Wirtgen Surface Miner in Action

The Wirtgen Surface Miner 220 SM in the gypsum quarry, overhead power lines in the background.

Cutting as an Alternative to Blasting

The Wirtgen 220 SM is breaking new ground in the field of gypsum mining in Brazil

By mining the mineral deposit by cutting, a Wirtgen Surface Miner at the Grajaú gypsum mine in north-eastern Brazil eliminates the need for conventional extraction methods like drilling and blasting and enables cost-efficient operations with minimal harmful emissions. For the mining company Gesso Integral, the deployment of the 220 SM is a technological game changer with a focus on productivity, sustainability, and state-of-the-art mining methods.

Company CEO with a Vision for the Future

In Brazil, resources have been mined and quarried by drilling and blasting for over 100 years. This was also the standard method used for many years by Gesso Integral at the mine. However, for CEO Marcos Vasconcelos Ferreira, the not exactly environmentally friendly mining method with its inherent safety risks no longer represented a forward-looking, contemporary solution: “Just because something has been done this way for over 100 years doesn’t mean that it’s not possible to do some things better.”

Portrait photo of Marcos Vasconcelos Ferreira, CEO at Gesso Integral

“We wanted to achieve high productivity with a tight focus on sustainability.”

Marcos Vasconcelos Ferreira, CEO at Gesso Integral

During the search for a more sustainable and efficient extraction method, the company CEO came across the Surface Miner from Wirtgen, which cuts, crushes, and, if required, also loads the cut and crushed rock into trucks in a single pass. The raw materials are selectively extracted in purest quality, which allows optimum exploitation of mineral deposits. Ferreira quickly recognized the potential of the machine and the advantages of the new extraction method: no more drilling, no more blasting, lower emissions, increased safety on the mining site, and outstanding cost-efficiency. The decision to change the mining technology was made and a first Surface Miner was purchased. The purchase of a second SM 220 surface miner in 2023 enabled production at the mine to be increased by 84%.

The Grajaú gypsum mine is located in the federal state of Maranhão in the north-east of Brazil.

The 220 SM is ideal for use in small and medium-scale mining operations.

The cut and crushed material is continuously deposited behind the machine.

Bird’s-eye view of the Grajaú gypsum mine, quarry with surrounding woodland.
Side view of the 220 SM
The 220 SM continuously deposits the cut and crushed material behind the machine.

Surface Miners – the Advantages at a Glance:

  • Cutting, crushing, and, if required, loading in a single working pass
  • Conventional pre-crushing of the mined or quarried rock is no longer required.
  • Increased productivity
  • Selective mining of raw materials in outstanding purity
  • Lower noise and dust emissions and increased safety through the elimination of the need for drilling and blasting
  • Low-vibration extraction enables the exploitation of mineral deposits in the immediate neighborhood of infrastructure or residential areas.

A Personal Success Story

The success story also has a personal side to it. Marcos Vasconcelos Ferreira was deliberately looking for someone with no previous experience with large machines as an operator for the new Surface Miner who could approach it and the new mining method with an objective view. Marlete Ribeiro Souza Guajajára from the indigenous Guajajára community was recruited and trained as a machine operator. “My boss told me that he needed an unskilled person he could train from scratch for the job. And that person turned out to be me. At the time, I had never even learned how to ride a bike, a motorcycle, or drive a car.” His trust in the abilities of his new employee paid off. In the meantime, working with the Surface Miner has become second nature to Marlete, and she knows how to make the best of the machine’s advantages.

Tolles Produkt
Portrait photo of machine operator Marlete Ribeiro Souza Guajajára

“It’s a very comfortable machine that makes our daily work here much easier.”

Marlete Ribeiro Souza Guajajára, machine operator

Over-the-shoulder view of the machine operator’s console in the cabin of the 220 SM
Facts and Figures
General Information about the Mining Site
Location:
Grajaú, Brazil
Machine:
Surface Miner 220 SM
Mineral resource:
Gypsum
Project Data:
Annual production:
1,250,000 tonnes
Cutting depth:
23 cm
Cutting width:
2.2 m

You can find more details and further information on our product pages.

Surface Miners and Cross Application Miners

Surface Miners and Cross Application Miners

Press/media kit

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