Vale inaugurated the Pico Block Factory, it is the first pilot plant for products for civil construction, whose raw material is mining waste.
The factory of the mining company Vale Installed in Pico mine, located in the municipality of Itabirito MG, aims to promote the circular economy in the mining operation, according to the mining company. Right after the testing phase, the expectation is that, per year, around 30 thousand tons of mining waste will no longer be dumped in dams or piles, to be reused in more than three million pre-molded products of wide application in the construction industry.
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Executive Manager of Environmental Licensing at Vale says that this is the company's first initiative, to reuse mining, for the civil construction industry
According to the Executive Manager of Environmental Licensing, this is Vale's first initiative to reuse mining waste for the civil construction industry. “In addition to making our operations safer and more sustainable, we want to encourage the development of innovative solutions that generate value for neighboring communities and society”. Said Rodrigo Dutra.
Innovation and Diversity
The block factory occupies an area of exactly 10 m² inside the Mina do Pico unit. “The plant was designed in modules to promote versatility in the development of different types of products for civil construction, such as transport infrastructure, housing and urbanization works”, explains Laís Resende, one of the engineers responsible for the initiative to reuse waste. Vale's mining company.
In addition to being built based on occupational health and safety standards, the factory's entire production system is automated, thus avoiding the physical wear and tear of the team when handling parts.
