• About
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Newsletter
SUBSCRIBE
  • News
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • Rest of World
  • Products
  • Features
  • Categories
    • Ancillary Equipment
    • Asphalt Plants, Equipment & Applications
    • Auctions, Used Equipment, Rental & Finance
    • Breaking, Drilling & Blasting
    • Concrete Plants, Equipment & Applications
    • Crushing Static & Mobile
    • Dewatering Pumps
    • Loading, Hauling & Excavation
    • Quarry Products
    • Screening Static & Mobile
    • Washing & Water Management
    • Wear Parts & Maintenance
  • Latest Magazine
  • Events
  • Videos
No Results
View All Results
  • News
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • Rest of World
  • Products
  • Features
  • Categories
    • Ancillary Equipment
    • Asphalt Plants, Equipment & Applications
    • Auctions, Used Equipment, Rental & Finance
    • Breaking, Drilling & Blasting
    • Concrete Plants, Equipment & Applications
    • Crushing Static & Mobile
    • Dewatering Pumps
    • Loading, Hauling & Excavation
    • Quarry Products
    • Screening Static & Mobile
    • Washing & Water Management
    • Wear Parts & Maintenance
  • Latest Magazine
  • Events
  • Videos
No Results
View All Results
Home News French quarry doubles production with CDE equipment

French quarry doubles production with CDE equipment

by Staff Writer
July 10, 2018
in News
Reading Time: 5 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The Sablière du Val de Loire sand quarry in France is preparing to double its annual production from 60,000 to 120,000tonnes. The increase is in response to the recent increase in demand for its sand and gravel products following the installation of a CDE wet processing system. The alluvial material is made up of 50% sand and 50% gravel and treated using a bespoke CDE solution, consisting of a wet processing unit and a water recycling unit. Very low in clay, the excavated material is dry and is fed dire

The Sablière du Val de Loire sand quarry in France is preparing to double its annual production from 60,000 to 120,000tonnes.

The increase is in response to the recent increase in demand for its sand and gravel products following the installation of a CDE wet processing system.

The alluvial material is made up of 50% sand and 50% gravel and treated using a bespoke CDE solution, consisting of a wet processing unit and a water recycling unit. Very low in clay, the excavated material is dry and is fed directly into the hopper.

The quarry ¬- located in the Brinon-sur-Sauldre countryside near Orleans – produces 60,000tonnes of sand and gravel (4/10, 10/20, 20/40). 60% of the output is destined for the concrete industry and 40% for the civil engineering market. Quarry owner Rodolphe Gabriel says that the company also produces “sand graded 0/4 and below. This product is very fine, resembling beach sand. It’s popular with the region’s builders and plasterers because it can be worked into a very smooth product.”

The quarry serves an area covering French departments 18, 45 and 41 within a radius of 30kilometres around Brinon-sur-Sauldre. This allows it to remain competitive in the raw materials market thanks to strict management of transportation costs and to pay close attention to its environmental impact.

CDE is a leading provider of washing equipment for quarries, mines and recycling operations on the global market. CDE’s M2500 E4X wet processing solution was co-developed with Gabriel to precisely meet his production requirements. The installation incorporates a feeding system, a sand treatment unit with cyclone technology, a washing and classification unit and stockpile conveyors on a single chassis. It is also linked to a waste water treatment unit – a CDE AquaCycle thickener with a capacity of 400m³/h, which allows up to 90% of the used water to be recycled for immediate re-use in the system.

The CDE M2500 E4X includes a wet processing unit based on a CDE washing screen, a jet pump and a double-pass cyclonic unit for optimal washing. Marc Sopransi, business development manager for CDE France, explains: “The jet pump is a substantial technological benefit. A high-pressure jet is located at the base of the washing screen sheet which collects the 4/10mm fraction. The material is then pumped and transported by a pipe to the dewatering screen at the front of the unit. This creates slightly increased additional attrition and provides an even higher quality product.

“Here, the jet pump treatment is applied to the 4/10. The granulometry curve of the Sablière du Val de Loire project lends itself to the use of this technology.”

Using this unit, it is possible to draw four fractions from the alluvial material. The washed products have a level of humidity of around 12% when they exit the conveyor belt, making them ready for immediate sale to the region’s construction and building companies.

Gabriel adds: “As well as being effective and reliable, the CDE equipment is also easy to use. A single operator is enough for the plant to produce 60-100 tonnes per hour. Given that the quarry is isolated, we of course prefer, for safety reasons, to always have two employees working together.”

The wet classification screen incorporated into the CDE equipment at the quarry is able to produce four fractions simultaneously, on two decks.

The specific arrangement of the bottom deck of the screen allows for the classification of an extra product, totalling three. The 0/4mm fraction passes through the upper part of the bottom deck before it is pumped to the cyclone. Meanwhile, the 4/10 passes through the lower part of the bottom deck and falls into its own sump, at the end of which the jet pump is located. Finally, the 10/20 fraction rolls out of the bottom deck of the screen to be stockpiled.

The system also includes a waste water treatment unit – a CDE AquaCycle thickener with a capacity of 400m³/h – which allows to recycle up to 90% of the water used via a system that traps fine materials and expels sludge into two settling ponds.

Gabriel explains: “The quarry doesn’t waste anything. We are very committed to protecting the environment and have put in place systems to preserve biodiversity.

“The use of a CDE AquaCycle contributes towards this effort. After an initial fill of 350m³ of water, 90% of the used water is recycled and reused in the system. We even recycle the water captured in the neighbouring ponds and ditches. 30 to 40m³/h of water is enough to keep the system going.”

Sopransi continues: “The process water, after passing into the deaeration chamber and having the flocculant added, passes gently to the centre of the thickener so that the flocculant can work and act on the sedimentation of the fine material.

“The system’s integrated flocculant station allows precise dosing of the pre-mixed flocculant for efficient settlement. A single motor operates the rack arms of the AquaCycle for optimal treatment of the sludge prior to its drainage.

“The conical section of the thickener, with an integrated sludge pump, allows for rapid installation and start up.”

Thanks to strategic management of its resources and its operating priorities, the Sablière du Val de Loire quarry has until now been able to easily meet the demand for 60 tonnes an hour of washed, ready-for-sale sand and gravel. Today, this demand has increased significantly and Gabriel expects to double his production within the coming months. He says: “The industry of quality washed sand and aggregates is highly competitive in France and our CDE system has allowed us to rise to the challenge of meeting demand to position the Sablière du Val de Loire as a growing player in the market.

“Our aim of doubling our current production means a rapid return on investment, thanks to the equipment which is highly performant, economical, reliable and easy to operate by a minimum of employees.”

Tags: Washing & Water Management

Related Posts

Betolar President and CEO, Tuija Kalpala. Image/Betolar

Betolar: Building the Future from Waste – High-Performing Green Cement Revolutionises the Industry

by Guy Woodford
June 13, 2025

Betolar's advanced metal separation technology enables the purification of industrial slag and mine tailings, achieving a 99 % metal yield...

U.S. city downtown construction works. Image/Fotoluminate Dreamstime.com

ABC: Trump administration fails to rescind Biden’s anti-merit labour mandate

by Guy Woodford
June 13, 2025

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has responded to the announcement from the Office of Management and Budget that President Donald Trump’s administration...

CarbonCure Technologies

CarbonCure Technologies appoints new interim CEO

by Adam Daunt
June 13, 2025

Kristal Kaye has been confirmed as the interim chief executive of CarbonCure Technologies after initially joining the company in February...

Read our magazine

Join our newsletter

Aggregates Business is the go-to source for all of your up-to-date news and views on the European, American, Asian, African and Middle Eastern aggregates and linked building materials sectors.

Subscribe to our newsletter

About us

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Latest Magazine
  • Contact
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Collection Notice
  • Privacy Policy

Popular Topics

  • News
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • Rest of World
  • Features
  • Products
  • Events
  • Videos

© 2025 All Rights Reserved. All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited

No Results
View All Results
NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE
  • News
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • Rest of World
  • Products
  • Features
  • Categories
    • Ancillary Equipment
    • Asphalt Plants, Equipment & Applications
    • Auctions, Used Equipment, Rental & Finance
    • Breaking, Drilling & Blasting
    • Concrete Plants, Equipment & Applications
    • Crushing Static & Mobile
    • Dewatering Pumps
    • Loading, Hauling & Excavation
    • Quarry Products
    • Screening Static & Mobile
    • Washing & Water Management
    • Wear Parts & Maintenance
  • Latest Magazine
  • Events
  • Videos
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2025 All Rights Reserved. All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media. Unauthorised reproduction is prohibited