With the goal of becoming more sustainable in our operations, we have created the Ecotruck, a truck that will replace oil and Diesel tank trucks through the production of different mixes on-site, in order to make the production of explosives in our operations more sustainable.
Ecotruck is a mobile ecoplant that produces raw materials for the production of explosives and transports them to on-site operations, recycling truck engine oil for the production of explosives and contributing to the productivity, safety, and protection of the environment in mining operations.
“The Ecotruck has added a lot of value to our operations, because it not only adopts the trend towards more sustainable processes with recycled materials, but it also allows us to produce mixes based on our customer’s real needs,” says Pablo Wallach, VP of Innovation and Marketing.
Among its features, the Ecotruck has two tanks, one of petrol and the other for engine oil, elements taken directly from maintenance plants. For this, it has fast loading systems to eliminate the costs of tank trucks. The Ecotruck does not store the raw material, it simply generates it through its static mixer, and may modify the percentages based on the quality and purity of the recycled oil. Likewise, the operator has a simple touchscreen for filling and the production of the mix.
The main benefits of this innovation are that its operation does not require any environmental permits or construction proceedings, and it can be operative just a few days after the production has been requested.
Thanks to the Ecotruck’s attributes, it is estimated that the savings in terms of recycled oil will generate 20-50% savings on the cost of fuels for explosives production.
In early June, Ecotruck successfully executed its first test by supplying a factory truck with a petrol-ALR 50/50 blend, to allow for the loading of 39% of the pits of a grid in the El Romeral Mine operated by Compañía Minera del Pacífico. The result of this operation was carried out without any problems and optimal fragmentation, marking the first great milestone for the mix created in the Ecotruck.
