Metso Outotec stated that these vertical grinding mills will be the largest of their kind to be installed in Ukraine, and that once the mills have been installed, Ferrexpo's iron ore beneficiation complex will be the largest VTM installation on the continent.

The company added that the typical value for this type of an order is in the range of €30-40 million (US$35.7-47.6 million), depending on the scope of delivery. The order has been booked in Metso Outotec's second-quarter 2021 orders received.

Vertimill technology is part of Metso Outotec's Planet Positive offering, which was introduced in March this year. The Planet Positive portfolio focuses on the most environmentally efficient technologies in the company's current portfolio, responding to the sustainability requirements of its customers in the aggregates, mining and metals refining industries.

Metso Outotec said that Vertimill technology provides a low total cost of ownership thanks to its high energy efficiency, reduced media consumption, low installation cost as well as minimal liner wear and maintenance. It is capable of handling feed sizes of up to 6mm and grinding to product sizes of 30μm or less. Vertimill is available in standard mill sizes ranging from 11kW to 3,352kW. 

Metso Outotec offers several stirred mill technologies - Vertimills, HIGmill high intensity grinding mills and stirred media detritors (SMD).

Metso Outotec has won several major orders for its Vertimill technology this year, including for Iamgold's Côté gold project in Canada in March, Sandfire Resources' T3 Motheo copper-silver project in Botswana in April, and for Mapa Group's operations in Liberia and Burkina Faso in early June.

Ferrexpo also awarded a major comminution technology order to Weir Minerals in April.