University of Adelaide's copper consortium has lasting impact on industry and will continue collaborations after concluding.

Copper is the leading commodity produced in South Australia. Capitalizing on this over the last seven years is the Adelaide-based Integrated Mining Consortium of universities. Teaming up with Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) partners, mining companies and key stakeholders, this group has unlocked significant economic potential worth millions of dollars to Australia through innovative projects to increase copper recovery, throughput and production.

The Integrated Mining Consortium has applied advanced sensing, data analytics, and machine learning to improve mining operations, mineral processing and recovery across the entire value chain from resources to final products. It has aimed to boost the value of complex resources, namely copper, that are increasingly more difficult to mine or process, through technologies that optimize productivity and sustainability.

The University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia have brought together expertise in resource modeling, mining, geomechanics, sensors, data analytics, computer optimization, process modeling and mineral processing.

The University of Adelaide's Professor Nigel Cook, director and convenor of the consortium, said that the key to success has been in fostering collaboration between partners, combining research and industry knowledge for practical outcomes.

This consortium, notably funded by the South Australian Premier's Research and Industry Fund (PRIF), has been running since 2017. The South Australian government invested an initial A$4 million (US$2.6 million), with total funding and support amounting to A$32 million (US$21 million) across 17 industry partners. This pool of supporting partners has helped to identify potential technologies and evaluate commercialization, dissemination and marketing opportunities.

"We have worked together with the exploration, mining and minerals processing companies that will ultimately consume the products and systems we create. We also rely heavily on our expert partners to translate research into industry-ready products and services," said Cook. "The consortium has maximized value and lower costs for mineral production using machine learning, sensors and data analytics. With 'easier' resources already exploited, we wanted to tackle those that are harder to mine or process. These 'complex' resources are more diverse in character and have a flow-on effect through stockpiling, crushing, grinding and milling, which leaves the entire mining value chain open to optimization."

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The economic impact of the Integrated Mining Consortium's work is based on a 2% increase in copper recovery, 15% increase in throughput and 17% increase in production for the industry.

Global electronics demand for copper is expected to rise exponentially in the coming decades, with production from existing and proposed mines unable to meet demand without new discoveries and improvement of copper recovery from low-grade resources.

"Industry needs relevant, real-world applications that make a difference, and our programs have delivered on all fronts. Aligning the research with data-driven deliverables future proofs the outcomes for any miner of any commodity in any operating environment," said Cook.

Equally as significant as delivering on research outcomes, the consortium has played an invaluable role in training the next generation of scientists, engineers and data analysts.

"Australia desperately needs to strengthen its workforce with scientists skilled in the technologies of the future and programs like this help mining to be one of the industries to benefit," said Cook.

The consortium has boosted the skills of 18 young researchers, awarded 17 scholarships to women in STEM, and has brought together 15 experienced mining and computer science researchers, 10 higher-degree-by-research students and eight postdoctoral researchers.

The economic impact of the consortium's work, which wraps up at the end of August 2024, is based on an established 2% increase in copper recovery, 15% increase in throughput and 17% increase in production for the industry.

While official activities will be completed in 2024, this South Australia collaboration has established its universities at the forefront of researching complex mining and mineral processing.

After the official consortium ends, the University of Adelaide will continue to engage with key industry players around new research opportunities regarding South Australia's extraordinary metal endowment with continuing efforts to reduce energy costs, lower water usage, and address ESG concerns.