Microwave Processing of Vermiculite

An agreement has been reached between Silvaperl and e2v for the first commercial field trial of e2v's ProWave vermiculite processing system at its site in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire.

The ProWave system is based on microwave technology, developed over the last two years.

The equipment will be installed at the Silvaperl site in October 2011 and will immediately commence trialling vermiculite ores from around the world in order to fully evaluate the benefits of a commercial scale plant.

e2v's ProWave system utilises patented technology in a novel application of RF microwave power to the processing of Vermiculite. The system is capable of delivering significant savings in energy consumption, in the order of a 90% reduction over fossil fuel based systems, and also delivers improvements in material quality and yield.

The ProWave system has been shortlisted for the "Green Product of the Year" at the 2011 British Engineering Excellence Awards.

Keith Attwood, CEO of e2v, commented "Working in partnership with Silvaperl, a well-respected and leading European vermiculite processing company, on this first installation will enable us to demonstrate ProWave's reliability and quality, together with the system's ability to transform the economics of vermiculite processing."

Guy Sinclair, Business Manager of Silvaperl said "It's a really exciting development for us to be involved in and we are looking forward to creating data during the commercial trialling, which wil provide information about the equipment's ability to improve yield, reduce carbon emissions and provide a reduced maintenance environment".