Tomra Mining, best known for ore sorters that pre-concentrate material before it reaches the processing plant, has released a new YouTube video highlighting its commitment to sustainability. It gives insights into how the company sees its role for the future.
Minerals and metals are essential enablers of almost every aspect of our daily life – from the copper in our lightbulbs and electrical wiring to the steel and aluminum for our vehicles and machines; from the raw materials to build our houses and roads to the phosphates used for fertilizers in agriculture. The technology that has become an integral part of our daily lives depends on the rare earth elements, lithium and tungsten in electronics, batteries, and all the devices that have become indispensable, such as our smartphones and laptops.
These technologies are driving an increase in the demand for minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and rare earths – a trend that is accelerating as the energy transition gathers pace. Recycling rates for these materials are low and even if they were to increase, recycling alone would not be able to meet the demand, so mining will continue to be the main supplier of these resources. Mining efficiently and sustainably is key.
“Mining is an essential industry enabling our modern world and faces the challenge of meeting the huge rise in demand driven by the energy transition with sustainably mined resources. As we look to the future, it’s clear that what we mine and how we process it must be transformed,” says Albert du Preez, head of Tomra Mining.
The mining industry faces the challenge of supplying the vast amounts of minerals that will be required to decarbonize the global economy while reducing its environmental footprint and ensuring its profitability. Tomra Mining is already helping mining operations across the world maximize resource recoveries and minimize their impact on the environment with its sensor-based sorting technologies. It brings to bear its extensive knowledge of the different mineral resources and experience in developing industry-leading sorting technologies.
Tomra’s sensor-based sorting solutions can be used to eliminate waste effectively in the early stages of the process, so that less barren or low-grade ore is processed, with consequent cost savings. These technologies significantly reduce the amount of energy and water used compared to traditional methods like dense media separation while maximizing the efficiency and recovery of valuable ores. In addition, its sensor-based sorting technologies enable mining operations to extract value from existing stockpiles of contaminated rock as well as turning waste into certified clean aggregates, generating a new income stream. The benefits are efficient mining, lower costs, improved profitability, and a reduced impact on the environment.
Digital technologies are transforming mining, helping mines run their operations more efficiently and profitably. Digitalization has opened up opportunities with innovations such as the Tomra Insight, the cloud-based data platform that turns Tomra sorters into connected devices that collect valuable performance metrics from the materials they process. This enables mines to continuously monitor and optimize their sorting line’s output quality, as well as provide useful insights into their operation.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been operating in Tomra’s sensor-based sorting solutions for many years, automating the process and improving the accuracy and efficiency of the sorters, playing an increasingly important role as the technology has developed. Most recently, Tomra has opened a new era of sorting with its deep learning (DL) Obtain solution, which brings single-particle precision to high-throughput particle sorting. This technology also unlocks value for the mining operation with a wealth of extremely detailed and accurate data for better-informed decision-making.
“We see ourselves as the movers who lead the way with our resource knowledge and leading sorting technologies, the makers who transform how natural resources are extracted and mined sustainably, and the caretakers of our natural resources who work to maximize recovery and minimize environmental impact with our customers and partners. We believe that Tomra Mining has a role to play in the future of mining and have set ourselves a clear mission: to enable a sustainable starting point for the resources that will transform future businesses, industries, and societies. We sort tomorrow’s resources,” concludes Albert du Preez.
To watch Tomra Mining’s new brand video, click here.
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