New CDE plant commissioned to meet aggregate demands in Ohio
Duff Quarry will increase its production of crushed limestone, sand, and gravel with its new CDE wash plant
For almost three-quarters of a century, the Duff family has produced and supplied crushed limestone, sand, and gravel to West-central Ohio.
As the multi-generational family business approaches its 75th year in business, a new CDE wash plant, capable of processing up to 300 tons per hour (tph) of sand and aggregate, has been commissioned at the company's Lewistown, Ohio, sand and gravel site.
It's an investment, Ross Duff, president of Duff Sand and Gravel Inc. and vice president of Duff Quarry Inc., says, in the future of the business and in the future of the mineral production industry in the state.
"It's about honouring the history and heritage of our business and continuing that good work, ensuring we're equipped and resourced to meet future challenges head-on, and that we extract and utilize every valuable grain from our deposits. In short, it's about longevity."
Ohio does big business for the sand and aggregates industry
In 2023, Ohio was ranked as one of the leading construction sand and gravel-producing states, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Of the 920 million tons of sand and gravel produced last year, the top 10 states by production volume accounted for more than 50 percent of the total combined output.
Similarly, USGS data also shows Ohio as a top producer of crushed stone. Last year, an estimated 1.5 billion tons were produced. The 10 leading states, which included Ohio, accounted for more than half of total output (54 percent).
An essential industry to support the continued economic development of the state, the Ohio Aggregates and Industrial Minerals Association, where Ross Duff serves as an active board member, estimates raw mineral production in the state to be valued at over $1 billion, employing over 5,000 directly and up to 40,000 indirectly through associated construction activity, transportation, and more.
CDE remains a preferred supplier
Duff Quarry first discovered CDE at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in 2020 where the washing experts left a lasting impression on the family operation.
"We believed technology of this kind was beyond our reach," Duff said.
"It was everything we needed and more. When we left that show, we left with an impression of CDE and its equipment that would stay with us for the next few years. We knew it would be a major investment - one of the largest in the history of the company - but we knew just how impactful it could be."
After another three years, the two companies met again at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in 2023.
"By then, we were ready to move forward with this project and CDE was still the preferred supplier all those years later. That second show just strengthened our resolve to bring this project to life with CDE by our side."
Engineered for Duff Quarry
CDE business development manager Ronan Duffy said the solution engineered for Duff Quarry is born from proven solutions designed specifically for its Huntsville quarry.
The final solution includes CDE's AggMax scrubbing and classification system, which combines pre-screening, washing, scrubbing, lightweight and organics removal, and sizing on a compact chassis to produce a range of washed and graded aggregates ready for market straight from the belt. Alongside this system, CDE's M4500 modular sand washing plant, which integrates feeding, screening, washing, and stockpiling, features customizable cut point control and patented Infinity technology to deliver consistent in-spec sand products.
Increased production at the new CDE plant
Able to process up to 300tph, the new CDE plant is helping Duff Quarry produce more material per year to better meet the demands of the local construction market through proven design, efficient processing, and optimized operations.
A major construction boom is underway in central Ohio where the now $28 billion development of two Intel semiconductor manufacturing plants - the single largest private sector investment in the state's history - is continuing on schedule. A further $90 million has also been committed by the Department of Transportation to improve and enhance infrastructure around the facility.
This construction boom is in addition to continued work on developing a new lithium-ion EV battery plant in Jeffersonville as part of a $3.5 billion joint venture between LG Energy Solutions and Honda.
"Within a matter of hours of booting up the plant, material testing showed concrete sand output to be perfectly in-spec", CDE's Ronan Duffy said.
The plant produces a range of construction materials, including C33 coarse concrete sand, fine sand, and three different aggregate fractions: 1-2", #57 stone, and pea gravel.
CDE equipment can be easily adjusted to changing needs
Since initial commissioning in June last year, the geology and material quality of the limestone deposit at the company's operation in Huntsville has changed significantly; but, Ross says the CDE plant has been able to adjust easily to the new conditions.
"We've been extracting here for almost 75 years now. It's a large deposit about 400 feet deep and it spans an area of approximately 400 acres. Given its size and scale, we know that the make-up of the material varies and through the years we've invested in new equipment and adapted our operation in response to this."
The deposit continues to evolve even today, Ross said.
"It's a different deposit now to what it was at the outset of this very partnership - however, now we're equipped with a CDE plant. We're really impressed by the adaptability of the plant and just how little intervention is needed from our side to make the necessary adjustments in response to variations in the material we're processing.
"That versatility is keeping us up and running. It's keeping us competitive and profitable."
