The ARC Training Centre for Integrated Operations for Complex Resources is looking for mining industry partners to pilot a quad of new technologies that have been research validated and now ready for commercial use.
New data-driven solutions, all developed by the centre, include the use of integrated sensor data to rapidly update orebody knowledge; an AI-driven mine-to-mill optimisation tool that links resource characteristics to processing and financial performance; a cave draw-point operations and fragmentation sensing system; and a new real-time, protein-based gold biosensor.
According to the researchers, the technologies have been developed to "deliver sharper operational decision-making, improve productivity and reduce uncertainty" in complex mining environments.
Professor Peter Dowd, Director of the Training Centre and Professor of Mining Engineering at Adelaide University, said the projects are ready for real-world application.
"These are not early-stage concepts," he said. "They have been developed to solve real operational challenges and are ready to be deployed in partnership with industry."
Dowd said that industry collaboration is now critical to ensure that these innovative technologies can successfully be transferred to relevant operations.
"The validation is complete and we are seeking forward-looking partners prepared to trial and deploy these technologies in an operational environment. The companies that engage now will not only strengthen their own operations; they will help shape the future competitiveness of our industry."
The research team – Dr Sultan Abulkhair, Pouya Nobahar, Ahmadreza Khodayari and – are actively engaging with the industry to advance the solutions.
Dr Akhil Kumar Kumar, who led the R&D of the protein-based gold biosensor, said it provides an environmentally friendly way to detect gold presence and concentration.
"Our system is a quicker, more efficient alternative to existing expensive, time-consuming X-ray and off-site lab methods. Our core value proposition enables miners to save significant resources by avoiding the processing non-gold-bearing ore."
Commenting on the pioneering the use of physics engines in his work, Dr Akhil Kumar explained that it was able to reduce simulation time for linking particle size to material flow from 2.5 months to one week.
Optimising particle size is expected to increase energy efficiency in crushers by up to 25 per cent, offering substantial financial benefits.
"Some of our original PhD research projects were developed independently of one another, but we are now exploring integrating projects with crossover to deliver a system with maximum impact. Our technology focuses on updating resource knowledge and models instantly to utilise the full value of smart sensing tools, addressing a significant gap in the mining industry."
While four technologies are ready for immediate industry engagement, further innovations from the centre's research pipeline will soon progress toward commercialisation.
