Tag Archives: Clayton Walker

Rio Tinto completes conversion of Kennecott heavy mining fleet to renewable diesel use

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Rio Tinto has completed the transition from conventional to renewable diesel for all heavy mining equipment at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah, giving the mine one of the lowest carbon footprints of any copper producer in the US, it claims.

Kennecott’s fleet of 97 haul trucks and heavy machinery equipment at the mine, concentrator, smelter, refinery and tailings are now all fuelled by renewable diesel (a combination of 90% soybean and the remainder animal fat and used cooking oil) sourced in the United States. This is expected to reduce the mine’s Scope 1 emissions by 450,000 t, equal to eliminating the annual emissions of 107,000 cars. In addition, the switch to renewable diesel reduces PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns) emissions at the tailpipes of its haul truck fleet by 40%, a reduction equivalent to approximately 2,300 million miles of light vehicle travel annually.

“Kennecott has one of the lowest carbon footprints of any copper producer in the United States, thanks to recent initiatives such as the closure of a coal-fired power plant, installation of a 5 MW solar farm, deployment of battery-electric vehicles underground, and the transition to renewable diesel,” the company says. “The operation’s overall carbon footprint has now been reduced by more than 80% from 2018 levels.”

Speaking at an event on site with the Governor of Utah, Spencer J Cox, to celebrate the achievement, Rio Tinto Copper Chief Operating Officer, Clayton Walker, said: “The transition to renewable diesel is a significant step toward our decarbonisation goals at Kennecott where we have now reduced emissions by 80%, thanks to a range of initiatives in recent years. We remain committed to being responsible stewards of the environment and are always looking to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs for the energy transition.”

Kennecott’s transition to renewable fuel will also make low-carbon fuel more accessible in the state of Utah. In partnership with Kennecott, HF Sinclair is dedicating two tanks to renewable diesel for the mine with each having tank capacity of 18,000 barrels or 756,000 gallons.

HF Sinclair Executive Vice President, Commercial, Steven Ledbetter, said: “We’re proud to support Rio Tinto’s sustainability journey with a low-carbon fuel produced at our facilities. We’re excited to see Kennecott move from trial to full implementation and what this could mean for other industries with evolving energy needs.”

In 2023, Kennecott conducted an initial trial of renewable diesel, which compared two trucks using regular diesel against two using renewable diesel. Officials measured the trucks’ acceleration, cycle time, fuel usage and engine inspection reports. The renewable diesel was trialled successfully, complementing similar test findings from Rio Tinto’s Boron mine in California.

Combined with Rio Tinto’s Boron mine – which completed the full transition of its heavy machinery from fossil diesel to renewable diesel in May 2023 – renewable diesel use at Kennecott replaces 11% of Rio Tinto’s global fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel.

Rio Tinto is targeting reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions of 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Rio Tinto-Kennecott

Rio Tinto to move to 100% renewable diesel at Kennecott copper operation

Base metals, Environmental, Mine operation news, Mining equipment, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

Rio Tinto will replace its entire fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah from 2024, the mining company has confirmed.

Kennecott’s fleet of 90 haul trucks and all heavy machinery will begin to transition to renewable diesel in the March quarter of 2024, along with consumption from the concentrator, smelter and refinery. HF Sinclair is set to provide the fuel.

The transition will reduce Kennecott’s Scope 1 carbon emissions by approximately 495,000 t/y of CO2 equivalent, comparable to eliminating the annual emissions of more than 107,000 passenger cars.

The renewable diesel is made from renewable biogenic materials sourced in the US. It will be supplied through the existing diesel supply chain, as part of a continuing partnership between Kennecott and HF Sinclair.

Rio Tinto Copper Chief Operating Officer, Clayton Walker, said: “Transitioning Kennecott completely to renewable diesel builds on a suite of decarbonisation initiatives that have reduced carbon emissions from the operation by 65% since 2019. This is an important next step in our commitment to finding new and better ways to reduce operational emissions, while producing materials essential to the global energy transition.”

HF Sinclair Executive Vice President, Commercial, Steven Ledbetter, said: “As a long-time supplier of Rio Tinto and a fellow operator in the Rocky Mountain region, we are pleased to support Rio Tinto’s sustainability journey with a low-carbon fuel made at our facilities. This is a great step demonstrating our continued progress to meet the evolving energy needs of our customers.”

Rio Tinto is targeting reductions in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions of 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Rio Tinto Chief Decarbonisation Officer, Jonathon McCarthy, said: “Combined with Rio Tinto’s U.S. Borax operation – which completed the full transition of its heavy machinery from fossil diesel to renewable diesel in May 2023 – this initiative would replace 11% of Rio Tinto’s global fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel.

“The use of drop-in fuel such as renewable diesel will allow Rio Tinto to reduce emissions in the short term, complementing ongoing work towards the commercial readiness of longer-term technical solutions such as battery electric haul trucks.”

The decision to convert to renewable diesel comes after a successful seven-month trial at Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon mine. This trial was conducted in collaboration with Cummins to test renewable diesel in different operational environments and on different equipment which supported the decision of OEM to approve the use of renewable diesel in Rio’s equipment.

Rio Tinto produces first tellurium from Kennecott copper operation

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Rio Tinto has started producing tellurium at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah, becoming one of only two US producers of the critical mineral used in advanced thin film photovoltaic solar panels.

The tellurium will be refined in North America by 5N Plus, a global producer of specialty semiconductors and performance materials, under a commercial agreement between 5N Plus and Rio Tinto. The refined tellurium will primarily be supplied to First Solar, the only U-based company among the world’s 10 largest solar manufacturers, under an existing supply contract between 5N Plus and First Solar. 5N Plus will also use the tellurium to manufacture ultra-high purity semiconductor materials at its facility in St. George, Utah, to serve the security and medical imaging markets.

Approximately 20 tons (18 t) of tellurium will be produced per year through a new $2.9 million circuit built at the Kennecott refinery. This valuable material is recovered from by-product streams generated during the copper refining process, reducing the amount of waste that needs to be treated and discarded as mine tailings.

Tellurium is listed as a critical mineral by the US Government due to its importance to the economy and energy security.

Rio Tinto Copper Chief Operating Officer, Clayton Walker, said: “We are proud to deliver a new domestic supply of tellurium to support the manufacturing of solar panels and other critical equipment here in the United States. Approximately 90% of the world’s tellurium resource is contained in copper ore and no other metal has more critical mineral by-products than copper. The Kennecott team is constantly looking for ways to extract new critical minerals to meet emerging demand for the clean energy transition.”

5N Plus President and Chief Executive Officer, Gervais Jacques, said: “As a leading global supplier of specialty semiconductor compounds for applications in renewable energy, security and medical imaging, 5N Plus is proud of this partnership with Rio Tinto, and to further leverage its expertise in the transformation of mining and metallurgical by-products into high purity value-added critical minerals such as tellurium, here in North America.”

First Solar Chief Manufacturing Operations Officer, Mike Koralewski, added: “Rio Tinto’s decision to invest in tellurium is a win for responsibly-produced, American solar. We’re thrilled that tellurium from Kennecott will play a role in powering our country’s transition to a sustainable energy future.”

Tellurium is one of 10 metals and products recovered from ore extracted at Kennecott, which produces nearly 15% of US copper with the country’s lowest carbon footprint, Rio Tinto says.

Rio’s IOC to supply high-grade iron ore for low-carbon steel feedstock project

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Rio Tinto, Paul Wurth SA and SHS-Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co (SHS) have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the production of a low-carbon steel feedstock.

This partnership brings together a leading global miner, an international leader in the design and supply of engineering solutions for integrated steelmakers and one of Europe’s best-known steelmakers, Rio said.

The partnership will explore the viability of transforming iron ore pellets into low-carbon hot briquetted iron (HBI), a low-carbon steel feedstock, using green hydrogen generated from hydro electricity in Canada.

Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), in which Rio Tinto holds a majority interest, will supply high-grade iron ore and expertise in mining, processing and pelletising. Paul Wurth brings expertise in plant building and process knowledge in the field of highly efficient hydrogen generation and MIDREX® direct reduction plants. SHS brings iron- and steelmaking expertise.

Rio Tinto’s significant presence in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador makes Canada a natural location for the project, it said.

“Canada provides access to cost competitive hydro electricity, and proximity to key markets in Europe and North America,” the company said. “Transforming high-grade iron ore pellets into a low-carbon steel feedstock using green hydrogen, when processed in an electric arc furnace with carbon free electricity, has the potential to reduce significantly the carbon emissions associated with steelmaking.”

The parties will conduct a feasibility study into the potential development of industrial-scale low-carbon iron production in Canada, using the combined expertise of the three partners across the entire steel value chain. The feasibility study is scheduled for completion in late 2021, with an investment decision on a hydrogen-based direct reduction plant at industrial scale expected to follow thereafter.

IOC President and CEO, Clayton Walker, said: “This partnership is part of Rio Tinto’s climate strategy to pursue proactive and action-oriented partnerships to support the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies for hard-to-abate processes like steelmaking.

“We are absolutely committed to being part of the solution on climate change and to support our customers and other stakeholders in the steel value chain as the industry transitions to a low-carbon future.”

Georges Rassel, CEO of Paul Wurth SA, said: “By associating the different players of the metal production chain, we are confident to develop the most appropriate and efficient solutions for this challenging transition towards a carbon-neutral industry.”

Martin Baues, Member of the Board of Directors for Technology at SHS-Stahl-Holding Saar, said: “Dillinger and Saarstahl adopted a future-focused strategy with the motto ‘proactive, carbon-free and efficient’. Within this strategy, we have defined various options for the transformation to carbon-neutral steel production. The use of hydrogen in steel production is a key factor in reducing carbon emissions. This partnership can further help us to reduce our carbon emissions on the basis of this technology, while gaining important experience in using hydrogen in steel production.”