Bolwarra Enterprises engaged CDE Group for a customised sand washing solution to enhance production capacity.
Bolwarra Enterprises managing director Ian Kidner does not hold back when describing the impact of CDE Group’s sand washing plant at Wongabel Quarry.
With more than 40 years of experience in the quarrying sector, he knows a high-quality product when he sees one.
“CDE are probably the world leader in wash plants. I certainly believe they are,” he told Quarry.
“We did have a look at a few wash plant suppliers, but we went with CDE because they’re known as the best in the world.”
While the business operates several quarries in North Queensland, including Routh Quarry in Georgetown and Jubilee Quarry in Croydon, Wongabel Quarry, located in the Atherton tablelands, plays a key role in supplying materials to the concrete batching plant for Wongabel Concrete and the local market from Cairns to Karrumba.
Bolwarra Enterprises has been run in its current form by Kidner since 2000, after the company was initially founded in 1971, providing mobile crushing and screening contract work, and acting as a contractor for local councils and government departments.
The company had been purchasing sand materials from two natural sand suppliers for its Wongabel Concrete batching plant, but as those resources began to diminish, a new solution was required.
The North Queensland operation began to look at the potential of manufactured sand for its quarry materials. Given the scale of the investment, the business undertook a thorough due diligence process when evaluating potential suppliers and methods for producing manufactured sand.
Ultimately, CDE Group emerged as the clear choice for the project.
“I consulted with CDE over a period of four to five years. The plant was designed for around 50 tonnes per hour, and it does exactly that,” Kidner said. “They gave us confidence in their product. When you invest your money in these products, that is what you need, and CDE gave us that.
“CDE also sent up a fitter and a couple of guys to help us with the installation of the plant, which was helpful.
“We’re currently operating it at a quarter of its capacity, but we expect that will grow. This plant suits what we needed, and it gives us a lot of room for growth.”
When consulting with CDE, the quarry operator discovered that the sand washing specialists could produce exactly what they needed in a straightforward manner. In contrast, other options were complex and involved multiple companies throughout the process. To meet their requirements, Bolwarra Enterprises purchased an EvoWash, an AquaCycle thickener and an AquaStore water tank. Together, this configuration allows for high-volume processing while keeping the footprint to a minimum. The AquaCycle and AquaStore systems, in particular, are critical to conserving water on-site.
The AquaCycle recycles up to 90 per cent of water used, sending it to the AquaStore for immediate reuse. This avoids the use of settling ponds – a key win in a land-constrained environment. Adding to the mix is the EvoWash system. Compact and modular, it handles high-frequency dewatering and integrates cyclonic separation to control silt cut points. This means less loss of valuable fines and more consistency in the final sand and gravel products.
Kidner and his team elected to operate the plant off their own power supply. The 50-tonne-per-hour plant has also opened up new opportunities for the business. Using the plant, Wongabel Concrete has been able to redesign its concrete mix designs due to the quality of the manufactured sand product. Alongside the 25,000 tonnes of concrete sand the quarry produces annually using the CDE plant, the quarry has been able to produce clean fill sand for backfilling, sand for the septic system, as well as fill sand for local golf clubs.
“It is a superior product to the natural sand product. There was a transition period, but it has been financially beneficial for us as well,” Kidner said. “We still use some natural fine sand due to our concrete colour mix designs and the colour difference between the natural sand and manufactured sand.
“But overall, moving to manufactured sand with the CDE wash plant has been very beneficial because we can do more in-house. The quality control we have received as a result of this is excellent, giving us peace of mind.
“We haven’t had any dramas with it. CDE helped us set it up, and it works really well.”
As access to natural sand reserves becomes increasingly difficult and the reserves themselves diminish, by transitioning to manufactured sand with CDE’s help, Bolwarra Enterprises has future-proofed its operations.
“Because we manufacture the sand and the CDE plant washes it, it’s all in-house now,” Kidner said.
“Our wash plant is of very good quality because it is all built in-house by CDE, and it has helped us keep the quarry and keep the concrete plant busy.” •
For more information, visit cdegroup.com
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