Turkey has vast natural sand resources, but the industry is facing permit restrictions, which are impacting the availability of natural sand. This, in turn, is driving ready-mix firms to get creative with the production of concrete.
With limited natural sand available, demand for manufactured sand (M-sand) across Turkey is rising. CDE’s EvoWash sand wash system assists concrete producers by guaranteeing high-value, in-spec products straight from the belt.
Research from Aggregates Europe UEPG suggests that Turkey was the fourth-largest aggregates producer in Europe in 2022, producing 300 million tonnes of aggregates, including sand and gravel, crushed rock and marine aggregates [1].
CDE currently has 19 EvoWash plants in operation across Turkey, with the number of plants in operation in the market to almost double in the near future.
CDE’s business development manager, Doğan Özel, says its M-sand washing solutions address many of the material producers’ challenges.
“It’s critical that we preserve our natural resources and extend the life of active quarry sites. We need to make material reserves go further by maximising the quality and quantity of M-sand from dry crushing operations. CDE-washed M-sand contains very low fines content, meaning it conforms to industry specifications and is suitable for higher value construction applications.”
A compact, modular sand washing system, the EvoWash screens and separates the smaller sand and gravel fractions through an integrated high-frequency dewatering screen, sump, and hydrocyclones. These provide unrivalled control of silt cut points and eliminate the loss of quality fines with significant commercial value.
Incorporating CDE’s patented Infinity Screen technology, the EvoWash offers optimal dewatering results, enabling operators to produce a range of market-ready high-quality sands.
Protecting revenue by eliminating the need for maintaining settling ponds, the EvoWash can integrate seamlessly into existing operations to reduce site footprint, minimise downtime and, with an increased number of parameters to ensure improved accuracy on the material cut point, remove the double-handling of materials, as high-value fines can often be lost and trapped at the bottom of ponds.
By replacing the traditional bucket wheel system with advanced cyclone technology, ready-mix concrete producer OYAK Beton says concrete sand production has grown by 100%.
“We’re producing larger quantities of our concrete sand in less time, ensuring we maintain our market position. Product quality has improved greatly too and because of this production costs have been reduced. From the outset of this project, we were hugely impressed by CDE’s technical expertise which has been equalled by the performance of its technology.”
Hasan Eryılmaz, founding partner of Ermaden, adds that the firm can now command a higher price for its construction sand, with sand production growing to 200% of turnover in just four years.
“We’re producing an in-spec sand that is unmatched, we believe, by any other producer in the local market. We’re marketing our sand at a better premium price point, which customers are willing to pay for in recognition of its quality.”
In addition, in Turkey, the methylene blue absorption test is used to determine the quality of the fine material used in concrete batches and, therefore, its application. It measures clay content and other expansive materials in the fines fraction of quarried sand and aggregates, which can have an adverse impact on concrete strength and performance and increase the demand for cement, water and admixtures.
Central to any concrete producer is removing excessive fines in the sand to decrease water absorption in the final product.
CDE’s EvoWash solution, which addresses capacity and quality shortcomings compared to a traditional bucket-wheel system, can increase product quality.
Reaping the benefits that the EvoWash offers in eliminating minus 63-micron material to meet industry standards, İsmail Bulut of Bulustan Beton says: “Our concrete sand now has five-to-six times less fines content, which has had a dramatic effect on methylene blue testing. It’s more consistent and cleaner and conforms to industry specifications for use in construction requiring high-strength concrete. Yield has also increased while operational costs have been reduced as the lower fines content means we require less cement and admixtures in the concrete mix.”
Ismail adds that the quality of the final product has improved significantly as a result of the performance delivered by its EvoWash 151: “Before we installed CDE’s technology, we could save around 20-25 kg/m3 of concrete, but now that might reach up to 30-40 kg/m3 with a better-quality aggregate.”
Doğan concludes that the plans to incorporate further plants across Turkey testify to EvoWash’s efficiency and CDE’s unwavering commitment to providing its customers with state-of-the-art solutions.
“We’re delighted that our technology is having such an impact across the region by increasing outputs and improving end-quality product for ready-mix producers across Turkey. We look forward to seeing more firms adopting our technology, which is proving beneficial when dealing with the challenges that the industry is facing.”
To hear more about CDE’s projects across Turkey, visit the team at Mining Türkiye on Stand 105 B at the Tuyap Fair, Convention and Congress Centre from May 2nd to 5th.
[1] https://www.aggregates-europe.eu/facts-figures/figures/
