president’s notes
Innovation in the mining industry
“For the future, the biggest impacts will likely come from the development of the Internet of Things�
The mining industry follows cycles, and its fascination with innovation is no different. It gains momentum when demand for commodities falls during financial downturns or resets. Innovation can be classified into two categories. First, that from new ideas or discoveries such as the application of cyanide leaching for gold recovery by McArthur and the Forrest brothers in the late 1880s. Almost a century later, the cyanide heap leaching of low-grade gold ores and the acid heap leaching of low-grade copper oxide ores were developed, allowing the recovery of metals from what had been waste. Other major achievements have been: flash smelters for copper extraction developed by Outokumpu in Finland, cost-saving carbon-in-pulp and carbon-inleach for gold recovery and autogenous and SAG grinding replacing multiple stages of crushing. Today, with the emergence of lithium battery technology, we have the ability to design an all-electric underground mine as Goldcorp is doing at its Borden Lake mine in Ontario, lowering costs and improving health and safety. Second are the instances where continuous improvement has moved the industry forward. One example is the evolution of drilling. It began with the introduction of the jackleg during the industrial revolution and was followed by further development to the jumbo drill, improving productivity and reducing health issues. The advent of the wrap-around motors was significant in mechanical/electric design, and opened the door to much larger SAG mills. Another was the development of two compartment double rotator grinding mills followed by 99 per cent pure oxygenated roasting in two stage roasters, in the late 1990s, to release gold contained within fine sulfide grains. For the future, the biggest impacts will likely come from the development of the Internet of Things, where the combination of information technology and operating technology will open up more ways to improve efficiency, limit capital and operating costs, and most importantly improve worker health and safety. Whatever opportunities these technologies offer, however, it will always be the planning and leadership bringing these tools into production that will determine whether they do, in fact, recreate the industry. That is one idea that is and has been constant no matter where we are in the mining cycle.
Kenneth (Ken) G. Thomas CIM President
10 | CIM Magazine | Vol. 12, No. 5