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    Metso–Loesche VRM dry grinding: design and water-risk takeaways for mine engineers

    March 12, 2026|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Metso–Loesche VRM dry grinding: design and water-risk takeaways for mine engineers

    First reported on Australian Mining

    30 Second Briefing

    Metso has partnered with Loesche GmbH to launch a vertical roller mill (VRM) dry grinding solution targeting higher energy efficiency and reduced water use in comminution circuits. The system combines Metso’s process integration and plant design with Loesche’s VRM technology, which typically delivers fine grinding in a single, compact unit without the need for large downstream classification or thickening equipment. For mine designers, the dry VRM route can shrink plant footprint, simplify tailings handling and support projects in arid regions or where water licences are constrained.

    Technical Brief

    • VRM unit integrates grinding, drying and classifying in one machine, reducing separate equipment trains.
    • Loesche’s mill design uses grinding rollers on a rotating table to generate high compressive forces.
    • Hot gases pass through the mill, enabling simultaneous moisture removal from ore feed.
    • Integrated dynamic classifier on top of the VRM controls product fineness without external cyclones.
    • Circulating load is handled internally within the mill housing, limiting external recirculation conveyors.
    • Compact VRM modules suit retrofit into existing comminution buildings with limited headroom and footprint.
    • Dry VRM circuits can reduce slurry pumping requirements and associated pipeline wear and maintenance.
    • For greenfield mining projects, VRM-based layouts enable simpler elevation profiles and fewer sumps.

    Our Take

    Metso’s work with Loesche GmbH on VRM dry grinding comes as Metso is simultaneously supplying large-scale wet grinding solutions, such as Vertimill® 4500 units for a DR-grade iron ore project, signalling a strategy to cover both ends of the comminution flowsheet for steel and bulk commodity clients.

    In our database, Metso already features in sustainability-tagged pieces through energy-efficient grinding and AI-enabled maintenance, so a dry VRM solution marketed in Australia is likely to appeal to miners facing both high power costs and tightening water-use constraints in that jurisdiction.

    The earlier exclusive partnership announcement between Metso Corporation and Loesche GmbH indicates this Australian Mining product piece is one of the first regional deployments, suggesting Metso is now moving from global framework agreement to market-by-market rollout of the VRM technology.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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