Although new sites are being discovered and means of extracting materials are being developed, the nature of the work can have a significant number of side-effects on the surrounding area both in the short and long term. This necessitates the use of the most effective possible methods and machinery, as well as approaches to reducing water and energy use.
Reducing energy consumption is also paramount if the impact of the mining industry is to be mitigated; it is estimated that three percent of the world’s energy is used to mine natural commodities, while land disruption remains a key issue as land that could potentially be used for vegetation may be spoiled.
USE OF DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY IS PARAMOUNT
The use of technology that can play a key role in reducing the industry’s impact on the planet in both the long and short term is therefore paramount, and TOMRA’s range of sorting technology is playing a crucial role in this.
Sensor-based ore sorting has a direct effect on reducing the downstream energy consumption in relation to the amount of mass removed by the sorter. If a sorting machine removes 15 percent of waste by mass, then downstream processes will use approximately 15 percent less energy, and the same applies to water consumption.
However, processing a ton of sorted ore will consume the same amount of energy as unsorted material; the key factor being that you will be able to produce the same amount of final concentrate treating less material.
Read more about ´sustainability in mining´ in the expert article written by Tord Svensson, Head of TOMRA Sorting Mining.
Or learn more about TOMRA´s vision of ´Leading the Resource Revolution´.