Tag Archives: Neville Plint

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Mining3 and LETA partner on methane emission reduction project in Australia

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Mining3 and Low Emission Technology Australia (LETA) have commenced a project that, they say, will explore the potential of emerging catalytic technology to reduce methane emissions from Australian mine sites, marking a step forward in sustainable resource extraction.

Methane is a greenhouse gas emitted from industries including agriculture, natural gas and mining. Methane has a global warming potential that is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide, according to reports. The development and deployment of new technologies to mitigate methane emissions is a crucial component of Australia’s journey to net zero.

The Catalytic VAM Abatement Commercialisation Project will, the organisations say, evaluate a technology called catalytic oxidation which has the potential to operate at concentrations and temperatures below those required by alternative technology. The project aims to assess the suitability of catalytic oxidation technology for safe deployment at scale in Australia.

Phase one is an 18-month project to evaluate promising catalysts through comprehensive testing protocols. This approach aims to provide valuable insights into catalyst performance under various conditions, supporting informed decision making for future commercialisation efforts. In parallel to testing, phase one will also assess and suggest a commercialisation roadmap including suitable pilot designs for next phases.

Dr Neville Plint, Chief Executive Officer at Mining3, said: “This project demonstrates Mining3’s commitment to rapid deployment of innovative technology that addresses the sustainability needs of the mining industry in Australia.”

Dr Adrian Seyfaee, Program Director Scale Up and Commercialisation at Mining3, added: “Catalytic VAM abatement technology has the potential to significantly reduce emissions from Australia’s underground coal mines, an industry that many Australian communities rely on.”

Mark McCallum, Chief Executive Officer of LETA, said: “Mitigating methane emissions from mine sites is an important goal that LETA has been supporting for more than a decade. Catalytic VAM abatement technology is a promising field and we are excited to collaborate with industry colleagues on this project.”

Anglo American, Glencore, Newcrest and Newmont join coarse particle recovery consortium

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Metallurgy, Mineral processing, Mineral project development, Mining industry recognition, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Researchers from The University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) have signed an agreement with industry partners to form a consortium to develop improved energy efficiency for mineral processing operations.

The Collaborative Consortium for Coarse Particle Processing Research will run initially for five years and tackle multidisciplinary aspects of coarse particle processing such as flotation, comminution, classification, and equipment design and process chemistry, SMI says.

It will also contribute towards global challenges such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation of human-made climate change.

The processing of coarse particles is considered one of the key research areas for developing improved energy efficiency of mineral processing operations, according to SMI.

The consortium includes researchers from SMI’s Julius Kruttschnitt Minerals Research Centre (JKMRC) and representatives from Anglo American, Aeris Resources, Eriez Flotation Division, Glencore, Hudbay Minerals, Newcrest Mining and Newmont.

The program Chair is SMI Director, Professor Neville Plint (far left). JKMRC’s Associate Professor, Kym Runge (right), and Dr Liza Forbes (middle) are the Technical Directors.

Professor Plint said SMI and JKMRC have a long history of successful industry engagement.

“This consortium brings together depth and breadth of expertise and significant technical skill, and it shows the willingness of industry to work closely with university researchers to tackle complex problems and have an impact,” he said.

“The team in JKMRC have worked hard and consulted with all our industry partners to create this important forum.”

Newmont’s Director of Processing, Dr Ronel Kappes, said the company had identified coarse particle recovery (CPR) as a key enabling technology to focus on, in order to improve future processing efficiencies.

“The UQ CPR Consortium project is an important step in technology development in order to leverage future CPR applications,” Dr Kappes said.

Eriez Flotation Division’s, Dr Eric Wasmund, said the company was pleased to be a founding sponsor of the consortium.

“This consortium fits EFD’s vision to enable sustainable technology solutions through strong customer partnerships,” he said. “As demonstrated by our leading-edge HydroFloat® technology, coarse particle flotation is a key disruptive technology for improving mineral recoveries, reducing power and water consumption and producing safer tailings.”

The CPR Consortium held its first technical workshop at the end of September.

UQ’s JKMRC and JKTech strengthen consulting and research functions

Environmental, Mineral processing, Mining industry recognition, Mining policy, Mining services, Sustainable mining, Water management, , , , , , , ,

The University of Queensland’s Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC) and UQ Holding’s technology transfer company, JKTech, have decided to integrate their activities under one management structure.

JKMRC is one of six research centres within the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), and its Director Professor, Neville Plint, has been appointed Managing Director of JKTech in addition to his SMI role.

Chair of the JKTech Board, Dr Kelly, said the unified management structure would strengthen the ability to develop solutions across the mining value chain.

“The link between research and consulting is very important and this integration will ensure our clients are receiving the benefits of new research, expertise in technology-based consulting, laboratory services, software, specialist equipment, and professional development,” he said.

Professor Plint said the move would consolidate and strengthen the consulting and research functions of both organisations and enhance the testing and product delivery to clients.

“SMI’s goal is to provide solutions to the challenges facing our research and industry partners in the resources sector,” he said.

“Bringing together the teams in JKTech and JKMRC helps us drive innovation and continue to provide mining and metallurgy research and consulting services worldwide.”

JKMRC was established at The University of Queensland in 1970 and is an internationally recognised minerals and mining research centre with strong industry partners and a successful PhD student program. In 2000, it became part of UQ’s newly established Sustainable Minerals Institute.

JKTech opened in 1986 as the commercial division of JKMRC. It became an incorporated company in 2001, wholly owned by UQ Holdings Pty Ltd.

The teams in both organisations have maintained a close working relationship over the years, but this announcement sees a return to a single management structure while preserving JKTech’s corporate and technical identity, the organisations said.

“This year is the 50th anniversary of JKMRC, and we see this strategic integration as a way of further strengthening the position of both JKMRC and JKTech as we look forward to the next 50 years,” Dr Kelly said.

Under the new structure, Professor Neville Plint is Managing Director of JKTech and Director of SMI, supported by a management team comprising Professor Rick Valenta (Acting Director, JKMRC), Paul Napier (Chief Financial Officer, JKTech), Bevin Wong (Operations Manager, JKTech) and Associate Professor Marcin Ziemski, who is taking on the role of Commercial Lead working across JKTech and JKMRC.

CEEC announces new comminution energy curves team

Comminution of minerals, Environmental, Equipment maintenance, IoT, Mineral processing, Mining equipment, Mining maintenance, Mining services, Power supply for mines, , , , , , ,

The Coalition for Energy Efficient Comminution (CEEC) has announced a new team will steer its comminution energy curves into the next phase of development, following the move by project lead Dr Grant Ballantyne from research to industry.

Developed by Dr Ballantyne and Professor Malcolm Powell at The University of Queensland’s Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre (JKMRC), in collaboration with industry, the energy curves enable mines to benchmark the energy efficiency of their comminution circuits, according to CEEC. This helps communicate the significant value that can be harnessed by improvements in comminution efficiency across mine sites.

The new team, led by JKMRC Senior Research Fellow Dr Cathy Evans, has expertise across the mining value chain, with strengths in comminution and mineral processing, CEEC said. Dr Evans’ specialty is in understanding how ores respond in mineral processing circuits based on the behaviour of minerals in breakage, liberation and separation processes. In her current research, she is focused on applying her expertise in geometallurgical modelling.

“Having trained in the UK and worked as a metallurgist for more than 30 years, including at mines in South America and Australia, Dr Evans brings a global and practical industry perspective to her research and teaching,” CEEC said.

CEEC CEO, Alison Keogh, said: “The new team brings a wealth of experience and diverse skills and perspectives to enable further development of the energy curves in response to the needs of the mining industry.

“Dr Evans is well versed in the dynamics of the energy curves and is leading the liberation and recovery enhancement as part of the A$469,000 ($334,264) CEEC Advanced Energy Curves project, a two-year partnership between the Queensland Government; METS Ignited, an Australian Government Industry Growth Centre; and CEEC International.

“This project is enabling CEEC to deliver 10 practical enhancements to its suite of free energy curve tools and extend these enhancements into mining equipment, technology and services (METS) companies. CEEC has already delivered enhancements around energy cost, ancillary equipment, different commodities, embodied energy, comminution circuit type and grinding size. Work is continuing on equipment variability, blasting impact, liberation and recovery, and global hardness approach.”

Keogh said the aim of the energy curves was to help the mining industry improve the energy efficiency of its comminution circuits. She said CEEC had an extensive online library of case studies that demonstrated these improvements.

“The energy curves also enable industry leaders to canvas the best improvement options for their particular operating environment and to compare alternatives,” she said.

“We encourage miners, METS companies and researchers to use these free tools and to share their success stories with us. This knowledge can help inform and drive more sustainable mining and processing practices across our industry.”

JKMRC is part of UQ’s Sustainable Mineral Institute (SMI) and employs some of the world’s leading comminution experts. SMI Director Professor, Neville Plint, said: “Energy efficiency is one of the biggest issues facing the mining industry and we are delighted that this collaboration with industry will continue to develop under Dr Evans’ leadership.

“We invite industry to confidentially contribute mine operational data to the energy curves database and we welcome ideas and research collaborations for future enhancements to the existing suite of energy curves.”

Keogh thanked Dr Ballantyne for his outstanding work in developing the foundation energy curves and leading the recent enhancements.

“Dr Ballantyne was instrumental in the development of the foundation energy curves, managing and building the associated database, and leading interactive workshop sessions on the application of the curves. He also harnessed significant industry input and led six new enhancements, developing the energy curves to become a trusted, global benchmarking and improvement tool,” she said.

Major miners join Mining3 and SMI for Cave Mining 2040

Mine shafts and equipment, Mining techniques, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Mining3 and the University of Queensland’s Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI) have joined forces with Newcrest Mining, Vale, OZ Minerals, BHP and PT Merdeka Copper Gold to develop the Cave Mining 2040 initiative.

Cave Mining 2040 was originally proposed by Professor Gideon Chitombo (SMI) whose clear understanding of caving needs and his strong engagement with the mining industry was key to its successful formation, according to Mining3.

The international consortium will collaborate on projects aimed at developing new and improved cave mining methods that could help meet future demand for minerals, the company added.

Mining3’s CEO Paul Lever said: “Involving researchers, industry and government will accelerate the required innovations and information to transform cave mining, ensuring its longevity through viable and sustainable methods.”

Cave Mining 2040 aims to develop solutions to reduce lead times and capital investment while also improving viability, safety, cost, production, and societal and environmental acceptance, according to Mining 3.

SMI Director, Professor Neville Plint, said the agreement was important because it brings together two Queensland-based, world-class research organisations. “We are working collaboratively with industry to unlock complex orebodies that occur at depth and require advancements in cave mining technologies,” he said.

“We look forward to developing further partnerships to enhance Queensland’s and Australia’s reputation as a leader in research, technology and innovation.”

After initial consultation with established and future mine owners, mining equipment and technology services, original equipment manufacturers, and a range of other organisations a number of cave mining challenges have been identified.

The first phase of Cave Mining 2040, Horizon 1, is now underway comprising eight research areas – total deposit knowledge, cave engineering, cave establishment, mine design for new and emerging technologies, high stresses and major seismicity, macro-block design and sequencing optimisation, sublevel caving and open automation platform.

Cave Mining 2040 is a cornerstone activity within the Transforming Cave Mining initiative – a partnership between Mining3 and the SMI.