Mining analytical services company Mintek has highlighted its commitment to partner with the mining industry in developing and expanding new and existing technologies that can solve the industry’s mineral processing challenges.

Along with more than 21 African countries and several mining companies, Mintek recently attended the African Mining Breakfast seminar during the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) yearly convention.

Mintek participated in the seminar and exhibited at PDAC along with the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to promote and attract mining investment in South Africa.

Mintek group mineral processing and characterisation executive professor Indresan Govender spoke during the seminar to mining investors about the capabilities and successes of Mintek’s technologies, which have contributed to the growth of the mining industry in several countries.

Govender explained how Mintek worked in partnership with the industry. “Mintek takes existing solutions and new solutions that are considered valuable to the mineral processing industry and tries to enhance the understanding to the largest scale possible until the process is sufficiently de-risked so that big mining companies can buy in and adopt these technologies.”

He highlighted the success of the Upper Group 2 (UG2) platinum group metals-bearing reef in Rustenburg, which has earned the mining industry trillions of dollars.

The UG2 processing technology was developed by Mintek jointly with the industry around the late 1970s and has provided the industry with means for large-scale treatment of UG2 over the past four decades.

Govender also spoke about Mintek’s role as a partner in the industry, providing solutions for the future of minerals processing by highlighting expertise in solving current problems the industry faces.

Govender said that one of the key drivers of the mineral processing of the future was problems of declining ore bodies and increasing ore variability. “This is coupled by a drive towards using carbon emissions, sustainable water usage, through recycling and reuse of water.”

He stated that by partnering with Mintek to solve these problems, the mining industry could benefit from Mintek’s expertise in mineral processing solutions.