Process intensification

Abstract

The presentation outlines:
- Declining grades and increasing production are driving a need for step change in process intensity.
- A hierarchy of controls approach shows the highest leverage for process intensification is in the mining process.
- Tailings production is a good proxy for intensity.
- There are no silver bullets in this. The answer lies at the flowsheet level and requires integration of multiple technologies.
- It is estimated that the technology already exists for the mining industry to make a moderate (20%+) reduction in tailings
production.
- Through a concerted long term effort, the opportunity exists to reduce total tailings production by more than 50% for the same level of production. Although not necessarily practical nor economic in specific cases, this result could be used as a reasonable aspirational goal for tailings reduction.