VIENNA—Semperit has introduced a new system for bulk transportation over long distances using a combination of ropeway and conveyor belt technologies.
The Agudio Flyingbelt was developed jointly by group business Sempertrans and Italian ropeway manufacturer Leitner/ Agudio, according to a July 1 announcement by Semperit.
The conveyor belt is already in use, connecting a limestone mine in south eastern Brazil with a cement plant owned by LafargeHolcim, the world's largest producer of construction materials.
The 4.34-mile elevated belt—the longest such system in the world—is transporting 1,500 tons of limestone per hour at a height of up to 118 feet, according to Semperit.
“The Sempertrans conveyor belt not only overcomes—at great height—terrain that can only be accessed with difficulty, it also transports material efficiently and in an environmentally-friendly way. More than 40 truck journeys every hour are saved,” said Thomas Fahnemann, CEO of Semperit Group.
Produced by Sempertrans in France, the belt will enable LafargeHolcim to reduce electricity consumption to around one third of that required by a conventional ropeway systems, said the Austrian company.
Moreover, it added, the Brazilian company can greatly exceed the previous maximum materials-handling capacity of 400 tons per hour, while also reducing the environmental impact of constructing traditional conveyor belts on the ground.
New applications for the elevated belt system are in the works, including in areas other than the core mining segment, Semperit said.