Future of mining requires efficiency

1st May 2020

     

Font size: - +

The demand for raw materials is rising, and producers around the world are working towards the goal of generating more with less, says instrumentation and automation supplier Endress+Hauser.

“While our planet boasts a wealth of natural resources, industrialised nations and the large emerging ones, such as China and India, are developing an increasing appetite for raw materials,” the company notes, adding that said resources are often distributed unequally.

Most of the large deposits have already been developed, with the remainder lying in  inaccessible regions, or being difficult or uneconomical to extract.

Endress+Hauser adds that geopolitical factors, price sensitivity and political demands make business operations difficult.  Further, the underground mining sector is considering highly automated extraction methods.

Real-time Mining, a European Union-sponsored research and innovation project, has named two major objectives, specifically decreasing environmental impact and increasing resource efficiency.

Achieving these goals will require continuous process monitoring and highly selective mining operations.

Data is the Key

Endress+Hauser notes that to implement the necessary innovations, precise and continuous data is required, and that all of the individual processes need to be linked to be sure that they can be flexibly controlled in minute detail.

“There are a number of things that we could use this data for, such as faster mine planning, more efficient system operation, automation of the extraction process and improving the processing technologies.”

The company concludes by citing nonprofit organisation Global Mining Guidelines Group chairperson Michelle Ash, who has stated that the real catalyst for fundamental change in mineral and material production could be cyber-physical systems, and that resource scarcity may result in a brighter future through better technology.

Edited by Nadine James
Features Deputy Editor

Comments

The functionality you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION