Mineral sands dry processing plant, Muchea

In November 1987 the TiO₂ Corporation submitted to the Environmental Protection Authority an ERMP describing a proposal which included the establishment of a mineral sands dry separation plant at a site just north of Muchea on the Brand Highway.

The EPA assessed that proposal subject to the implementation of several commitments and recommendations (EPA Bulletin 330, March 1988) and found it environmentally acceptable.

Subsequently the proponent submitted a proposal for the establishment of a synthetic rutile plant on the same site and was advised that the site was too close to Muchea for the synthetic rutile plant to be environmentally acceptable. This was due to potential impact from air emissions such as hydrogen sulphide. The proponent required both plants to be on the same location to enable ilmenite produced by the dry process plant to feed directly into the synthetic rutile plant, and wastes from the synthetic rutile plant to be backloaded to the minesite in trucks delivering concentrate to the dry process plant. Also a joint location offered economies in shared administration facilities and services.

Consequently the proponent located a potential alternative site and submitted separate proposals for a dry process plant and a synthetic rutile plant on that site.

This assessment is of the dry process plant (Assessment 191A). The assessment of the synthetic rutile plant (Assessment 191B) is reported in EPA Bulletin 377 (Ministerial Statement 67).