Serrabal
The mining concession was originally granted in 1978 to Rocas, Arcillas y Minerales, S.A. FerroAtlántica Group acquired control of such Company in 2000.
The site of metallurgical quartz Serrabal Mine is philonian type and of hydrothermal origin. Due to the volume of its reserves and the quality of its quartz it is one of the most important sites in the world.
The operating method used in mine consists in clearing coating materials from the roof of the vein located, to allow access to quartz. The quartz mineral extraction is done by drilling and blasting, loading the material flown with backhoe and transported by miner dumpers to the treatment plant.
The treatment plant consists of two lines of treatment. The first one processes the material for manufacture the silicon metal and ferroalloys and the second line process the material that does not meet the chemical specifications or appropriate particle size and is used in the local industry as aggregates. Transactions in the treatment plant are: prescreening, grinding, washing, sorting according to size by sieves and according to quality through optical system in the plant selection called Mikrosort.
- Mineral crushing plants
- Mineral washing
- Two plants that use the latest optical selection techniques to obtain quartz with the highest purity
- Aggregates crushing plant
- Special aggregates plant (fine sand)
- Auxiliary installation to control the dust in the plant and treat the water from the wash
Serrabal Mine is located in the Municipalities of Vedra and Boqueixón, at a distance of 17 km from Santiago de Compostela. To access the mine take the N-525 Santiago-Ourense road. Turn left in km 325 to the mine.