Ontario sand and gravel site adds CDE screening, cyclone technology

An Ontario-headquartered sand and gravel supplier has partnered with wet processing industry experts CDE Group to commission a series of upgrades to its existing plant in Uxbridge, Ontario, as it seeks to enhance efficiency and boost the quality of its natural resources.

Vicdom Sand & Gravel has been supplying a wide variety of aggregate products to customers in Southern Ontario since 1976 from its sand and gravel pits and limestone quarry in the Kawartha Lakes, Brock Township and Uxbridge areas.

With more than 1,000 acres of land licensed for aggregate extraction, Vicdom, from its central pit located 30 minutes northeast of Toronto, is positioned to meet the demands of its customers in the construction industry throughout Greater Toronto.

In response to increasing demand for its products, Vicdom has commissioned a replacement CDE dewatering screen and new 400mm hydrocyclone to maximize output and material retention from its dredge operation.

"Outdated screening technology was adversely impacting our ability to meet the demands of the market," Vicdom Operations Manager Bruno Giordano says.

United Kingdom-based CDE has replaced the worn screen with its patented Infinity Screen technology, valued by customers for its durability and long operational life.

Benefitting from fully-bolted construction, Infinity Screens have no welds in their patented trilogy sidewalls, making them fundamentally different from other screens available on the market. This unique construction helps to ensure maximum performance, minimum downtime and fast return on investment for customers.

The new screen integrates seamlessly with the existing plant setup and a new CDE hydrocyclone which utilizes centrifugal force to classify feed material rather than gravity.

Due to the design of the cyclone unit, more parameters are now available to Vicdom, enabling the sand and aggregate supplier to boost the quality of its end products by reducing moisture content and providing control of silt cut points to eliminate the loss of quality fines.

With complete accuracy in the material cut point, the desired sand fraction is ready for dewatering, stockpiling and dispatch to market.

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Operational now for a little over a year, Vicdom's new CDE screen is processing between 70 and 100 tons per hour (tph) of sand coming from the site's 350 tph dredge feed. Producing a consistent, medium sand suitable for use in the overall concrete mix, the plant is helping Vicdom meet the local construction market's demand for raw materials.

"This is CDE's first project with Vicdom and one that provides us with an opportunity to demonstrate our ability to work in an agile way, responding to the individual needs of materials producers," says Adrian Convery, CDE's business development manager for Canada. "The project also showcases the versatility of our innovative solutions and the hugely positive impact CDE technology can have on an operation, whether existing or greenfield."

Giordano says CDE's technology stands out among the equipment used throughout Vicdom's sites across Ontario.

"What is really impressive about CDE and its technology is its modularity and the team's commitment to identifying a solution suited to our exact needs. It was important for our business continuity that the solution integrate seamlessly with our existing plant while ensuring minimal downtime and impact on our wider operations," he says. "CDE delivered a solution that ensured precisely that. For over a year now, the plant has been operational and delivering for our customers and the wider construction industry in Ontario. The efficiency of the plant, the quality of its build and the expertise of the CDE team has exceeded all expectations."