Europe may not be the largest mining market in the world, but it remains an important one. IM Editorial Director Paul Moore recently sat down with Hector Bratos Delgado, MD for Europe at global company MAXAM, about its leading position in the European market for explosives and blasting solutions and technologies.
Q Can you give some idea of the importance of the Iberian market for MAXAM and your heritage and background there being a Spanish company?
The Iberian Pyrite Belt – southern Spain and Portugal – is very much a home market for us; and it remains a critical area for our business. For Europe it is a major hub for production of critical metals like copper and zinc. Our company was founded in Spain – starting with Sociedad Española de la Dinamita (SED) founded by Alfred Nobel in Galdácano (Bilbao, Spain) in 1872, which through mergers evolved into a series of other companies – notably the merger of Union Española de Explosivos (UEE) and Rio Tinto in 1970, creating Union Explosivos Rio Tinto (ERT). The company was later privatised and rebranded as MAXAM in 2006. We were supplying the original Rio Tinto mines in Huelva, notably Corta Atalaya. And today, we are using some of our most advanced technologies in the region, including our mobile explosives manufacturing units, which are able to produce and deliver RIOMEX emulsion but also RIOFLEX watergel explosive with instant sensitising, which represents the latest development in bulk technology.
Hector Bratos Delgado, MD for Europe at MAXAM
Q How does the European market differ and contrast from the rest of the world and how does your European network of plants supply the region efficiently?
Although it varies depending on the different countries in Europe, lot of Europe is still using packaged explosives supplied in cartridges, together with bulk products for big quarries or for larger mines. In Iberia we have been using insitu technology for years, which for large volumes is very efficient. We have brought our experience in Mobile Sensitising Units (MSUs) to southern Europe from the rest of the world, notably from our work at BHP’s Escondida, the world’s largest copper mine, in Chile, where we have been supplying explosives and blasting solutions since 2016; as well as from our key contracts in Africa in countries like Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso and Zambia, where we supply Barrick’s Lumwana, for example. We are a leading global supplier of packaged dynamite – RIODIN and RIOSEIS – for smaller mines and quarries. Our plant in Páramo de Masa, Burgos, Spain today uses the latest technology to produce both traditional packaged dynamite products but also RIOGEL packaged watergels. We have other factories in Europe like in Romania, Croatia, Poland and Italy, producing RIOHIT packaged emulsion as well as RIOGEL and RIOMAX packaged watergel products. Some of these are well placed to serve particular customers, for example the Poland operation supplies the KGHM underground copper mines, while our Croatia facility supplies the very fast-growing mining market in the Balkans – Zijin Mining in Serbia for example is one of our major clients there. Initiation systems are supplied worldwide from the factory in Galdácano, Bilbao including RIOTRONIC electronic systems and RIONEL non-electronic solutions as well as traditional electric RIODET products. Galdácano is also producing other initiation systems like boosters (RIOBOOSTER) and cord (RIOCORD), all products with MAXAM technology. On top of all our current technologies, we are also developing products integrating green technologies to contribute to the sustainability of our world. These include lead-free detonators (already in the industrialisation phase) and green explosives that will dramatically reduce carbon footprint.
Q Specifically, what is the RIOFLEX potential in Europe? And why is it technically superior to emulsion?
For the larger open pit mines in Europe, such as those in Spain, Sweden, Finland, Türkiye, Serbia, Bulgaria and elsewhere, there is enormous potential; plus, also at some of the larger open pit quarries. Technically, the contained energy within RIOFLEX by volume is much higher than for bulk emulsion. RIOFLEX also offers flexibility to operations as it can easily handle variations in strata density, plus it can be used in reactive ground due to its inhibiting qualities. It has a cross-linking process that enhances water resistance, and it can be produced at lower densities than emulsion products and with various types of AN, reducing reliance on porous prill AN. Additionally, RIOFLEX reduces NOx fumes. The extra energy means the powder factor can be reduced by 20 or even 30% and above in some cases – this translates to less explosives being needed for the same rock fragmentation results, and therefore significant cost savings or something more important for big mines, RIOFLEX is able to reduce the total cost for the mine in the whole value chain with the concept X-2Mill. Having said all this, RIOFLEX is a premium product that helps customers gets results in large throughput harder rock mines – for smaller mines or mines with softer rock, our RIOMEX bulk emulsion produces the required results and is very well accepted by our customers. Coming back to the situation in Europe, it may not be the largest mining market worldwide but it is definitely undergoing a resurgence for metals and materials like copper and nickel as well as zinc and lithium, and others such as tungsten, vanadium and PGMs, with many of these critical minerals in the green energy economy. And I would say in Europe, MAXAM is unique in that we produce everything in-house within Europe and are present in all the mining and quarrying markets in Europe, whereas our main competitors are only in certain regions and markets. We do not have to buy anything from third parties.
Q What about your offering to the underground market?
Underground we use broadly the same range but with different recipes to suit the needs of that market. Again, on top of the more standard dynamite, ANFO and emulsion products we also offer RIOFLEX for underground applications. This includes RIOFLEX RAPID, an energetic underground bulk watergel explosive, which reduces the cycle time, and consists of a base oxidant matrix, a sensitiser, and a cross linker, for use in the most dynamic and aggressive environments. In other product ranges, examples of underground emulsions products include RIOMEX MU, an ammonium nitrate-based family of bulk emulsion explosives representing the latest development in bulk technology specifically designed for underground applications.
Q To what extent have you introduced digitalisation of the overall explosives and blasting process?
We were pioneers in digitalisation back in 2020 when we introduced the integrated blasting service, X-Energy, with which we set out to optimise the total cost of ownership in mining through a continuous improvement spiral. X-Energy was the first solution in the industry integrating selective energy application in a fully digitalised mine cycle. It combines the most advanced explosives technology in the market, Smart RIOFLEX, and a set of digital tools for optimised blast design and execution, integrated in our MAXAM Blast Center where we store, manage and share blast-related data. The platform is a user friendly, customised web-based system which can be accessed remotely. The complete blast design is transferred to the Blast Center, from where it can be assigned to the specific MSU and the X-Logger. On the bench, the blaster can gather actual data with the X-Logger, such as stemming length and hole conditions, while the MSU loads the boreholes according to the blast loading plan. X-Energy allows you to customise the design and execution of each individual blast and integrate it to the requirements of downstream operations. The benefits are enhanced safety, reduced impact to the environment, optimised rock fragmentation, efficient use of energy, higher production, and reduced costs to help mines become more competitive and more sustainable. Since its launch we have successfully deployed X-Energy at a number of sites, including Escondida. In Spain we have begun with some trials. It is very much a process of integration based on the specific customer needs which will dictate the exact combination of products, sensors, and other tools. The X-Energy concept is also evolving to X-2Mill concept. X-2Mill is MAXAM’s integrated solution for mine to mill programs, designed to optimise operational efficiency, improve ore fragmentation, and enhance downstream processes. This solution facilitates integration between geological data, operational goals, and blasting activities. By leveraging MWD data (X-4Traits), geological block models and selective loading techniques, X-2Mill not only improves efficiency but also provides a platform for continued innovation, positioning it as a key component in the advancement of smart mining.
Q You displayed two mobile manufacturing units at MMH in Seville, Spain last October, can you provide more information on their particular attributes? What’s new in MSU technology?
We chose to display two similar MSU mobile explosives delivery trucks at the MMH 2024 event, the F-230 and F-264 which are based on a robust Volvo FMX chassis and are sized to suit the open pit mines typical in the European market. Both are capable of producing and delivering both bulk emulsion RIOMEX and the RIOFLEX product as required. We already had one of these types of units operating with Atalaya Mining and these units also went to those operations post-MMH, bringing their MAXAM MMU fleet to three, all of which are operated for their mining contractor INSERSA. Globally, we have a fleet of almost 400 MSUs. Our most advanced models we call our X-Trucks – loading plans can be sent directly to the loading units via a high-speed WiFi network, allowing each MSU manufacture the specified quantity of product and load it directly into each borehole. They are semi-automated meaning we can perform remote loading, maximising security, and safety for customers. Going forward, we are applying more AI and machine learning within our MSUs and within our X-Energy solution in general which are becoming key to generating value at each stage of the mine production cycle.