Innovating Ore-Processing for a Changing Real World

Glencore Technology has been a leader in mining innovation for more than 40 years, and major challenges now facing our industry mean that an inventive approach has never been more important.

Faster, cheaper, more sustainable methods of ore processing are being demanded by mining operators, creating exciting opportunities for our business to grow and for us to solve some very significant challenges for our partners and the broader global community.

Glencore Technology’s key purpose is to provide honest, simple and pragmatic technical solutions to solve complex challenges in the real world. We are always looking for opportunities to create value and find better and safer ways for clients to move forward.

Responding to the challenge

We’re all aware that ore grades are in steady decline worldwide. As operators are forced to extract more challenging mineral deposits, costs increase and efficiencies decline. On top of this comes rising demand for many metals as the global electrification process accelerates.

The proven low-risk technologies developed by Glencore Technology are helping to bridge this gap in supply and demand, and we expect strong uptake as recent installations begin to demonstrate success.

Founded in innovation

It has been just over 38 years since the first Jameson Cell was developed to process the fine lead extracted at Mount Isa Mines in Queensland. Named after Professor Graeme Jameson, the Jameson Cell separates saleable minerals from waste rock. Now in its fifth iteration and with more than 450 installations in mining commodities worldwide, this froth flotation cell is at the heart of a significant technological leap forward for Glencore Technology – the Jameson Concentrator.

The Jameson Cell is known for its ability to float and recover fine to ultra-fine mineral particles, producing a very high-grade product for operators – something conventional cells have struggled to do. In addition to recovering these fine particles, the Jameson Cell floats coarse material, ultimately doing everything conventional technologies do, but in a much smaller, efficient unit.

Based on this broad capability, the Jameson Concentrator is a profound step forward. It combines multiple Jameson Cells in a single flotation circuit – including, where necessary, our highly efficient and precise IsaMill™ grinding mill – delivering huge operating and capital benefits. The Concentrator can process volumes of ore equivalent to conventional technologies, while using close to half the energy and with a footprint reduction of up to 80%. All while delivering an optimum quality product.

The benefits to capital and operating costs are clear, as is the impact on carbon emissions and our clients’ ability to satisfy demanding Environment, Society and Governance (ESG) requirements. In a world moving swiftly towards electrification and decarbonisation, the Jameson Concentrator is a game changer.

Gaining traction

While the technology this work is based on is almost 40 years old, it is still relatively ‘young’ in industry terms. Mining is a risk-averse business, and that is understandable given the huge scale of investment and the timeframe of the operations we are looking at.

Technological adoption, however, is prompted by hard data and real-world experience. We are expecting uptake to be accelerated by the excellent results already achieved and emerging from operations such as Hudbay’s New Britannia copper-gold operation in Canada, which commissioned a Jameson Concentrator in 2022.

Our client at Hudbay had observed the benefits of the Jameson Cells on mines in Australia, instilling confidence in the Concentrator technology. We are excited for others to observe the technology in action at New Britannia and to grasp the significant benefits it delivers.

We have also engaged an Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (EPCM) company to quantify the decarbonisation credentials of our technology through comparative analysis, which involves an assessment of carbon impact across the life of a mine, including downstream implications. Independent verification is critical for clients seeking to meet stringent ESG targets.

What comes next?

The Jameson Concentrator aside, Glencore Technology is pursuing innovation in other areas. We have some ambitious plans in the coarse particle flotation and secondary grinding space in our IsaMill™ technology. These high-efficiency, low-power applications also help mineral processors reduce emissions, while improving metallurgical performance. And we’re working on e-waste applications using our ISASMELT™ technology. There is no question that recycling will be a large part of satisfying global metal demand in the future, and we plan to be at the forefront of that.

After more than 23 years in this industry, it’s clear to me that we are at a major transition point and it’s extremely rewarding to know that we are driving ways to overcome barriers; to do things better, more cost-effectively and more sustainably. We are delivering benefits not just to the mining industry, but also to the community at large – and that is a very satisfying place to be.

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