The RopeCon^® Bardon Hill used to transport overburden reduces CO₂ emissions

Bardon Hill Quarry near Leicester in Leicestershire is one of the United Kingdom’s oldest continuously operated quarries. Aggregate Industries UK Ltd recently developed a new quarry extension at this strategically important site. In order to sustain quarrying activities, a separate material handling system was required to extract, process and transport overburden for emplacement within the existing quarry as part of its restoration.

As part of the restoration strategy of the Bardon Hill quarry, a RopeCon^® system from Doppelmayr transports overburden for backfilling in the existing open pit. The design allows the discharge height to be controlled so that the discharge point can be kept close to the installed material. This helps to minimise dust and noise generation during operation. Recently, an installation team has now re-tensioned the track ropes to adjust the drop height to allow for the next phase of backfilling. This solution generates significantly lower CO₂ emissions and environmental impacts compared with road haulage or the footprint associated with a conventional surface conveyor system. This system is the first such installation in the UK. It transports Bardon Hill’s overburden at rates of up to 1000 t/h.

The RopeCon^® is a combination of ropeway technology and conventional conveying technology.  At Bardon Hill, the system spans 850 m across the entire pit with track ropes. The belt, which transports the overburden, moves on these steel wire track ropes and the material can be transferred onto a second belt directly in the rope span. This second belt is reversible and therefore allows simultaneous conveying and emplacement activities. During the life of the operation, the RopeCon^® track ropes will be periodically retensioned to allow the system to be lifted above the placed material. This ability to control the drop height minimizes the impact of noise and dust during the system’s operation.