Mining & Barge Loading: Emco Goa Private Limited

Emco Goa Private Limited, our Group's flagship company was established in 1957 and operates iron-ore mines and provides barge-loading facilities.

Emco's mines produce siliceous iron-ore. Its deposits were identified as early as 1941 and since 1957, when Emco commenced its operations, the mine has been producing siliceous magnetite and hematitic ore. For the most part, hematite has overlain the siliceous magnetitic ore and has formed predominantly from weathering of Banded Hematitic Quartzites (BHQs).

BHQs are an abrasive rock formation that are extremely tough and hard and bear bands of silica interspersed with magnetite ore yielding a stunning metallic lustre. Over millions of years, BHQs have weathered into friable ore thus making it amenable to be extracted with little or no drilling or blasting.

In order to enhance the grade of the ore and given the magnetite content, the ore is beneficiated using a combination of techniques such as screening, washing and wet magnetic separation which liberates the iron material from the non-iron material. The ore thus obtained is the end-product of mining which serves as raw material for the all-important iron & steel industry.

Magnetite ore (Fe₃O₄) – which is the principal ore produced from our mines – is in a sense a “green ore”. When the iron ore is fed into a blast furnace, the extra molecule of oxygen in the ore serves to catalyze the reduction of ore faster without or with lesser use of a reducing agent such as coke. This in turns directly helps reduce carbon emissions in the manufacture of steel.

Since the mid-1990s, our focus has increased on providing mechanized barge-loading facilities for other mining companies.

Barge loading

Environment

Mining is a core industry as it provides the raw material for iron & steel which has always been a crucial building block since the beginning of civilization. While economies all over the world - and particularly developing ones - are busy building their infrastructure, the demand for iron & steel and with it, for iron ore, has increased. Iron & Steel are required to meet the demand not only infrastructure development, but also for everything from paper pins to aeroplanes - including cars, two-wheelers, cutlery, etc. Notwithstanding the cyclical variations in market conditions, the demand for iron-ore will continue - at least under the current technology - as long as there is demand for iron & steel.

Under these circumstances it is important to ensure that while the demand for iron-ore is met, the impact of mining operations on the environment is minimized.

Our approach to minimizing our carbon footprint comprises a three-pronged approach:

Scientific Afforestation:

Carefully planned afforestation in consultation with the Department of Forests ensures that the families of plants chosen are best suited for the biodiversity of the environment in which they will grow. Sapling density is restricted to 2,000 per hectare to improve plant mortality and are consistently done on dead dumps. Over the years, the following samples have been planted:

• Anacardium Occidentale (Cashew)
• Accacia Auriculiformis
• Dalbergia Sissoo (deciduous Shisham)
• Lagerstroemia Lanceolata (Vantek)
• Imelica Offencenalis (Aamla/Avaalo)
• Terminalia Belerica
• Mahogany
• Rain Tree
• Termania Ridus
• Bormia Recivesa
• Enginia Zambolina
• Bombi Ciba
• Casurina Equisetifolia
• Accrocarpus Faxinifolias

Of the above, “Accacia Auriculiformis” has special significance - this species was introduced in newly dumped areas, as the freshly mined out dumps are devoid of any nutrients and are incapable of supporting plant life. Acacia, has the unique ability to infuse nitrogen in the soil, which is drawn from atmosphere. After a couple of years, this species empowers the soil in the dumps, making it nitrogen rich and amenable to accept other plants. The fact that it stabilizes the dumps and injects a green canopy rapidly, is a positive side-effect.

Mechanized Dust-Suppression: Continuous dust-suppression through controlled spraying of water on the approach roads in and around ore stacks and near the jetties vastly reduces dust pollution in the immediate vicinity. 

Green fleet: Our entire fleet is well-maintained to ensure controlled emissions and to optimize fuel consumption. Further, since our fleet comprises state-of-the-air earth-movers, on-board ECUs facilitate regular monitoring of all key operating parameters that will directly impact emissions and fuel efficiency. This provides the twin advantages of fuel-efficiency and cost-optimization.