CRUSHING ANTHRACITE REFUSE

Special Research Report SR-87 Approximately 910 million tons of anthracite refuse has accumu- lated in the anthracite region of northeastern Pennsylvania since the middle 1800's. The culm banks have become more objectionable with the increased social awareness of the United States population. In the late 1960's, the most extensive search to date was begun by Operation Anthracite Refuse at the Pennsylvania State University to find methods to remove and/or use the refuse. The refuse which is a mixture of anthracite, sandstone, and shale, occurs in sizes from less than one inch to over three feet in maximum dimension. The uses which have been suggested for the refuse require top sizes from three inches to less than 16 mesh. Crushing will be required in most reclaiming operations. The objective of this study is to determine the cost of crushing anthracite refuse. A literature search was initiated to find case studies of crushing operations and literature on crushing equipment. It was hoped that guidelines could be established for estimating crushing costs for future reclaiming operations. This study indicated that with four different crusher types and several sizes of each and with the varied material sizes required, no meaningful guidelines could be established. The case studies showed a crushing cost range from 0.6 cents per ton to 16 cents per ton. Since no guidelines could be established, it will be necessary to complete a separate analysis for each crusher installation. An algorithm was developed to facilitate this analysis. The algorithm uses the total crushing cost at the throughput and type of operation to be used as the common basis for comparison. The algorithm has not been tested in an actual crusher selection. In a hypothetical selection, however, it showed one crusher to be a better choice than two others which were considered.