Meet MintecRobo, our innovative mining research assistant
The rapid pace of technological development in the 20th century led quite a few people to dream about the day when they’d be served their morning coffee by a robot butler. Sadly, the robot butler has yet to appear (despite the popularity of his small sibling, the robot vacuum cleaner) – but the dream of automation is alive and well. It’s just that today’s robots, like our MintecRobo, have more important things to do than make coffee.
The need for smarter solutions
“The need for metals is on the rise while their availability is decreasing,” said Kimmo Tiilikainen, Director General of Geological Survey of Finland (GTK), recently. Batteries and other technology supporting the energy transition are driving demand for metals at an unprecedented rate, with copper, nickel, rare earth elements and other metals all needed more than ever before.
Mining is under a lot of pressure – both to supply these metals and to meet its own ESG targets. This complex situation is inspiring a lot of research, like GTK’s new Mintec Mineral Processing Pilot Plant, expected to be completed in 2024. GTK will experiment at the pilot site using automation to get closer to net-zero circular metals production, aiming to define the best way forward for the industry.
The efficiency gains offered by automation not only reduce wasted energy and resources but also maximize the quantity of metal extracted from today’s increasingly low-grade ores.
Robots at work
Malvern Panalytical has partnered with GTK to create and supply the MintecRobo, an automated solution that makes the mining process more efficient, faster, and more accurate.
As Dr. Uwe König, Business Development, Mining and Metals at Malvern Panalytical, says: “Automation and real-time monitoring of ores are mandatory for the transition toward net-zero carbon mining.” The MintecRobo will help GTK to demonstrate what a significant advantage these technologies deliver.
Safer, more sustainable mining
The MintecRobo maximizes speed and accuracy in several ways, providing more control over the extraction process than ever before. It provides real-time information about the changing ore composition and processing conditions during the extraction process, which enables operators to react quickly to any changes, increases recovery rates, and saves energy. As a smart instrument, it also uses this data to adjust its method of extraction according to environmental conditions.
By allowing sample trials with different parameters to be run, the instrument makes sample preparation significantly more accurate and less time-consuming. Mineralogical analysis is completed quickly and reliably, giving rich data that significantly improves process efficiency, and due to the tasks that can be automated and the detailed real-time information, the MintecRobo makes the mine a safer place overall for its human colleagues.
A unique opportunity to shape the future
“By having a fully automated instrument at GTK’s Mintec Mineral Processing Pilot Plant, we can tackle many issues in mining and address circular economy research. Ore grades are dwindling, and only small quantities of valuable minerals are available. Automation has helped us extract even the smallest amounts effectively and, that way, be more sustainable,” says Jouko Nieminen, Head of Unit at GTK.
The research at GTK Mintec has incredible potential – not only for the Finnish industry but for mines across Europe and beyond. With the need for more sustainable, circular solutions clear throughout the industry, data-driven leadership is essential to manage the transition to greener metals. “The MintecRobo automation, in combination with GTK Mintec’s Mineral Processing Pilot Plant, will give mining companies a unique opportunity to test new procedures and processes to make mining operations not only more efficient and competitive but also […] fulfill its ESG commitments,” says Dr. Uwe König. “Malvern Panalytical is proud to be part of the journey, with our customers, toward sustainable and net-zero mining.”
We can’t wait to see the contributions that MintecRobo makes to this exciting project – and to the future of mining!
To learn more about how Malvern Panalytical can help transform your mining operation for the future, contact us below.
Alternatively, explore our entire range of automation solutions here.