allmineral – pumice processing with allair® | allmineral Aufbereitungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG

The tuff landscape of Cappadocia begins around 250 kilometres south-east of the Turkish capital, Ankara. Here, where underground caves are home to rock castles and even entire hidden cities, dozens of hot-air balloons soar above the unique scenery and take in the sunrise. These mountains were originally formed from porous volcanic material – and the vitric tuff is now used all over the world as processed pumice. This material is particularly suitable for ecological construction, as the volcanic rock has a low weight and ensures that construction elements deliver outstanding insulation. The mining operators from the region entrusted their pumice production to the experienced allmineral team, marking the first time ever that our company has used sustainable dry processing in this context.

Wanted: an efficient and sustainable system solution for pumice

Fire-resistant lightweight concrete blocks for use in pumice building construction boast a nearly perfect environmental footprint. And when the plant operator in Nevsehir began looking for system solutions to suit its material extraction processes, this launched a fruitful collaboration with our company starting in 2017. The operator uses processed pumice featuring a grain size of 5 to 50 mm as a sustainable aggregate. Commissioned with producing the required installations, allmineral was once again able to demonstrate its leading role in the field of jig technology. This new approach to processing represents a lucrative combination of ecological and economic factors, meeting both the demands of ecological construction and our own company philosophy. It is our firm belief that, far from being contradictory aims that cannot simultaneously be met, such ecological and economic factors can be combined to great effect as part of forward-thinking solutions.

Air jig for perfect production results

The service engineers and planners from allmineral took on this pumice dry processing project with all their usual verve and commitment. This marks the first time that an allair^® double jig of type MP has been used in the processing of pumice, with this environmentally friendly water-free procedure ensuring a high-purity and high-quality product.

Our solution represents a major step forward in the use of natural resources, all while maintaining the previous high levels of product quality. The core of this newly installed plant is the allair^® double jig of type MP, which can separate up to 60 tons of natural pumice per hour from impurities such as basalt, lava and slate. A patented reed valve provides the air pulses required for sorting: when loosened by the pulsing upflow of air, the material layer acts in a similar manner to a fluidised bed and the grains are sorted into new layers according to their density.

The main fan also provides an additional air flow from the lower deck via a bypass in order to layer the material on the upper deck, with the residual energy (volume and air pressure) being combined for this purpose. This procedure doubles the capacity of the machine without requiring any additional space.

Economical and ecological: new standards for the future

Higher productivity without the need for additional space. Environmentally friendly production combined with profitable operations. The allair® dry processing machines from allmineral deliver a series of stunning economic and ecological benefits. As pioneers in the dry processing of pumice, we work towards a future in which economic and ecological concerns are no longer considered polar opposites.