Zimbabwean Coke Company Set For Expansion

Zimbabwe’s Chinese-owned coke processing company, South Mining Company, has embarked on an expansion programme aimed at increasing production with the construction of the third coke oven underway.

In an interview with the Zimbabwean newspaper Sunday Business last week, the firm’s vice general manager, Mr Xuhong Guang, said they began construction of the third oven in March immediately after the completion of the second oven although work at the Madumabisa site is presently on hold owing to the unavailability of building material.

“We ordered some clear bricks from Clay Products but they are still to supply, it’s about a month now,” Mr Guang said. Even so he expects the third oven is expected to be completed next month.

In January, the Chinese company made an application to the Hwange Rural District Council (HRDC) to extend their operational space from three to nine hectares which they were later granted after physical planners made approvals for further developments to proceed. This followed an environment impact assessment at the site.

South Mining Company embarked on an expansion programme to increase production. Prior to the construction of the second oven, the first oven produced about 40 000 tonnes of coke per day but with the second oven on board, production is hovering between 60 000 and 70 000 tonnes per day. Upon the completion of the third oven production is expected to scale up to around 100 000 tonnes a day.

“On average we are now producing between 60 000 to 70 000 tonnes per day and we are satisfied with the deliveries we are receiving from Hwange Colliery Company though sometimes they face difficulties due to break down of machinery,” Mr Guang said. The company exports its coke to its copper manufacturing company in Lubambashi in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

It purchases washed duff coal from the country’s leading coal producer (HCC). Washed duff is one of the smallest types of coal, which measures 0.5 millimetres to less than seven millimetres in diameter. HCC also owns a coke processing plant which houses the state-of-the-art coke oven battery where 18 ovens convert raw coking coal into coke.

Some of the by-products produced at the processing and coke plant include benzole tar, coke oven gas, crude tar and benzole, which are sold in crude form to Zimchem Refineries.

The coke oven gas (COG) is mainly produced and cleaned in the by-product plant to provide fuel and as a reducing agent in smelting iron ore in a blast furnace.
The mainstream market for coke is the metallurgical industry where coke is marketed in three broad categories, namely foundry coke, metallurgical coke and coke peas. Coke breeze is normally marketed to brick manufacturers.

Source: Sunday News, Zimbabwe

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