Mining Forum: Friedland wants to kill the SAG mill
The Ivanhoe Mines founder says technology developed by his private company, I-Pulse, could use up to 80% less energy.
Mining executive Robert Friedland claims his company's technology could replace the energy-intensive SAG mill in favor of short bursts of electricity that fracture ore from the inside. I-Pulse, a subsidiary of Ivanhoe Mines, projects the technology could use up to 80% less energy and increase metal recoveries by about 5%. Friedland believes replacing the SAG mill with the I-Pulse technology could significantly cut mining's largest operating cost while helping companies get more metal from lower-grade ore.
However, turning promising tests into industrial-scale equipment that can process thousands of tonnes of rock around the clock remains the main challenge. The technology, which uses electrical pulses to fracture ore, is also being tested for use in drilling ahead of conventional drill bits.
Written by urgent.news from Mining.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
