Materials handling
Time to talk sensors
Sensor-based ore sorting solutions look set to play a key role in bringing mining in line with the circular economy, helping to minimise energy use and materials waste. Nicholas Kenny talks to Paul Bracher, managing director at IMS Engineering, and Dr Mathilde Robben, key account manager at TOMRA Sorting Mining, about how their respective companies can each help mining operators to achieve these goals.
I
n the fourth century BC, tied in place outside the palace of the dead kings of Phrygia – once a great kingdom but by then a mere province of the Persian Empire – stood an ox cart. The rope that held the cart in place was bound by a knot so impossibly tangled that no one could tell where it began or where it ended, let alone how to go about untying it.
As is the case in similar stories, whether they involve a sword in a stone or a monster to be slain, whoever could untie this knot would be destined to become a mighty king. Many tried, but none
succeeded until Alexander the Great cut through the mass of tangles with one swift sword stroke. Unfortunately, while the challenges currently facing the mining industry do indeed form a tangled knot, there is no single remedy. However, the industry is increasingly implementing new solutions to tackle several of its problems in one go, from energy and material handling costs to water usage and waste production.
One such potential solution is sensor-based ore sorting, which is used for the dry bulk separation of
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World Mining Frontiers /
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