Beyond Geometallurgy – Gaining Competitive Advantage by Exploiting the Broad View of Geometallurgy

摘要

A cross-discipline approach combining geology, metallurgy and mine planning, geometallurgyrnis seen as the next logical advance in improving the design and operation of mining businesses.rnThis rapidly evolving fi eld is focused on realising the value that has often been lost in the chasmsrnbetween the aforementioned technical silos. When successful, the geometallurgical approachrnpromises the ability to tailor mining and mineral processing development and operational optionsrnmore closely to the characteristics of the resource with resulting lower costs (both capital andrnoperating), improved recoveries and fewer project failures.rnAs with any technological (or managerial) change, there will be side effects from the success ofrnthe geometallurgical approach that will impact areas beyond obvious linkages between geologyrnand processing. Some of these effects have the potential to be benefi cial to the resource industryrnand society in general. Beyond the basic geometallurgical promise of closer alignment betweenrnprocessing design/strategy and the multivariate 3D spatial characteristics of the mineralisation,rnthis paper discusses the broader implications and ramifi cations of the emergent geometallurgicalrnapproach:rn1. enhancing exploration and discovery;rn2. improving project development success;rn3. achieving sustainability in an industry working with non-renewable resources;rn4. in a world of increasingly hard won license to operate, improving the management of potentiallyrnharmful by-products and waste materials (with knock on effects for proactive management ofrnclosure issues);rn6. smarter approaches to energy management and thus optimisation of projects with respect torncarbon footprint; andrn7. potential to re-value assets and thus realise a strategic advantage in the area of acquisitions,rndivestments, mergers and take overs.rnThe authors strongly believe that companies that actively engage with the above issues (andrnensure that technical efforts in the area of geometallurgy are not isolated from the larger valuernchain activities of the fi rm) will be able to exploit the opportunities that consequentially arise.rnThese early adopters will gain fi rst mover advantages. Firms taking the broad view of geometallurgyrnwill have an opportunity to maximise stakeholder value and win greater success than their lessrninsightful competitors.