Weir Minerals Netherlands has signed an agreement with Outotec to deliver three GEHO® piston diaphragm pumps and a total solutions package for the Yara Siilinjärvi Mine in Finland.The pumps will be commissioned for tailings disposal duty at a new paste plant, which is expected to become operational in the first half of 2017.

Weir Minerals will support the project through the provision of GEHO® PD pumps, main pump related equipment such as feed pumps, valves, and spares, and will assist Outotec in commissioning of the pumping section of the tailings transport system. The GEHO® pumps deliver optimal thickened tailings results in conjunction with Outotec's paste thickener technology. This results in power savings, an efficient re-use of process water and a lifetime extension of the existing tailings storage area.

Siilinjärvi mine produces about one million tonnes of apatite (rock phosphate) concentrate, which creates approximately 10 million tonnes of tailings per year. The tailings, a mixture of sand and water, are currently disposed in the tailings storage facility as conventional tailings slurry. The new high density tailings disposal system with dewatering will increase the percentage of solids in the slurry, thus enabling it to be deposited as paste and extending the lifetime of the tailings storage facility. Reclaimed water is returned to the process for reuse.

The GEHO® piston diaphragm pumps deliver high levels of performance with superior efficiency and reliability. From ore pipelines to autoclave feed, dewatering to backfill, coal gasification to tailings disposal, GEHO® pumps provide a solution for every slurry and tailings application.