:: First Contract in China

Bateman has been awarded a US$4 million contract from Yunnan Xinli Nonferrous Metals Co. Ltd. to provide engineering services for a new titanium slag smelting plant to be constructed in the Chinese Province of Yunnan. The project is the first to be carried out by Bateman in China, and offers the potential for future business in the region, particularly with Yunnan Xinli's parent company, the China Yunnan Metallurgical Group (CYMG).

The plant will produce 100,000 t/yr of high-grade titanium dioxide (TiO₂) slag, which is used as a feedstock in the pigment industry. The slag will be produced from a feed of ilmenite utilising DC arc furnace smelting technology in a 25 MW furnace. The furnace will be designed with an offgas scrubber and the cleaned furnace gas will be used as a combustion fuel for pre-heating the ilmenite feedstock, thus maximizing energy efficiency.

The contract comprises the basic engineering of the plant, as well as technical assistance and training during construction, commissioning and ramp-up. Bateman has also been contracted to do some of the detailed engineering of the control system and critical process plants such as the furnace, pre-heater and offgas scrubber, and there is a further possibility for the company to supply some of this equipment.