Lokotrack ST4.8 mobile screen allows Ecoservice to start in-house aggregates production

“Earlier, we purchased and transported the aggregates for our cement mixing plant from a site 50 kilometers away. With the ST4.8, we are able to produce aggregates right next to our cement plant, saving us a lot in transportation costs and aggregate purchases,” says Constantin Apreotesei, owner of Ecoservice Srl, summarizing some of the benefits resulting from the Lokotrack ST4.8.

Ecoservice Srl is a mid-sized construction company located in northeastern Romania, some 350 km from the capital, Bucharest. The company is a significant employer and one of the few Romanian enterprises in the industry to have entered recycling. Metso’s Lokotrack ST4.8 is their first mobile screen. With it, they’ve already produced washed aggregates for their cement plant and have recycled concrete and bricks.

The company operates a fleet of trucks, excavators, wheel loaders and other construction equipment. They also own a workshop for steel fabrications and other assemblies.

Wanted: A multitasking screen

In order to save in transportation costs, Ecoservice wanted to expand its fleet to include a screen. This way they could produce the aggregates they needed on site instead of buying and hauling them. The company knew they needed a mobile screen suitable for both wet and dry screening and for aggregates and recycling applications. Additionally, the equipment had to be easy and safe to operate and environmentally friendly.

They decided to approach Metso. At that time, Metso’s offering didn’t include a suitable track-mounted product off the shelf. However, because Metso has delivered numerous washing screens on wheels and for stationary plants, the necessary know-how was there.

“During a visit to Metso’s factory in Tampere, Finland, I was able to see and understand the complete product range and Metso’s history in the aggregates industry,” says Constantin Apreotesei.

This experience sowed the seed for collaboration. Together, Metso and Ecoservice decided to start with the proven ST4.8 mobile screen and to modify the screen box to accommodate the washing system. The fines conveyor was equipped with a slurry collection tray to also enable dry screening.

Collaboration results in a perfect solution

Metso delivered the complete ST4.8 mobile screen, and Ecoservice made a sand screw and a discharge conveyor in their fabrication shop close to the cement plant. Ecoservice also manufactured a water circulation system, including sedimentation pools. Even though the water circulation and treatment systems are stationary, the ST4.8 can easily be moved and transported to recycling sites whenever needed.

“The ST4.8 setup was fast and intuitive and it’s easy to work with. This is a great benefit, especially since the operators cannot be professionals for each and every type of equipment,” says Apreotesei.

Ecoservice uses a wheel loader with a 2.7-m3 bucket to feed the ST4.8, resulting in a capacity of 150-200 tph when producing 0-4 mm, 4-8 mm, 8-16 mm and 16-200 mm washed aggregates from river gravel. The fuel consumption amounts to 14 liters per hour, including the sand screw that gets its power from the ST4.8.

“The capacity really met our expectations and we’re satisfied with the results,” confirms Apreotesei.

Business growth and more jobs

Justifying the investment in the solution was easy. Simple math shows that it’s profitable.

“The ST4.8 saves 50% in our aggregate purchases for the cement plant,” says Apreotesei. In addition, the ST4.8 reduces the need to transport the aggregates. That means less energy per ton is needed, and that’s good for the environment, too.

Recycling applications are not yet as common in Romania as they are in places like Central Europe, but they are becoming more popular as infrastructure develops and gets denser. Ecoservice has already fed the ST4.8 with bricks and recycled concrete.

“The screen performed well in those applications, and I hope this will bring growth to our business and create more jobs in northeast Romania,” adds Apreotesei.

With good experiences from their first project together, Ecoservice and Metso will continue to improve the process. The next likely step is to introduce crushers for the 16 -200 mm material.