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By Gregory Carli

Mining operations rely on high-duty, mobile and semimobile equipment to move rock, process ore, maintain roads and sustain site services. Typical mining fleets combine loading and hauling assets with production, logistics and maintenance equipment, which are all expected to operate at high load factors, over long hours and in harsh environments. The mining industry is under pressure to decarbonize their operations and to transition to lower-emission technologies. While decarbonization options are well understood for stationary process equipment, challenges remain regarding how to decarbonize heavy-duty mobile emission sources. This article presents the methodology and findings of a structured assessment of low- and zero-emission pathways for mobile mining equipment. The approach is data driven and equipment centric, evaluating technology readiness, commercial and technical viability, and the financial implications of alternative powertrains including battery electric, hybrid electric, hydrogen fuel cell/combustion and low-carbon fuels such as renewable diesel and biodiesel. Supporting infrastructure requirements are also reviewed. Baseline attributes such as engine/motor power, duty cycles, energy intensity and typical purchase price are compiled into an equipment matrix, with alternatives matched by output power to ensure performance comparability. Capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expenditure (OPEX) are calculated conservatively from public sources, with OPEX combining energy/fuel costs and maintenance rates that reflect powertrain complexity.

May 1, 2026

By Tanya J. Gallegos, Mojisola A. KunleDare, James V. Jones III, Charlotte E. Riggs

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) provides scientific information for the Department of Interior and the nation, consistent with its original mission expressed in the Organic Act of 1879 (43 U.S.C. 31): “the classification of the public lands and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products within and outside the national domain.” Legislation such as the Energy Act of 2020 and the 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (43 USC 31l) and recent executive actions (Executive Orders 14154 , 14153, 14241 Secretary’s Orders 3417, 3418, 3422, 3436) underscore the importance of mineral resources and focus USGS activities on mapping and assessing mineral resources, with a particular focus on those presently identified as critical, both in ground and above ground in mine wastes. This article reviews selected activities and accomplishments by the USGS Mineral Resources Program related to critical minerals in 2025. Highlights include a new List of Critical Minerals, a first-ever national mine waste inventory, international minerals partnerships, mineral resource assessment advancements, and national data collection activities and outcomes of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI). The selected contributions are not comprehensive but are intended to demonstrate USGS leadership in critical mineral mapping and assessment, the importance of domestic and global partnerships, and the breadth of research activities that are responsive to national needs and priorities.

May 1, 2026

By U. S. Geological Survey

In 2025, the estimated total value of nonfuel mineral production in the United States was $112 billion compared with $106 billion in 2024. The estimated value of metal production in 2025 increased by 13 percent to $38.1 billion from a revised total of $33.6 billion in 2024. The total estimated value of industrial minerals production was $73.7 billion, 2 percent more than the revised total of $72.2 billion in 2024 (Table 1). Increases in production of certain nonfuel mineral commodities, along with increases in prices of some industrial minerals contributed to the overall increase in the total value of domestic nonfuel mineral production in 2025. For the industrial minerals sector, the production value of natural aggregates, which comprised approximately 60 percent of the total production value of all industrial minerals, increased by 4 percent even though production volumes decreased by 1 percent in 2025 compared with production in 2024. The largest percentage increases in production value in 2025, in descending order, were for dimension stone, wollastonite, potash, mica and portland cement. The largest percentage decreases, in ascending order, were for high-purity quartz, industrial sand and gravel, lithium carbonate, bromine and boron. For the metal sector, production decreased for several mineral commodities and prices decreased for several metals due to oversupply. Lithium, manganese and nickel had some of the largest percentage decreases in production value.

May 1, 2026

By G. Heymann, T. Grobler

Many tailings storage facilities in the Rustenburg region of South Africa’s North-West Province are founded on reworked residual norite derived from the weathering of the Bushveld Igneous Complex. With the implementation of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, increased emphasis is placed on robust material characterisation, but laboratory testing is challenging. The results of Oedometer and undrained triaxial shear testing support a nonlinear failure envelope for effective stresses below the yield stress, transitioning to linear behaviour at higher stresses.

Apr 8, 2026

By N. G. Macfarlane, G. C. Howell, C. R. Mtshali

This paper explores the philosophical risks of role misalignment in tailings storage facilities governance. Central to this discussion are the roles of the Engineer of Record, Responsible Tailings Facility Engineer, and Accountable Executive as required by the international standards like the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. The paper examines how these roles interconnect. It critiques current governance practices and calls for a shift toward genuine engagement.

Apr 8, 2026

By K. M. Uderstadt, G. C. Howell, L. de Villiers

This paper highlights the advantages of developing tailings storage facility-specific water balances. A case study illustrates how such focused analysis provides clearer insights into water storage and release, supporting improved conservation, regulatory compliance, and enhanced stability of tailings storage facilities. A robust water balance informed by up-to-date hydraulic data is essential for long term management. It is proposed that tailings storage facility-specific water balances should be regarded as standard practice in mining.

Apr 8, 2026

By N. C. Steenkamp

Clay minerals are present in ores and their colloidal behaviour in slurries impacts on the full metallurgical process from comminution to the tailings storage facility. Geotechnical classification of tailings has been based on parameters such as grain size. This paper proposes that this parameter does not consider rheology and plasticity, and, while. Atterberg limits are useful, they do not consider other aspects such as active clay and chemical porewater.

Apr 8, 2026

By J. Raath, A. J. Fischmann, C. Spagnuol, E. D. Brooks

This paper demonstrates the use of Clean TeQ Water’s ATA® rapid dewatering technology as an alternative approach to the tailings paddock buttressing method which is currently being implemented. ATA® is a three-component system where the tailings stream is separated into fines and coarse fractions utilising a hydro-cyclone. The results from the pilot demonstrated that the use of ATA® offers significant advantages, including higher homogeneity in the buttress, higher permeability, and faster settling rates.

Apr 8, 2026

By M. Schlegel, J. A. Villa Mena, R. E. Vivas

ArcelorMittal, headquartered in Luxembourg, is one of the world’s largest steel and mining companies. It supplies steel to industries such as automotive, construction and energy, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and innovation. The company employs about 125,000 people, and in 2024 produced 38.5 Mt (42.4 million st) of iron ore and 52.5 Mt (57.9 million st) of crude steel across 15 countries. Its mining operations span Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan and Liberia, focusing on iron ore and coal extraction to support steel production.

Apr 1, 2026

By Carrie Smith

Leaders from the U.S. government and the global mining industry opened the MINEXCHANGE 2026 SME Annual Conference & Expo with a keynote session centered on restoring U.S. critical mineral production and strengthening domestic supply chains. The session, titled “Regaining America’s Mineral Dominance,” featured remarks from Ned Mamula, director at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox and Vicky Peacey, president and general manager of Resolution Copper, along with opening comments from industry leaders and conference organizers. The speakers emphasized that renewed government attention to critical minerals, combined with industry investment and technological innovation, will be necessary to meet rising demand for materials such as copper, zinc and rare earth elements. The session opened with remarks from Pat Risner, president of South32 Hermosa, followed by a safety share from 2025 SME President Bill Hancock. Hancock then introduced moderator Debra Struhsacker, who emphasized the importance of strengthening domestic mineral production and reducing reliance on foreign supply chains. Struhsacker, who is SME’s government and public affairs consultant, noted that decades of policy decisions have weakened the U.S. mining sector, leaving the country increasingly dependent on imported minerals. She pointed to declining domestic capacity, a shrinking number of mining schools and the closure of the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1996 as factors that contributed to the current supply challenge.

Apr 1, 2026

By Stephen Benyo

The future of mining will not be defined by how deep operators dig, but by how intelligently they separate. As ore grades decline, environmental concerns intensify and water remains a global crisis, the industry is discovering that its greatest opportunities for progress lie not at the pit or face, but downstream — within the separation processes that govern water, tailings and byproduct streams. In this context, clarity has become a defining principle — both literally and metaphorically. Clear process water enables reuse and regulatory compliance. Clear separation of solids and liquids recovers valuable resources, supports safer operations, lowers energy demand and provides stable tailings management. Clear visibility into how these systems perform allows mine operators to make better decisions, reduce operational risk and unlock value that is often hidden in overlooked waste streams.

Apr 1, 2026

By Brian Hays, Victor Mwaba

Optimization of water use has become a top priority for virtually every mining operation. The mineral extraction process typically requires vast quantities of water, which can be particularly challenging when a mine is located in an arid location. Most mining permits have very strict limits on water usage, so tight control of water utilization and extensive recycling are critical to regulatory compliance and profitability. Water management is not only dependent for selecting the right flowmeter for different applications.

Apr 1, 2026

By Ronald D. Jacksha, Jason B. Coder

Wireless technologies are becoming vitally important for modern mining operations. Used for increasingly complex tasks — such as miner and asset tracking, proximity detection, teleremote and autonomous equipment operation, and environmental monitoring — the ability of wireless systems to perform their intended functions satisfactorily in the presence of other wireless systems (coexist) is critical not only to the successful operation of modern mines but also to the safety and health of mine workers. Concerns regarding the ability of wireless systems to coexist can often hinder the decisionmaking process for adopting technologically advanced wireless systems. However, with adequate knowledge of the concepts of coexistence and appropriate wireless system management, coexistence concerns do not need to be an impediment to the successful adoption of wireless systems. There are several common wireless coexistence-related fears that can inhibit adoption of wireless technology: fears that safety-related systems may not operate properly when needed, failures could disrupt production, and wireless systems may inherently require costly troubleshooting. Most of these fears can be alleviated through proactive activities.

Apr 1, 2026

By F. Bornman

Ore quality is declining, and the current spirals in mineral sands extraction is deemed inadequate to efficiently extract the valuable minerals. A new spiral was developed, the 117HM with the aim to extract the total heavy minerals in the order of 4.0% - 6.0% and the economic heavy minerals in the range 1.0% - 2.2% from the feed. An important measurable in the gravity concentration of mineral sands is recovery. Recovery measures how effectively the separator has extracted the valuable mineral contained in the input stream. The number of turns on the spiral trough influences the residence time of the feed slurry. A further optimisation followed with the development of the twelve-turn 117HM spiral. Four more turns were added for better recovery. The paper quantifies the effect of residence time on recovery.

Mar 30, 2026

By P. O. Osifo, K. Premlall, X. Goso, R. H. Matjie, M. R. Mulaudzi, J. R. Bunt, K. Mphahlele

This study investigates the transformation of pyrolytic spent tyre-derived char and crumb rubber into high-performance activated carbon chars for industrial wastewater remediation. Utilising an in-house macro-thermogravimetric analysis system under an argon atmosphere, spent tyre-derived activated carbon char were synthesised via physical temperature activation and aqua regia demineralisation. Comprehensive characterisation using x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, revealed a predominantly amorphous structure with nanoscale crystallites (~1 nm) and active surface functional groups. Proximate analysis confirmed that both crumb rubber and leached tyre crumb rubber with aqua regia derivatives achieved favourable compositions (ash ≈ 9.6%; fixed carbon ≈ 84%), comparable to commercial activated carbon (AC). At an optimal activation temperature of 850°C, the char of tyre crumb leached with aqua regia variant exhibited a significant surface area of 300 m²/g. Crucially, the tyre crumb char produced at 850°C variant developed a pore volume of 0.8 cm³/g—effectively doubling that of commercial activated carbon (0.4 cm³/g)—facilitating the sequestration of large organic molecules. In application tests using high-strength starch wastewater, char of tyre crumb leached with aqua regia and tyre crumb char, both produced at 850°C, achieved total organic carbon removal efficiencies of 60% and 50%, respectively, bridging the performance gap between waste-derived and commercial adsorbents. These findings validate waste tyres as a viable, low-cost precursor for industrial-grade adsorbents, offering a sustainable circular economy route for tyre valorisation and reduced industrial disposal costs. Future research will focus on kinetic modelling and the recovery of zinc from spent tyre-derived activated carbon char residues.

Mar 30, 2026

By E. Vascotto, S. M. Rupprecht, H. C. Grobler

Shaft sinking survey practices in Southern African mining operations have been refined over many decades to meet the stringent accuracy, safety, and productivity demands of deep vertical excavation. However, much of this specialised knowledge remains poorly documented, and the decline in new shaft sinking projects presents a risk that these proven practices may be lost to future generations of mine surveyors. This paper reviews and synthesises current survey control methodologies employed during shaft sinking operations, with particular emphasis on the establishment and maintenance of surface and underground control networks, shaft verticality control, and elevation transfer. Traditional techniques, such as plumb-wire plumbing systems, steady brackets, and calibrated steel shaft tapes, are discussed in detail, alongside quality control principles and common sources of error affecting coordinate transfer. The paper further examines the integration of modern technologies, including total station resections and LiDARbased laser scanning, highlighting their benefits, limitations, and practical constraints in active shaft environments. By documenting both established and emerging practices, this review aimsto preserve critical institutional knowledge, support consistent survey standards, and provide guidance for accurate spatial control throughout the shaft sinking lifecycle.

Mar 30, 2026

By R. C. A. Minnitt, A. Akpabio

This study presents a rigorous comparison between ordinary kriging and commonly used machine learning algorithms, those being, linear regression, support vector regression, decision trees, random forests (RF), and k-nearest neighbours for spatial interpolation of platinum grade estimates in a complex ore body within the Bushveld Igneous Complex. Using only X and Y coordinates as predictors, both ordinary kriging and machine learning models were evaluated at point and block supports under traditional and spatial block cross validation frameworks. While naive validation results suggested superior performance for k-nearest neighbour and random forest (R² = 0.92 and 0.86, respectively), these were revealed to be overly optimistic under spatial dependence. Spatial block cross validation results demonstrated substantial declines in model performance, with R² often falling below zero, particularly for decision trees and k-nearest neighbour, indicating strong overfitting and limited generalisability. Ordinary kriging exhibited more stable, albeit modest, performance under spatial validation, reflecting its strength in geostatistical interpolation when contextual geological variables are unavailable. The study underscores the critical importance of spatially aware validation in resource estimation and highlights that machine learning models constrained to spatial coordinates behave as interpolators rather than true learners of geological variability. Recommendations are provided for future work incorporating geological information to enhance predictive robustness.

Mar 30, 2026

By M. -B. Kime

This study applies attainable region analysis to optimise cobalt recovery from oxidised ores via reductive leaching with sulphur dioxide and sulphuric acid. The attainable region framework enables systematic visualisation of trade-offs between cobalt yield and sulphur dioxide loss, guiding reactor network design beyond conventional mass balance modelling. Experimental column leaching trials, supported by validation runs, were conducted under controlled flow and reagent conditions. Kinetic parameters for cobalt dissolution and sulphur dioxide consumption were used to simulate reactor trajectories and construct attainable region envelopes. To ensure hydrodynamic realism, residence time distribution tests confirmed partial plug flow behaviour with dispersion effects, justifying the use of hybrid reactor models in the attainable region simulations. The results revealed that increasing recirculation ratios improves cobalt yield while reducing sulphur dioxide losses, with attainable efficiencies exceeding 90% cobalt recovery and < 20% sulphur dioxide loss. Importantly, the study proposes practical reactor network configurations for future implementation, including staged percolation columns with intermediate mixing zones, oscillatory flow reactors, and modular fluidised bed systems. These designs offer scalable pathways to translate attainable region-based optimisations into industrial practice. Compared to traditional modelling, attainable region analysis provides a geometric decision support tool that captures multi-objective trade-offs and reactor interactions, offering novel insights for continuous leaching system design. This work advances the application of attainable region methodology in minerals engineering by bridging theoretical optimisation with practical reactor design, supporting sustainable cobalt recovery from both primary ores and recycled feedstocks.

Mar 30, 2026

By C. Musingwini, G. Njowa, M. Burnett, C. C. Birch

From 2022 to 2040, the global demand for mineral commodities is projected to increase by fourfold to six-fold, largely due to traditional drivers such as population growth and urbanisation compounded by the adoption of decarbonisation technologies that are more mineral intensive than fossil fuel technologies. To meet this projected demand, companies operating in the minerals industry should accelerate the development of mineral projects. Since most of the companies generally operate in multiple geographical, regulatory or legislative jurisdictions, it is critical that the information on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves they report on in the public domain should be comparable and consistent across different jurisdictions. The Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards fosters alignment of national and regional mineral reporting codes through an internationally accepted template that creates common technical understanding of definitions, classification, estimation processes and the Public Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources, and Mineral Reserves. The Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards Template-based codes guide reporting at respective national and regional levels. Since mine planning is critical in the conversion of mineral resources to mineral reserves, a shared technical understanding should aid comparability of mine planning results. However, differences persist in the way mine planning results are reported. Unlike most previous studies, which have primarily focused on comparing mineral reporting codes, this paper updates and extends such comparisons by exploring how similarities or differences in reporting should influence the mine planning process. It also recommends some principle and process changes to assist mine planning professionals to improve consistency and comparability in reporting mine planning results.

Mar 30, 2026

By C. Aldı, O. Yaral

For the more economical excavation of tunnels in underground mining activities, the selection of mechanised excavation machines (such as roadheaders, electro-hydraulic drills, etc.) and the analysis of performance prediction that can be used in estimating machine energy consumption have been subjects of research from past to present. One of the parameters to be considered in studies examining these methods, is the grinding process. The success of increasing efficiency in grinding is expressed by a reduction in energy consumption. The goal of a grinding process is to maximise the grinding amount at the appropriate grinding size while minimising the energy consumption per tonne of the fragmented material. Today, the depletion of high-grade ore deposits has largely directed the mining industry towards low-grade but large reserve ore deposits. This shift has particularly increased the importance of the grinding process, as it is dependent on particle liberation. Grinding is a critical step in reducing the mineral to the appropriate size, and energy consumption poses a significant challenge in this process. As a result, researchers have conducted various studies focusing on energy efficiency and cost optimisation in this field. In this study, the grindability of 7 different coal environment rocks (sandstone, siltstone) from the Zonguldak Basin, Uzulmez Region was investigated. For this, Hardgrove Grindability Index and Bond Work Index tests were conducted. While determining the relationships between grindability and other parameters, the results obtained from the Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI) test were used. The energy values found in the Bond Work Index (BWI) test were used to evaluate the excavatability of the rocks. Additionally, tests for strength, hardness, drillability, and abrasiveness were conducted to observe the impact of other parameters on grindability. Considering the results obtained from the experiments, significant relationships were found between the grindability of the rocks and other parameters.

Mar 30, 2026