Dig Deep From Mine to Mill: Exploring Innovative Technologies in Ore Sorting with Adrian Dance
In the episode, we chat with Adrian Dance, Principal Consultant at SRK Consulting, an independent and international multi-disciplined mining consultancy focused on providing advice and solutions to clients, mainly in the earth and water resource industries. They offer services from exploration to mine closure and are specialists and leaders in fields such as due diligence, technical studies, mine waste and water management, permitting, and mine rehabilitation.
Adrian’s expertise is in metallurgy and mineral processing and he's worked for the likes of Mount Isa Mines, Highland Valley, and Bisha Mining before joining SRK back in 2010 and is going to be talking about technology in mineral processing, using XRT over traditional sorting methods, AI, SRK’s partnership with Base Metallurgical Labs and why grade engineering plays a critical role in resource extraction.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The mining industry is slow to adopt new technologies, which can significantly improve efficiency and processing. Embracing advancements like X-ray transmissive sensing (XRT) and AI can lead to better decision-making and operational flexibility.
- Implementing pre-concentration techniques to reject waste material early in the processing stage can enhance the economics of mining operations. This approach allows for the removal of waste before it enters the processing plant, reducing costs and environmental impact.
- The concept of grade engineering emphasises the need to actively manage and improve the quality of ore being processed. By utilising various techniques, such as differential blasting and sorting, mining operations can optimise the value extracted from their resources.
- Future mining operations will require more flexible processing systems that can adapt to the variability of incoming material. This includes the ability to make real-time adjustments based on the characteristics of the ore being processed.
- There is a need for the mining industry to break down silos between different disciplines. By fostering collaboration and sharing knowledge, companies can improve overall efficiency and innovation in mining practices.
BEST MOMENTS
"What we really need to be considering now more than ever is improving the quality of the material coming in to really improve the economics."
"We are losing expertise; we are not really getting a lot of traction of people coming to the industry."
"If you take somebody outside of the mining industry and say, we're going to process 99.999% waste to get to that .001% valuable, someone would say, check your head."
"The biggest thing we want to do is to avoid people from shooting themselves in the foot with this technology."
VALUABLE RESOURCES
Mail: rob@mining-international.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
X: https://twitter.com/MiningRobTyson
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DigDeepTheMiningPodcast
Web: http://www.mining-international.org
This episode is sponsored by Hawcroft, leaders in property risk management since 1992. They offer:
- Insurance risk surveys recognised as an industry standard
- Construction risk reviews
- Asset criticality assessments and more
Working across over 600 sites globally, Hawcroft supports mining, processing, smelting, power, refining, ports, and rail operations. For bespoke property risk management services, visit www.hawcroft.com
GUEST SOCIALS
Adrian's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-dance/
SRK's website: https://www.srk.com/
SRK's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/srk-consulting/
Adrian's SRK profile: https://www.srk.com/en/consultants/adrian-dance
ABOUT THE HOST
Rob Tyson is the Founder and Director of Mining International Ltd, a leading global recruitment and headhunting consultancy based in the UK specialising in all areas of mining across the globe from first-world to third-world countries from Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. We source, headhunt, and discover new and top talent through a targeted approach and search methodology and have a proven track record in sourcing and positioning exceptional candidates into our clients' organisations in any mining discipline or level. Mining International provides a transparent, informative, and trusted consultancy service to our candidates and clients to help them develop their careers and business goals and objectives in this ever-changing marketplace.
CONTACT METHOD
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-tyson-3a26a68/
Podcast Description
Rob Tyson is an established recruiter in the mining and quarrying sector and decided to produce the “Dig Deep” The Mining Podcast to provide valuable and informative content around the mining industry. He has a passion and desire to promote the industry and the podcast aims to offer the mining community an insight into people’s experiences and careers covering any mining discipline, giving the listeners helpful advice and guidance on industry topics.