Friday 30 May 2014

The Total Value Of Heavy Minerals Mined In India

Heavy Mineral Mining
India being the seventh largest country in the world has a coastline of more than 7000 kilometers. The great Indian peninsula is surrounded by water on all three sides.  This gives India an edge over other countries that have no access to the oceans, for obtaining beach mineral reserves. These beach minerals can be acquired using heavy mineral mining

 One of the leading heavy mineral mining companies in India is VV Minerals. VV Minerals, India is based in Tamil Nadu. They conduct mining activities in the Gulf of Mannar. The minerals that are abundantly found in this area includes, ilmenite, zircon, rutile and garnet.

The largest reserve is of ilmenite, which is as high as 348 million tones. The second largest reserve is of garnet, which are about 107 million tones. Rutile is estimated to be about 18 million tones and zircon is about 21 million tones. Sillimanite is another mineral found abundantly which makes up 130 million tones. Despite such extensive resources, the production to reserve (PRR) in India is a meagre 0.001% which is insignificant compared to countries having similar or even less resources.

VV Minerals, India, is the largest garnet exported in the country, as well as the first private company to export ilmenite. It is a family grown business started by Mr. S Vaikundarajan.

The other eminent members involved in the top management of the company include Mr. J Muthurajan and Mr. V. Subramanian, both holding the Managing Directors chair. The company basically deals with Zircon mining, rutile mining, garnet mining and ilmenite mining.

Tuesday 27 May 2014

VV Mineral Not Guilty In Illegal Mining Scam

VV Mineral
In the Business Standard article published on October 28, 2013, it was clearly stated that the Indian Bureau of Mines which works under the Ministry of Mines took back their claims on VV Minerals, India the private mining company which was alleged for illegally mining atomic minerals in Tamil Nadu.

The joint inspection was conducted and reported in Tirunelveli by the Department of Geology and Mining and the Indian Bureau of Mines where the accused private mining company was based in. It was claimed that VV Minerals the private company owned by Mr. S Vaikudarajan had illegally hoarded and exported monazite worth 1000 crores.

The inspection copy was available to the media which contained signatures of the Assistant Director of Mines and Geology, Assistant Director of Mines and Geology, Deputy Director of Mines and Geology and a few others. It affirmed that “the allegations made by the complainant had wrong motive, were envious and vindictive and far away from the truth”.

The report further said production details furnished by the company from their own mining leases, granted both in patta and government poramboke land in all the three districts, were found to be appropriate.

The Managing Directors of the company include J. Muthurajan, V. Subramanian, S. Jegatheesan and S. Vaikundarajan are proven not guilty in the illegal mining scam. VV Minerals mainly deals with Zircon mining, Garnet mining, Ilmenite mining and Rutile mining.

Friday 23 May 2014

What Are The Prerequisites Of Heavy Mineral Mining Industry?

Heavy Mineral Mining VV Minerals
The first important requirement in order to conduct heavy mineral mining is a trouble free placer deposit. Some placer deposits tend to be complicated with sophisticated mineral assemblage, which leads to rise in production costs. Another essential aspect needed to be considered to be in the heavy mineral mining business is access to labor. Access to water and cheaper electricity is also essential. The right infrastructure needs to be in place for better business activities.

The grant for mining lease is the most important aspect as without that mining won’t be possible. 17 departments from State and Central Government have to give their consent which typically takes 5 years minimum.

The Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu has abundance in placer deposits of Garnet and Ilmenite. Some of the top companies like VV Minerals are actively involved in heavy mineral mining in Tamil Nadu. V.V Mineral is a family grown business started by Mr. S Vaikundarajan, Founder, Chairman & Managing Director, VV Group. Being India’s biggest mining, manufacturers and exporters of Garnet V.V. Mineral has been awarded as the ‘Number One Garnet Exporters’ of our country. Zircon mining, Rutile mining and Ilmenite mining are some of the other mining activities that VV Minerals engage in.

Thursday 22 May 2014

Challenges Faced By The Heavy Mineral Mining Industry

VV Mineral, India
One of the major challenges that the heavy mineral mining faces is the taxes set by the Government policies. For example a royalty of 3% for Garnet Mining and 2% of other heavy minerals is to be paid up according to the MMDR Act.  The central Government has also imposed 15% and 12.5% excise duty for various heavy minerals. In addition to that, there is 10% excise duty that needs to be fulfilled which is imposed by the Central Government again. Also, the State Government levies Sales Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) and local cess and local cess surcharge are applicable to heavy mineral manufacturers.

The long process of getting environmental clearances and the CRZ clearances from the Ministry Of Environment And Forest is another hurdle. Even if the land is owned by the manufacturers themselves, the first stage public hearing has to be compulsorily attended. After which it is obligatory to get clearance from more than 17 department / agencies from State and Government departments.

Although difficult and time consuming, these processes are all complied by VV Minerals, India, which is based in Tamil Nadu. They are the country’s leading heavy mineral mining manufacturers and exporters. They rank number one for Garnet export. Also they are the first private company in the country to export ilmenite.

It is a family owned business, established by Mr. S. Vaikundarajan, who is the chairman and managing director of the company. Starting from 1989, in Tamil Nadu, they have now grown to be the leaders in the industry on the global front.

Monday 19 May 2014

How Does Heavy Mineral Mining Create Alternate Employment For Local People?

Garnet Mining

 
The length of the coastline of Gulf of Mannar is 223.90 kms which constitutes to about 21% of the state coastline of over 1000 kms. Some people are under an impression that the fishing activities and development of fisheries are affected by the heavy mineral mining of beach sand minerals in the coast of Tuticorin, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.

However, this is not true. In fact, it is the other way round; by conducting heavy mineral mining activity it leads to the development of the local villages. By way of providing alternate employment, the standard of living of the fishermen and their families is upgraded due to additional income of the family and also leisure time could be spent effectively.

Fishing is a seasonal profession which lasts for about 5 months in a year from September to January. The rest of the time 7 months the fisherman are jobless; there is no other way for lucrative employment in the coastal areas. Garnet mineral is abundantly found on the Gulf of Mannar, hence, Garnet mining and processing industries provide ample job opportunities for   the fishermen and their family round the year. This has led to betterment of living conditions and also improved the overall health and lifestyle of the local people.

The leading company that indulges in heavy mineral mining in Tuticorin is VV Mineral, India. They are India’s biggest mining, manufacturers and exporters of Garnet.

They have been awarded as the ‘Number One Garnet Exporters’ of our country. They also undertake Zircon mining, Rutile mining and Ilmenite mining.

Friday 16 May 2014

Grades Of Ilmenite




The following video contains facts about Grades of Ilmenite and other aspects of ilmenite mining. It also provides information about the largest  Ilmenite manufacturers and exporters in India, like VV Mineral. They are the first private ilmenite exporters of India. VV Minerals India has a huge market share in Europe, Middle East, East Asia, Australia and USA. They are based in Tamil Nadu and the company is owned by Mr. S. Vaikundarajan.

Monday 12 May 2014

Processes Involved In Beach Mineral Sand Mining

Heavy Mineral Mining


India is rich in various natural resources. Many states in India like Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are rich in mineral resources. While Goa is known for its ores, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are recognized for the heavy mineral reserves.

The heavy mineral sand mining industry deals with mining of minerals such as Zircon mining, Ilmenite mining, Rutile mining, Garnet and other Titanium dioxide products.  Most people are unaware of the specifics of the heavy mineral mining industry. Here is how heavy minerals are processed.

There are four stages involved in the processing of beach mineral sands. The primary stage involves the separation of silica and the minerals, for this the sand is transported to the pre-concentration plant where there are two streams created, namely, the Garnet-Zircon-Sillimanite stream and Ilmenite and Rutile stream.          

Both streams then are processed independently and Garnet and Ilmenite are separated. The Garnet is further processed in another unit for washing and sizing. After this process it is packed for export. And Ilmenite if further treated in an independent unit to remove all the impurities.

One of the premier companies that indulge in heavy mineral mining of Garnet is V.V. Mineral. They are India’s biggest mining, manufacturers and exporters of Garnet. They have been awarded as the ‘Number One Garnet Exporters’ of our country. They also undertake Zircon mining, Rutile mining and Ilmenite mining.

Tuesday 6 May 2014

Is Heavy Mineral Mining An Environmental Concern?

Heavy Mineral Mining
The process of heavy mineral mining begins with extracting mineral rich sand from the sea shores and transporting it to a processing plant. In India this extraction is done manually using hand tools. Although, in heavy mineral mining you need to extract sand from the shores, it does not lead to any depreciation of land, because the sand after the extracting the minerals is transported back to the shores and filled in the places where mining is conducted.

Sustainable methods of mining ensure that there is no environmental harm is caused due to this activity. If the right care is taken, the entire process can be pollution free and cause very less or no harm to the people living near the mining areas. Activities mentioned below can be undertaken in support of environmental sustainability while mining:

• Sprinklers at mining sites minimise the spread of red dust in the atmosphere.


• Reclamation and rehabilitation of dormant mines can be done through afforestation and other techniques.


• Recycled water from mines can be supplied to nearby villages for secondary use.


• Mechanised road sweepers can clean up the surroundings on mining routes.



VV Mineral


VV Mineral, India is an environment-friendly organization which has taken various steps over the years to conserve water through smart usage of water in its operations. Being a water conscious company, VVM does not use fresh water in mining process and does not use chemicals in its concentration plants. Due to its continued efforts, VVM is already saving more than 1.2 million KL water every year. They also use wind mills to generate power. It is family grown business started by Mr. S Vaikundarajan, Chairman of VV Group of companies.