A few weeks ago, I summarised an interesting report that was released earlier this by CSIRO, called ¨A Roadmap for unlocking future growth opportunities for Australia¨. The report described how the mining industry was changing and outlined how Australian METS could compete in the future based on what the authors called ¨megatrends¨. You can find our summary here.
The megatrends described in the report are not some far off ideas but are actually already happening right now at mine sites across the world. Even more exciting is that many of the companies I have been speaking with over the last 5 years were already developing solutions that are in line with what the report called future opportunities.
Below, I have highlighted some companies from across the world that I believe are providing innovative solutions to the 5 opportunities that CSIRO believes METS companies should focus their efforts on.
Social and Environmental Sustainability
Growing societal concern about the impacts of mining will drive the development of new processes and technologies to improve social well-being, environmental performance, and economic prosperity.
Water Management is becoming a priority in mining applications. Recent disasters from all over the world clearly demonstrate the dangers of traditional mining water management. Tailings dam failures have been on the rise due to extreme or unexpected weather conditions such as heavy rains or earthquakes, overloading the tailings dam beyond design, or poor dam management practices. The risks and failures of tailings dams could be completely avoided by dewatering and dry-stacking the tailings.
Solution Video: https://youtu.be/HAQRTLFmsFc
Intermodal Solutions Group (ISG)
The Containerised bulk handling system provides a dust free logistic and more efficient loading solution. Manufactured to suit a range of bulk products such as copper, iron ore, grain, coal, mineral sands, etc. The containers can be easily loaded and offloaded while minimizing pollution during transit.
Solution Video: https://youtu.be/H0AikXkP4Yw
Data-Driven Mining Decisions
Rapidly evolving digital technologies are providing opportunities to enable both better and faster decisions by making relevant data available anywhere and just-in-time.
We connect global expertise, equipment, processes and big data in real time via our world-class centre in Brisbane, Australia. Interlate is a data business, it's our food, it's our source for everything. We take data from a mine and look at the historical information to understand what happened but the real value of that data is when we operate on that data in real time. The historical information informs us but we use the current information to deliver insights back to the mining company.
As the emerging leader in mineral telemetry and ore upgrading solutions worldwide, MineSense has developed a pre-concentration methodology that:
- Improves the economics of mining low-grade ores
- Rejects barren waste from valuable minerals at an early stage of the mining process
- Offers a combination of ground-penetrating and other sensor technology that measure and report the grade of ore in real time
- Integrates with material handling equipment such as shovels, scoops, belt conveyors, feeders and chutes
- Facilitates decision support aimed at maximizing resource conversion and metal recovery
Our proprietary High-Frequency Electromagnetic Spectrometry (HFEMS) and High Speed X-Ray Fluorescence (HSXRF) sensors not only offer better sensitivity but more importantly, they operate at high speeds which support real-time processing at commercially relevant throughput for the mining industry.
Solution Video: https://youtu.be/c3m5SokOkKc
Mining Automation and Robotics
Recent technology cost and performance breakthroughs in robotics, automation, artificial intelligence, data communications and vision systems are enabling safer and more efficient operations
MIRS is the leading international robotic solutions company for mining and heavy industries.
Our outstanding design, engineering, manufacturing and service support guarantee our customer's satisfaction throughout the entire lifecycle of each solution. MIRS offers a broad range of solutions built with cutting-edge technology. MIRS' products and services focus on the following benefits
Solution Video: https://youtu.be/GhmrF7ww1WY
Headquartered in Perth, RCT is a global leader in smart guidance, teleremote and remote control automation solutions for the mining industry. With a history spanning 45 years, RCT has pioneered many remote control and teleremote solutions for dozers, excavators, loaders and most types of mobile equipment.
Solution Video: https://youtu.be/LSwLPFA6L0E
Advanced Extraction
Deeper, more complex and lower grade orebodies combined with the need for a lower environmental footprint will drive the development of advanced methods of extraction.
Innovative modular designs, elegant systems, and smart manufacturing launched Gekko as a world technical leader in gold processing and low-energy mining solutions.
Solution Video: https://youtu.be/bDgp074sSN0
Exploration Under Cover
Worldwide most near-surface, high-quality mineral deposits have already been identified and developed, requiring new technologies to identify new reserves deeper under cover.
In the field of IP, we introduced the proprietary OreVision® IP technique capable of investigating 400% deeper with the same high resolution even through the conductive overburden.
Why barely scratch the surface when you can investigate deeper for the same budget? No more reason to buy a conventional survey. Conventional IP pushed to the Limit, with our proprietary technology.
Solution Video: https://youtu.be/PF3g-1CeBAA
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