Tag Archives: Hatch

BHP and Hatch commence design study for an electric smelting furnace pilot

Environmental, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

BHP and global engineering, project management and professional services firm, Hatch, have signed an agreement to design an electric smelting furnace pilot (ESF) plant in support of a decision to construct this facility in Australia.

The facility will aim to demonstrate a pathway to lower carbon dioxide (CO2) intensity in steel production using iron ore from BHP’s Pilbara mines for BHP’s steelmaking customer, BHP says.

The small-scale demonstration plant would be used to collaborate with steel producers and technology providers to generate and share learnings with the aim of accelerating scale up of ESF plant designs.

The pilot facility would be intended to test and optimise production of iron from the ESF, a new type of furnace that is being developed by leading steel producers and technology companies targeting low CO2 emission-intensity steel. The ESF is capable of producing steel from iron ore using renewable electricity and hydrogen replacing coking coal, when combined with a direct reduced iron (DRI) step. Estimates show that reductions of more than 80% in CO2 emission intensity are potentially achievable processing Pilbara iron ores through a DRI-ESF pathway, compared with the current industry average for the conventional blast furnace steel route, BHP says.

The ESF allows for greater flexibility in input raw materials, addressing a key barrier to wider adoption of other lower CO2 emissions production routes, such as use of electric arc furnaces which are designed for scrap steel and high grade DRI only. The ESF also has the potential to be integrated into a steel plant’s existing downstream production units.

The pilot facility will enable deeper and more accurate insights into the performance of this technology for converting iron ores into molten iron and steel. Planned test programs will help de-risk further investment in commercial scale projects, thereby complementing development plans of BHP’s steel customers. This scale-up approach has been utilised by other industry demonstrations such as Sweden’s HYBRIT project, BHP added.

BHP and Hatch will assess several locations in Australia for the proposed facility based on supporting infrastructure, technology skills and the availability of local partnerships to build and operate the facility.

BHP’s Chief Commercial Officer, Vandita Pant, said: “We see the ESF process as a critical breakthrough in significantly reducing the carbon emissions intensity of steel production and one that provides an opportunity for iron ore from our Pilbara mines. The steel industry has identified the ESF as a viable option to use a wider range of raw materials and steel companies globally are looking to build commercial-scale ESF plants as part of their CO2 emission reduction roadmaps.”

BHP’s Group Sales and Marketing Officer, Michiel Hovers, said: “Hatch is a key partner in carbon emissions reduction initiatives across the world. We are pleased that we can collaborate with Hatch, alongside BHP’s existing customer and research partnerships, to further progress the development of pathways towards a lower GHG emission footprint for the steelmaking industry. The ESF technology is very exciting and potentially very relevant for reducing the carbon emissions intensity of steel production and provides new and exciting opportunities for our Pilbara iron ore and our customers.

“BHP and Hatch have collaborated on steel technology and design for reducing GHG emissions from over several years, including the ESF and in collaboration with steel producers, and this project is a natural progression in our partnership.”

Hatch’s Managing Director for Bulk Metals, Joe Petrolito, said: “Hatch is excited to collaborate with BHP on this forward-looking initiative and is honored to contribute to the efforts of an industry leader who is dedicated to driving tangible progress. This project marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of decarbonisation within a challenging sector that underpins global infrastructure and progress.”

Hatch, ERCOSPLAN, K-UTEC on board for South Harz’s Ohmgebirge potash PFS

Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , , , , , , ,

South Harz Potash Limited has appointed its specialist team to deliver the prefeasibility study for its 100%-owned Ohmgebirge potash development project in Thuringia, Germany.

Hatch is, South Harz Potash says, a recognised leader in the development and implementation of potash projects globally and has worked on projects in Europe, North America and beyond.

ERCOSPLAN and K-UTEC, both part of this team, have a long tradition in the development of potash projects in many parts of the world, and both are particularly experienced in the Thuringian “hartsalz” typical of the region, according to the company. Micon, meanwhile, will continue to provide geological support and will be responsible for the mineral resource estimate.

The PFS is set to further refine the engineering, design and cost estimates (to +/-20%) for the Ohmgebirge development, following the scoping study completed in August 2022. Key workstreams have already commenced with overall PFS completion scheduled for January 2024.

South Harz Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Berthelet, said: “We are very pleased to be working with global industry leaders, Hatch, and premier German mine and process engineering teams, ERCOSPLAN and K-UTEC, to advance our flagship Ohmgebirge Development. Coupled with our geology partner, Micon, the external team will deploy its experience alongside our owner’s team to advance the project through the PFS workstreams and will provide essential support to the Environmental Impact Assessment and permitting processes announced earlier this month.”

The team will be under the in-house leadership of South Harz, Chief Operating Officer, Lawrence Berthelet, with key PFS specialist discipline engineering responsibilities.

Hatch will act as the lead consultant and study manager (external), with Owner’s Engineer responsibility. It will also carry out the infrastructure engineering and design, including all energy trade-off studies, plus capital and operating cost estimates.

ERCOSPLAN is the specialist engineering consultant responsible for mine planning, geological risk assessment, geotechnical modelling, shaft hoisting and underground backfill technology engineering.

K-UTEC AG Salt Technologies has responsibility for process flowsheet design, backfill technical and constituent engineering.

Mining consultant, Micon International, will provide continuity in geological modelling, Competent Person and mineral resource update provision.

The South Harz project hosts a globally large-scale potash JORC (2012) mineral resource estimate of 5,000 Mt at 10.6% K2O of inferred resources and 258 Mt at 13.5% K2O of indicated resources across four wholly-owned project areas within central Europe. This comprises three perpetual potash mining licences, Ohmgebirge, Ebeleben and Mühlhausen-Nohra, and two potash exploration licences, Küllstedt and Gräfentonna, covering a total area of approximately 659 sq.km.

The August 2022 scoping study outlined a 4.5 Mt/y run-of-mine project with a K2O head grade of 13.5% over a 21-year life.

Rio Tinto verifies use of Pilbara ore for low-carbon iron-making using BioIron

Environmental, Mine operation news, Mineral processing, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , ,

Rio Tinto says it has proven the effectiveness of its low-carbon iron-making process using ores from its mines in Australia in a small-scale pilot plant in Germany, and is now planning the development of a larger-scale pilot plant to further assess its potential to help decarbonise the steel value chain.

The process, known as BioIron™, uses raw biomass instead of metallurgical coal as a reductant and microwave energy to convert Pilbara iron ore to metallic iron in the steelmaking process. BioIron has the potential to support near-zero CO2 steelmaking, and can result in net negative emissions if linked with carbon capture and storage, according to the company.

Over the past 18 months, the process has been tested extensively in Germany by a project team from Rio Tinto, Metso Outotec and the University of Nottingham’s Microwave Process Engineering Group. Development work was conducted in a small-scale pilot plant using batches of 1,000 golf ball-sized iron ore and biomass briquettes.

Rio Tinto Chief Commercial Officer, Alf Barrios, said: “Finding low-carbon solutions for iron and steelmaking is critical for the world as we tackle the challenges of climate change. Proving BioIron works at this scale is an exciting development given the implications it could have for global decarbonisation.

“The results from this initial testing phase show great promise and demonstrate that the BioIron process is well suited to Pilbara iron ore fines. BioIron is just one of the pathways we are developing in our decarbonisation work with our customers, universities and industry to reduce carbon emissions right across the steel value chain.”

BioIron’s potential was confirmed in a comprehensive and independent technical review by Hatch, the global engineering, project management and professional services firm, Rio said. Hatch noted the thorough work completed by the team and BioIron’s capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while converting Pilbara iron ore into iron and steel.

The BioIron process will now be tested on a larger scale, at a specially designed continuous pilot plant with a capacity of 1 t/h. The design of the pilot plant is underway and Rio Tinto is considering suitable locations for its construction.

The BioIron process works using lignocellulosic biomass including agricultural by-products (eg wheat straw, canola stalks, barley straw, sugar cane bagasse) or purpose-grown crops. The biomass is blended with iron ore and heated by a combination of combusting gases released by the biomass and high-efficiency microwaves that can be powered by renewable energy.

Rio says it is aware of the complexities around the use of biomass supply and is working to ensure only sustainable sources of biomass are used. Accordingly, the company is undertaking a benchmarking study of biomass certification processes. Through discussions with environmental groups, as a first step Rio Tinto has ruled out sources that support the logging of old growth and High Conservation Value forests.

Hatch identifies opportunities to cut Australian tailings generation by as much as 30%

Coal technology, Energy minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Precious metals, Steel and iron ore, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A new report from multi-disciplinary engineering, operational and development project, Hatch, estimates Australia’s mining waste can be reduced by 30% using already available technologies.

One of the biggest challenges currently facing the mining industry is managing the volume of tailings generated as minerals mining ramps up to meet the demands of the transition to renewable energy.

Undertaking an in-depth analysis to identify the technologies required to reduce or eliminate tailings of six key commodities (copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, coal and bauxite), Hatch investigated how tailings production would be impacted by applying the key technologies ‘themes’: advanced geometallurgy, ore sorting, advanced sensing and particle sorting, in-situ extraction, and preferential fracturing.

The company’s analysis revealed that technologies available today could reduce tailings by 20-30%, also identifying that, in the next 10-20 years, the integration of these technologies in future projects or expansions could provide an opportunity to reduce tailings by more than 50%.

Managing Director of Australia and Asia at Hatch, Jan Kwak (pictured), says the challenge of reducing tailings is a complex effort that is best solved utilising the innovative capacity of the entire mining supply chain.

“A balanced spread of researchers, METS (mining equipment, technology and services) companies, and operators in the mining industry are actively commercialising technologies,” he said. “Half (50%) of stakeholders identified are METS companies, whose core business is the supply of equipment and services of these technologies, indicating commercialisation is underway. This group was also present across the technologies that our analysis has shown to have higher TRLs (Technology Readiness Levels).”

The TRL ranking system measures the maturity of technologies, whereby Hatch graded technologies from zero (idea stage) to nine (commercial application).

For in-situ mining and preferential fracturing technology themes, there is a larger representation of research organisations and partnerships. This suggests collaboration is required to advance technological development, according to Hatch.

“It is vital that these stakeholders are highly engaged in the tailings reduction challenge in order to achieve the greatest cut through and introduce real change and advancement in the reduction of tailings, which will be needed to support the increase in mining activity while meeting emissions reduction targets,” added Kwak.

i-80 Gold brings Hatch in to evaluate Lone Tree autoclave restart

Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , ,

i-80 Gold Corp has awarded the engineering study for restart of the Lone Tree autoclave in Nevada, USA, to Hatch Ltd.

The study will complete a prefeasibility study (PFS) level mechanical and operational review of all aspects necessary for the restart of the company’s autoclave processing facility in northern Nevada.

i-80 acquired the Lone Tree property and associated infrastructure capable of, it says, processing all Nevada ore types from Nevada Gold Mines in 2021. The Lone Tree complex includes an autoclave, floatation circuit, tailings compound and heap leach facility that will become the hub of i-80’s Nevada operations and, it says, provide the platform to realise its future production growth plans of becoming a 500,000 oz/y producer.

The study, combined with an extensive metallurgical program of the mineralisation from the company’s Granite Creek, McCoy-Cove and Ruby Hill projects, will allow management to consider a range of restart opportunities and associated capital costs, it said. In the interim period, i-80 has secured processing agreements with Nevada Gold Mines so that it can commence underground development at Granite Creek, seeing material delivered to Nevada Gold Mines during the second half of 2022.

Matt Gili, President and Chief Operating Officer of i-80, said: “The extensive experience and expertise brought by Hatch Ltd will be one of the crucial elements enabling i-80’s success in re-commissioning and operating Nevada’s newest refractory processing facility.”

Gold industry ready to take action on cyanide use, DST’s Lemieux says

Base metals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mining services, Precious metals, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , ,

The move away from cyanide in gold processing has been talked of for many years, with words often not followed by actions, yet David Lemieux, President and CEO of Dundee Sustainable Technologies (DST), believes the industry is now starting to get serious about assessing alternative lixiviants.

His assertion comes on the back of one of the biggest gold miners in the world recently making such a move with the help of DST.

Back in December, Newmont signed a Technology Transfer Licensing Agreement with DST to use its cyanide-free gold extraction technology, known as the CLEVR Process™.

The CLEVR Process uses no cyanide, produces no toxic liquid or gaseous effluent and the solid residues are inert, stable and non-acid generating, according to the company. With fast leach kinetics of 1-2 hours, the ability to treat refractory ores and handle base metals, plus a competitive capital/operating expense, the solution has been gaining prominence in the gold market.

Having tested the process out on a variety of ores from various sources, DST is now in the commercialisation phase with CLEVR.

The pact with Newmont follows a successful test work program in the March quarter of this year, after which the gold miner expressed its interest in the execution of such an agreement. This led to Newmont conducting laboratory CLEVR leaching tests in its technical facilities in Englewood, Colorado.

As part of the agreement, DST and Newmont, agreed to:

  • A two-year, non-exclusive licence for the use of CLEVR at the laboratory scale in its Colorado technical facilities, with an option to renew for an additional two-year period under the same terms;
  • Technology implementation support by DST, including all technology laboratory protocols in addition to technical training sessions to initiate and support the technology transfer and practical operations;
  • Ongoing technology support, and for DST to review the laboratory test plans, execution and results conducted by Newmont; and
  • Any process scaling-up requirements resulting from positive applications of CLEVR will be conducted jointly with Newmont at DST’s technical facilities in Canada and/or on-site using DST’s technology and engineering group expertise.

Lemieux said the agreement should be viewed as an indication the gold industry is serious about assessing alternative processing approaches.

“DST’s CLEVR Process is a mature and developed novel gold processing technology that allows majors to properly assess how it can be implemented within a given project in terms of environmental benefits, operational efficiency, and operating and capital costs,” he told IM. “Such a level of detail then allows for properly integrated decision making.”

He said there had been increased interest over the years from the industry with regards to alternative processing approaches, which is likely to continue as more jurisdictions target cyanide operations and pressure operators to reduce their dependency on the lixiviant as the main and sole gold recovery mean.

CLEVR is one of two “novel metallurgical processes” DST has in its portfolio, the other being its GlassLock Process™.

GlassLock is a patented process for the sequestration and stabilisation of the arsenic often associated with copper, gold, silver or polymetallic deposits.

Dundee Sustainable Technologies GlassLock industrial demonstration plant on site at an operating copper smelter

In DST’s approach, the arsenic is incorporated into a highly stable and insoluble glass form that can contain up to 20% arsenic, while meeting or exceeding the requirements of the USA EPA’s toxicity characterisation leaching procedure and the Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure, the company said.

Also in the commercialisation phase, GlassLock has been operating at an industrial scale thanks to a demonstration facility built and operated by DST.

According to Lemieux, the increased number of complex orebodies currently being developed means there is likely to be more interest in both CLEVR and GlassLock.

“The chemistry and conditions of the CLEVR process can allow for improved gold recoveries,” he said. “This, combined with DST’s ability to efficiently and permanently stabilise arsenic using GlassLock, is providing good opportunities for DST.”

The Glasslock process, he said, is equally targeting existing operations that have immediate arsenic production and stabilisation needs as well as operations/miners required to address and stabilise legacy arsenical material as part of their permitting requirements.

These abilities were recently recognised by engineering firm Hatch, which entered into a Technology Framework Agreement with DST that could see GlassLock used in combination with Hatch’s fluid bed reactor and arsenic dry scrubbing technologies on gold and arsenopyrite projects.

The objective of the agreement was to “synergise” Hatch’s extensive client base, commercialisation and marketing expertise, fluid bed reactor and arsenic dry scrubbing technologies, and large-scale equipment engineering, supply, procurement, and life cycle services capabilities with DST’s innovative technology to identify and develop potential gold and arsenopyrite projects using GlassLock, the companies said.

While they cannot point to specific results of these two technologies complementing each other, Lemieux said DST has continued and is currently working on testing programs where the roasting and vitrification approach is applied on complex gold concentrates.

“These programs were generated and originate from DST’s own development efforts, but we hope to see more similar opportunities coming from Hatch in the future,” he said.

Lemieux concluded: “Implementing novel metallurgical processes within the industry takes time and DST has progressed greatly, and continues to do so, on the design and operating parameters of specific on-site implementations of GlassLock and/or CLEVR facilities.”

Hatch engaged to take NexGen’s Rook I uranium project forward to FEED stage

Energy minerals, Mineral project development, Mining services, , , , ,

NexGen Energy has awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contract for the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage of the Rook I uranium project in Saskatchewan, Canada, to Hatch, with work well underway.

Hatch, NexGen says, is a leader in project management and engineering and has extensive experience delivering mining projects in Saskatchewan and across Canada.

The awarding of the EPCM contract comes at the conclusion of a tender process involving multiple globally recognised industry firms, according to NexGen. Integrating fully into the owner’s team, Hatch is responsible for providing NexGen with engineering, procurement and execution planning services, along with supporting overall project management.

Following the completion of the Rook I feasibility study in February, NexGen is transitioning into the next stage of advanced project development with the commencement of the FEED stage. This feasibility study outlined a 1,300 t/d operation processing an average feed grade of 2.37% U3O8 and average uranium oxide production of 21.7 MIb/y over the life of mine of 10.7 years from the Arrow deposit.

In line with the optimised project execution strategy, the FEED stage will advance overall engineering to a 40-45% level of completion with associated cost estimate, fully define long-lead procurement actions, and further refine execution planning to prepare the project for the pending construction stage, NexGen said. This FEED stage is scheduled for completion in the September quarter of 2022 and will be undertaken concurrently with the engagement, Environmental Assessment and Licensing workstreams.

The 2021 site investigation program is advancing safely and is planned as a pre-cursor for FEED. Surface investigation field work is now complete, which consisted of test pits and sonic boreholes in locations of planned infrastructure. The collection of confirmational geological, geotechnical and hydrogeologic characterisation data is nearing completion, and early analysis of this data has validated the current designs established in the feasibility study and confirms the understanding of the rock mass proximal to the underground infrastructure and underground tailings management facility, according to NexGen.

Leigh Curyer, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Advancing into the FEED stage of development is another exciting milestone for the company, and we’re pleased to welcome Hatch to NexGen’s growing high performance team in advancing the Rook I project towards the start of construction. Hatch’s exemplary reputation in the global mining sector and deep understanding of value-driven project delivery aligns perfectly with NexGen’s commitment to elite standards and is a key step in the development of this leading global resource project. In parallel, the drafting of the project’s Environmental Impact Study and licensing workstreams nearing completion, together with regional exploration targeting new zones of potential ‘Arrow-type’ mineralisation, further exemplifies the NexGen team’s commitment to the successful execution of multiple workstreams.”

Hatch to move forward with process plant DFS for Magnetite Mines’ Razorback iron ore project

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining services, Steel and iron ore, , , , , , ,

Magnetite Mines Ltd says it has appointed Hatch to complete the process plant section of the Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) on its Razorback iron ore project in South Australia.

This, Magnetite Mines says, is an important contract award for the company and represents the largest component of the DFS expenditure and completes the appointment of major engineering roles.

Hatch’s scope builds upon the process plant design and AACE Class 4 Estimate that was completed as part of the prefeasibility study (PFS). This study supported the declaration of a maiden ore reserve of 473 Mt based on 12.8 Mt/y plant throughput and 2 Mt/y of high-grade concentrate. It also included plans to incorporate ore sorting technology.

Key areas of work for Hatch on the DFS include:

  • Designing a metallurgical test program to confirm comminution and processing properties;
  • Improving and defining the process flow sheet based on metallurgical results and optimisation reviews;
  • Developing the mechanical, piping, electrical, structural, and civil engineering to support an AACE Class 3 Capital Cost estimate; and
  • Providing construction and procurement input to develop the contracting strategy for execution.

At completion of this scope of work, Hatch will provide design deliverables and cost estimate, developed in line with the AACE guidelines for a Class 3 estimate (18R-97) for the process plant, Magnetite Mines says. The deliverables will be to a standard and level of detail that will allow Magnetite Mines to include them in a tender package to obtain proposals for a predominantly fixed price design and construct contract or an engineering, procurement and construction management contract on market terms for procurement of the process plant.

Claude D’Cruz, Director – Metals, Australia-Asia for Hatch, said: “Following the successful delivery of the previous study work, Hatch is very excited to continue our association with Magnetite Mines through to the DFS and to be able to apply our considerable magnetite processing experience to the development of Razorback.”

Magnetite Mines Limited Executive Chairman, Peter Schubert, said: “The PFS confirmed the process plant scope and the attractiveness of producing high-grade iron ore products at a competitive cost from the first stage of development of the company’s extensive iron ore resources. The DFS will undertake more detailed engineering and generate the tender packages for construction, supporting a decision to mine.

“This continues our strategy to carefully and systematically progress the project with the guidance of best-in-class technical consultants. We look forward to working with Hatch, as we develop Razorback into a successful operating iron ore business.”

CMIC-backed novel comminution technology hits commissioning milestone

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Canada Mining Innovation Council’s (CMIC) Conjugate Anvil Hammer Mill (CAHM) and MonoRoll platform technology project has reached a new milestone with hot commissioning of the MonoRoll at COREM’s testing facility in Quebec, Canada.

CAHM is a platform technology advancing two technologies in parallel where both designs break particles in a highly efficient thin particle bed. CAHM, according to CMIC, provides a more efficient alternative to high pressure grinding rolls and SAG mills, while the MonoRoll variant is designed for finer grinds and to replace inefficient rod and ball mills.

In a recent post, CMIC said hot commissioning of the MonoRoll at COREM’s testing facility, using some of the 300 t of ore contributed by Agnico Eagle Mines, was now complete. Although the MonoRoll is being tested using hard rock, there is also significant interest from the iron ore, cement and aggregate industries, CMIC says.

It added: “Fabrication of the CAHM machine is underway and if the optimised discrete element method modelling results hold, we are confident that the MonoRoll and the CAHM are on track to achieve the following significant benefits in ore grinding:

  • “Reduce energy consumption by an estimated 50% compared to best available technology;
  • “Eliminate grinding media;
  • “Increase ore feed reduction ratio; and
  • “Simplify the comminution circuits.”

CMIC is leading a consortium including experts in comminution, product development, engineering and testing as well as six major hard-rock mining companies guiding the effort and participating as potential first adopters. Included among the consortium is CTTI, Hatch, Glencore Canada – XPS (Expert Process Solutions), COREM, Teck, Agnico Eagle, Newmont and Kinross.

The MonoRoll technology is one of only six finalists in Impact Canada’s Crush It! Challenge. Launched in October 2018, Crush It! challenged Canadian innovators to deliver game-changing solutions for cleaner, more efficient rock processing.

CMIC said: “The MonoRoll project is the only finalist developing a novel grinding mill, and if the project wins the C$5 million ($3.9 million) Grand Prize, the funds would be used to engineer a large-scale machine to test in active mining operations.”

Hatch to commercialise CRC ORE’s Grade Engineering services

Comminution of minerals, Mineral processing, Mining mergers and acquisitions, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , ,

CRC ORE says it has taken an exciting step forward with Hatch, signing a deal that allows the multidisciplinary management, engineering and development consultancy to commercialise its Grade Engineering® Consulting Services.

Developed by the Brisbane-based Cooperative Research Centre for Optimising Resource Extraction (CRC ORE), Grade Engineering enables miners to reduce their energy, water and waste signatures while enhancing the productivity and profitability of their operations, according to CRC ORE.

It is an integrated approach to coarse rejection that matches a suite of separation technologies to ore specific characteristics and compares the net value of rejecting low value components in current feed streams with existing mine plans as part of a system-view.

Grade Engineering makes it possible to more efficiently treat lower grade ores and waste to extract valuable minerals, significantly increasing the life of mines and reducing their environmental footprint.

Achievable outcomes for mines, when deploying Grade Engineering at production scale, include significantly improved return on investment and lower capital intensity, according to CRC ORE.

BHP recently engaged CRC ORE and the Grade Engineering solution at its Olympic Dam mine, in South Australia, a location where the mine is actively examining bulk ore sensing and sorting opportunities.

“As Hatch adopts Grade Engineering and extends its reach into the mining industry, the value of such outcomes will increase for operations, clients and communities globally,” it added.

CRC ORE Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ben Adair (pictured signing the agreement on the left), said: “Hatch is a valued a long-term participant in CRC ORE and has actively championed Grade Engineering and its benefits to the industry. As a CRC ORE innovation, we are pleased that Grade Engineering will continue to be delivered by such a capable and engaged team.”

Dr Adair added: “At CRC ORE, our goal has been to develop our solutions to the highest possible standard and then ensure these are then managed by the most capable practitioners to take them to industry. Hatch is the perfect partner to ensure the long-term future of Grade Engineering.”

Under the terms of the commercialisation arrangement, Hatch will use Grade Engineering Intellectual Property for its consulting services.

Hatch Managing Director Australia and Asia, Jan Kwak (pictured signing the agreement on the right), said it was an honour to provide Grade Engineering consulting services.

“Being able to offer Grade Engineering as service is an exciting and positive step forward for Hatch and the mining industry,” Kwak said. “Grade Engineering enables miners to reduce their energy, water and waste signatures while enhancing the productivity and profitability of their operations.

“It also brings us a step closer to our vision for process intensification.”

The Grade Engineering team at Hatch will be headed by Dr Sevda Dehkhoda who has been working closely with CRC ORE since 2019.

“We look forward to continuing the legacy of CRC ORE by enabling the mining industry to intensify operational performance and minimise environmental footprint of the process by refining less waste,” Dr Dehkhoda said. “Adopting Grade Engineering into Hatch’s end-to-end value chain optimisation service offering strengthens Hatch’s position and its commitment to making positive change for mining operations and their communities.”

To facilitate the transition, CRC ORE’s Grade Engineering team will relocate to Hatch’s Brisbane office, supporting Hatch with current and potential users of Grade Engineering.