The project will add about 2m metric tons of storage and grain handing space to the Brazilian facility and improve the environmental controls, said the company.
Work on site expansion began in November and is set to be completed by the start of 2017, said Eduardo Rodrigues, ADM Brazil’s national director for ports and logistics. The project is set to expand the company’s current footprint in the country.
“Brazil plays a major—and expanding—role in global agricultural production,” he told FeedNavigator. “Between this project and our expansion at our port facility in Barcarena, we are significantly increasing our overall export capacity from Brazil, while simultaneously enhancing our ability to work with the Brazilian growers.”
Environmental control details
In the upgrade, a new warehouse facility is being constructed with state-of-the-art particulate emission control systems, said Rodrigues. Improvements to existing systems aim to reduce the amount of particulate matter generated.
One reason for the focus on upgrades to environmental controls stems from the growth of the city, which has brought other buildings and houses near to the terminal, he said. “That is why investments in environmental controls are a priority as we modernize the terminal, and why we are focused on minimizing the impact of our operations to nearby residents and businesses,” he added.
“The new terminal will also feature two latest-generation ship loaders, each fitted with a telescoping chute that will help prevent the free fall of products and further reduce particulate dust cloud formations,” he said. “Upon unloading, hoppers containing thin plates fitted with smart sensors detect product weight for opening and closing fins, therefore retaining powders below ground level. Hoppers will contain particulates arresters to filtrate air and automatic doors for keeping dust in containment.”
In the new systems discarded products are set to be moved within sealed towers and shielded conveyor belts to prevent dust from being released to external areas, he said. “Such conveyors yet rely on an efficient spot filtering system for dust retention, one which will yet be enlarged in the new terminal by the installation of new filters,” he added.
Additionally, steps are being taken to improve truck cleaning after deliveries, again to reduce the amount of dust generated outside of the building, said Rodrigues. “We are also making some logistics improvements to the terminal’s internal yard, such as installing a concrete floor and a row of speed bumps, to help ensure trucks are thoroughly cleaned and as much grain as possible is removed from each truck after the grain is delivered,” he added.
Other work
In addition to the work being done on the facility in Santos, work is also continuing on a jointly-owned company export terminal in Barcarena, said the company.
When completed, that work will have expanded the site’s capacity to 6m metric tons, the company said.
Expansion of both facilities is set to improve ADM’s ability to ship to areas including Asia, Africa and Europe, said Greg Morris, president of ADM’s oilseeds processing business.
“ADM is already one of Brazil’s largest exporters of agricultural products,” he said. “When these improvements to both ports are complete, we will be able to move even more crops out of Brazil, and we will be able to do so more efficiently, enhancing both our capability to meet global customer demand and our ability to grow our returns in South America.”