The disbanded South African mining industry’s research and development (R&D) arm Comro handed South Africa’s State-owned Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) the mining R&D it had built up over decades.
The handover coincided with South Africa entering a democracy in 1994. But much of that R&D that was prematurely stopped by the CSIR is still well known to former Comro personnel, as a new publication points out. Enhancing the R&D of yesterday with the artificial intelligence and miniaturisation of today has the potential to develop equipment to extend to known resources that are too deep to mine conventionally.
In this way, mining at depth in ultra-modern fashion may turn out to be affordable, which would give a new lease of life to an industry that needs boosting.