ABB has obtained Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) status for the ABB Gearless Mill Drive (GMD) ring motor, a widely used technology for powering large grinding mills in the mining industry. The product is manufactured in Bilbao, Spain, and the EPD provides standardized information on its environmental impact across its life cycle.
The International EPD System (IES) is a global program for EPD, a Type III environmental declaration following the principles of ISO 14025. IES is operated by EPD International AB, a subsidiary of the IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.
Based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, the EPD provides data to help customers evaluate environmental factors in their supply chains and reflects ABB’s efforts to share product impact information.
ABB conducted a life cycle analysis of a 24 MW ring motor used in semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mills, examining its environmental impact from supply chain and manufacturing through operation and end-of-life disposal. The assessment was based on a reference service life of 25 years.
Andrea Quinta, sustainability specialist at ABB, said. “By earning the Environmental Product Declaration for our ring motor, we emphasize our environmental stewardship and industry leadership for this technology. We adhered to the highest standards throughout this process, as we do in the ABB ring motor factory every day. This recognition highlights to the mining industry what they are bringing into their own operations when they work with ABB.”
The comprehensive LCA was conducted at ABB’s factory in Bilbao and was externally verified and published in accordance with international standards, ISO 14025 and ISO 14040/14044. It will remain valid for five years.
The ring motor, a central part of the GMD system, is a gearless drive in which torque is transferred from the motor to the mill using the magnetic field in the air gap between the motor stator and rotor. It allows for variable-speed control in grinding operations, which can help reduce energy consumption and operational costs depending on the application.
ABB’s Real Progress initiative and the publication of the EPD illustrate the company’s approach to measuring and disclosing the environmental impact of its GMD solutions. These efforts are supported by findings in ABB’s white paper ‘Unleashing the Power of Gearless Technology’ which outlines how GMDs contribute to performance improvements and environmental considerations in mining operations.
Edited by Puja Mitra, WTWH Media, for Control Engineering, from a ABB news release.
