Image: Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Integrated Operations for Complex Resources (IOCR)
Researchers have delivered four world-leading mining technologies ready for industry trials, positioning partnering companies at the forefront of next-generation, data-driven mining.
Developed by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre for Integrated Operations for Complex Resources (IOCR), the technologies have progressed beyond research validation and are now seeking industry partners for pilot deployment and commercial collaboration.
The technologies include rapid updating of orebody knowledge using integrated sensor data and structural information, AI-driven mine-to-mill optimisation systems, cave draw-point operations and fragmentation sensing systems, and real-time protein-based gold biosensor technology.
Professor Peter Dowd, director of the Training Centre and professor of mining engineering at Adelaide University, said the projects had moved beyond the research validation stage.
“These are not early-stage concepts,” Dowd said. “They have been developed to solve real operational challenges and are ready to be deployed in partnership with industry.”
Dowd said industry collaboration would play a key role in supporting deployment across operational mining environments.
“The capability exists, the validation is complete and we are seeking forward-looking partners prepared to trial and deploy these technologies in operational environments,” he said.
“To remain successful, the resources sector must be prepared to assess and deploy new technologies. The companies that engage now will not only strengthen their own operations; they will help shape the future competitiveness of our industry.”
The innovations include:
- Rapid updating of orebody knowledge using integrated sensor data, including structural information – Dr Sultan Abulkhair.
- AI-driven mine-to-mill optimisation linking resource characteristics to downstream processing and financial performance – Pouya Nobahar.
- Cave draw-point operations and fragmentation sensing systems – Ahmadreza Khodayari.
- Real-time, protein-based gold biosensor technology – Dr Akhil Kumar.
The Training Centre IOCR commenced in 2021 and has since delivered 16 PhD projects and three postdoctoral research programs focused on automated and optimised mining systems powered by advanced sensors, artificial intelligence and data analytics.
Researchers including Dr Sultan Abulkhair, Pouya Nobahar, Ahmadreza Khodayari and Dr Akhil Kumar are now progressing the technologies toward industry engagement.
Nobahar said the AI-driven mine-to-mill optimisation system significantly reduced simulation times compared to existing platforms.
“Existing platforms take two days to compute one million scenarios,” Nobahar said. “Using our AI-driven mine-to-mill optimisation system, this is reduced to 10 minutes.”
Kumar said the biosensor technology provided a faster and more environmentally friendly approach to gold detection.
“Our protein-based biosensor technology provides environmentally friendly, real-time detection of gold presence and concentration,” Kumar said.
“Our system is a quicker, more efficient alternative to existing expensive, time-consuming X-ray and off-site lab methods. Our core value proposition enables miners to save significant resources by avoiding the processing non-gold-bearing ore.”
Khodayari said advances in mining simulation had also improved processing efficiency potential.
“Simulation time for linking particle size to material flow has been dramatically reduced from 2.5 months to one week by pioneering the use of physics engines for mining simulations,” Khodayari said.
“Optimising particle size is expected to increase energy efficiency in crushers by 20 to 25 per cent, offering substantial financial benefits.”
Abulkhair said the researchers were also exploring ways to integrate the projects into a broader mining technology platform.
“Our original PhD research projects were developed independently of one another, but we are now exploring integrating projects with crossover to deliver a system with maximum impact,” Abulkhair said.
Professor Bill Skinner, who leads the mineral processing theme, said the Training Centre’s structure had helped accelerate the transition from research to operational application.
“By aligning research directly with operational realities, we have helped to significantly shorten the path from innovation to application,” Skinner said.
Mining companies, METS organisations and technology partners interested in pilot programs, collaborative trials, or detailed technical briefings on the four projects outlined in this release are encouraged to contact the Training Centre via iocr@adelaide.edu.au.
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