Rio-Carb’s R-C700 long-life liner plate offers the benefit of significantly reduced greenhouse (GHG) emissions for its customers. This is because the liners, featuring a chromium carbide (CrC) overlay, outlast quenched and tempered products by a factor of eight. Therefore the carbon footprint of this ‘green steel’ is seven times smaller per application, translating into a significant 80% reduction.
“An indirect benefit due to its immediate and obvious carbon reduction is that transportation of all implied products is reduced by the same factor, thus saving significantly on indirect emissions,” comments Rio-Carb Design Engineer Roshalan Govender.
The World Steel Association (WSA) reports that every ton of steel produced in 2019 emitted approximately three tonnes of carbon dioxide on average, equivalent to about 8% of global CO2 emissions.
In addition, the WSA highlights that recycling steel plates produces three times the mass in GHG, or three tonnes for every kilogram of steel that is melted. Thus on a chute with 1 000 tonnes of R-C700 liners, the total lifespan saving in terms of GHG is an astonishing 21 tonnes.
Sticking to standards
It is for this reason that Rio-Carb has also aligned itself with the ISO 14001 environmental management system to benchmark its manufacturing processes. The aim is to manufacture R-C700 long-life wear liners that conform to the highest possible quality standards, from the stainless steel studs to the Rapid Removal system, tight cutting tolerances and ease of movement, coupled with plasma-etched part numbers for easy identification and replacement.
“An important criterion for ISO 14001 is resource conservation. Our long-life wear solutions play a critical role in boosting materials-handling efficiency and cost-effectiveness,” comments Rio-Carb Marketing and Branding Director, Jabulile Mlambo.
In particular the OEM will be looking to implement ISO 14062, which focuses on concepts and current practices relating to the integration of environmental aspects into product design and development.
“Such standards offer an environmentally-positive option to the mining, steel and cement industries, all of which are under severe pressure from both shareholders and the government to drastically reduce their carbon footprint,” he explains.
Changing mindsets
All R-C700 wear plates produced by Rio-Carb will carry a green four-sided logo illustrating the concepts of reduction, reuse and recycling. “We believe that this is the most cost-effective material to combat severe wear. It does present a challenge in terms of those customers who are set in their ways. However, there is no question that the myriad advantages of using CrC makes a significant contribution to carbon reduction in line with our environmental obligations,” Jabulile concludes.
Rio-Carb manufactures wear-resistant Chromium Carbide (CrC) clad liner plates for heavy materials-handling applications in the mining and allied resources industries. With more than 30 years’ experience, the company’s long-life CrC liners have eight to ten times the wear life of industry-standard 400 and 500 BHN steel materials, which reduces operational costs dramatically due to less downtime and change-outs.
Rio-Carb
Jabu Mlambo
Tel: (011) 011 6111
Email: jabu@riocarb.co.za
Web: www.riocarb.com
