mining industry, the company must reduce production costs so that the use of technology is something that must be done to answer the challenges ahead.
Abdullah hopes that TSL Ausmelt Furnace will be able to process tin ore concentrate with low levels starting from 40 percent with a production capacity of 40,000 tons of rough lead per year or 35.000 metric tons of ingot per year.
In addition, in terms of operation of the TSL Ausmelt Furnace, it is carried out by means of an automation process with a control system. The Ausmelt Furnace TSL facility uses sub-bituminus type coal fuel which tends to be easier to obtain in Indonesia.
The processing time is also shorter because one processing batch only takes about 10.5 hours. Meanwhile, Recoverweighty takes 24 hours per batch.
"In addition, in the midst of intense environmental issues that highlight mining companies, TSL Ausmelt Furnace is safer and applies environmentally friendly technology because it is equipped with system hygiene and waste water treatment," he concluded.
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