Upgrading technologies

Modernisation of Dolomit JSC will allow a significant increase in production volume and reduce the impact on the environment 

Each year in Belarus, plans to lime acidic soils increase in order to improve the fertility of agricultural land. To meet the state demand, the Vitebsk-based Dolomit enterprise — the only manufacturer of dolomite powder in the republic — is scaling up the volume of dolomite raw material extraction and processing, actively investing in the modernisation of production.

Chief design engineer Aleksandr Proshchenko (left) and process engineer Yekaterina Brezgina (right) 

Foundation for further growth

In workshop No. 7, where former technological line No. 3 used to be, an excavator is now at work — demolition is in full swing to prepare the foundation for a new site. Aleksandr Proshchenko, Chief Design Engineer at the enterprise, presented the project of the future workshop and explained, “The new line will occupy the same area, so we will be able to fit it into the existing building. We plan to start construction and installation work, and put the new technological line into operation next year. The equipment is already in the warehouse, and the team is ready for change.”
The need for a technical reboot has been brewing for a long time: the existing equipment has been in operation for more than half a century and is morally and physically obsolete. Moreover, recently all seven lines have been operating non-stop. In order to meet the needs of the domestic market, the mills grind dolomite around the clock and without days off. Modern technologies will allow the enterprise to reach a new level of production. Aleksandr Proshchenko provided a comparative characteristic, “The capacity of the new line will be about 680,000 tonnes of powdered product per year. Even taking into account the fact that recently we have had a tendency of steady growth in production volumes, the new line will be able to take over up to 40 percent of all products currently produced by the plant, thereby replacing part of the outdated lines.” 
Chinese partners are helping the Belarusian enterprise get on the new technological track. Experts from the Celestial Empire recently visited the Vitebsk plant: they assessed the site and discussed the future installation of the line. Incidentally, they also helped to choose the optimal technology, deliver the equipment, and will support the plant workers in the post-warranty period. They also considered the possibility of reconstructing the remaining production sites.
The reconstruction of technological line No. 3 is only the beginning of the large-scale transformations that await Dolomit. The enterprise is preparing a comprehensive plan for the upgrading of the entire production for consideration by the Government. Given the ever-increasing demand from agricultural consumers, it is planned to double the output of powdered products to four million tonnes per year.
The state provides support to the plant on the path of strategic change. This year, Br12m has been allocated from the republican innovation fund, and another Br5m is expected in 2026, which will be sent by the region.


 

Production ecology 

In the neighbouring technological lines in the same workshop, dolomite processing proceeds as usual. Process engineer Yekaterina Brezgina monitors the stability of the technological process and the quality of grinding. The presence of a pretty girl among the bulky, rumbling mills causes cognitive dissonance. Yekaterina made a counter argument, “My grandmother used to work at the plant. And in general, there are many women here, including continuers of labour dynasties.”
The young process engineer is eagerly awaiting the completion of the reconstruction of line No. 3 for several reasons, “This is my second work area. I cannot wait to start working with the new equipment. Modern technologies are being actively implemented in domestic industry, and it is gratifying that my enterprise is entering a new era of development. The future technological line will double productivity. The vertical roller mill, unlike its predecessor, operates on the principle of millstones. This is considered a more efficient method of grinding with high product quality, and the energy consumption is half as much.”
No less important is the environmental aspect of the project. Yekaterina Brezgina is concerned about this not only as an employee of the company, but also as a resident of the settlement of Ruba, where the plant is located. An advanced aspiration system on the new line is guaranteed to ensure emissions into the atmosphere are within acceptable limits. “My family and I live not far from the plant, and my son also attends a kindergarten nearby. It is important to me that our town-forming enterprise prioritises not only economic indicators but also bears social responsibility to the population, taking all possible measures to reduce the environmental burden,” said Yekaterina.
Since the modernisation of dust collection systems on all existing lines is not a matter of a single year, the plant has invited Russian experts to find new solutions for the existing equipment. If it is not possible to manage with just the repair of components and filters, the manufacturer is determined to implement any recommendations to resolve the environmental issue before reaching new volumes.

Strategic reserve

With the increase in capacity, the workload for miners and drivers transporting the extracted rock has also increased. For Konstantin Marinich, his working day behind the wheel of a quarry dump truck has only just begun, but he has already unloaded another batch of raw materials and is rushing back for another trip. In his 32 years on the job, he has learned the route so well that even on night shifts, he navigates in the glare of the floodlights as well as he does during the day. According to the driver, he also feels an affinity for the machinery, “I have been working on BELAZ trucks since I was 20. They are excellent machines, they do not let you down off-road and with the current pace of work: I do 14 trips per shift, transporting up to 600 tonnes. We never used to do anything like that. We are maintaining the set pace to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the processing workshops.”
Exploration of the local deposits has shown that there are enough dolomite reserves for at least a hundred years. As reported by the enterprise, as part of a comprehensive modernisation, it is also planned to purchase several quarry excavators and bulldozers. Today, the plant’s objective is to strengthen every link in the chain in order to be ready to fulfil the assigned volumes for the supply of dolomite powder to meet the needs of domestic agriculture.

By Natalya Ryzhkova

Photos by Anton Stepanishchev