Both technologies are helping us to significantly reduce our energy and water consumption in line with our ambitious Sustainable Mining Plan targets of a 30% improvement in energy efficiency and a 50% reduction in fresh water abstraction by 2030.
The primary benefit of the BOS system is in unlocking production capacity through early rejection of waste or unwanted material, thereby increasing the grade of the ore and reducing the volume that is transported to the processing plant or concentrator. BOS uses composition-sensing technology to detect the concentration of elements of interest, as well as the amount of waste in the material being transported for processing. This has led to a reduction in overall costs per tonne produced, along with a decrease in wet tailings volumes, and in water and energy use. BOS pilot plants are already up and running or in the process of being commissioned at El Soldado, Barro Alto, Los Bronces and Mogalakwena. Work is most advanced at El Soldado, where trials indicate that, potentially, BOS alone can deliver a c.10% reduction in energy and water intensity for an operation.
CPR makes use of a new technology that may in time replace conventional flotation technology, which frequently requires large infrastructure and high power consumption. At our El Soldado copper mine in Chile, our new demonstration plant uses CPR technology in a novel way using the Hydrofloat™, which combines flotation with gravity concentration, allowing the flotation process to be changed to treat larger-diameter material and permit coarser grinding. Through delivering a waste stream that is easier to handle, capacity in the mill is freed up to increase throughput by 15–20%, while effecting savings of around 20% in energy. By being able to treat larger size material as opposed to dust size particles, the process also means that water can be more easily separated afterwards, which then enables the dry stacking and storage of that waste, with far fewer wet tailings, reducing water consumption by around 10%, as well as making the whole operation safer.
