This was the consensus emerging from a mining technology webinar held on August 27, featuring leading stakeholders from across the industry, hosted by Creamer Media and in partnership with Investing in African Mining Indaba. 

Facilitated by Investing in African Mining Indaba product director Laura Nicholson, the webinar highlighted technologies that are enabling mines and mining operators to boost productivity and reach new levels of efficiency and sustainability.

The discussion underscored that while South Africa has historically been a slow adopter of new technologies, cost pressures and environmental concerns were accelerating adoption, as miners worked to “do more with less, better”. There was agreement that collaboration was key to navigating the technology evolution. "The sooner you get an industry partner to work with you, the easier it is to implement new technology,” said Mintek executive manager: hydrometallurgy Dr Elmar Muller.

Dr Muller described Mintek's extensive work in minerals processing, particularly in water stewardship, electricity efficiency, and waste reclamation. He highlighted innovative hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical solutions, such as passive bio-systems for cleaning mining-impacted water and technologies to reduce carbon use in iron furnaces. 

Dr Muller said Mintek was committed to developing the entire minerals value chain – for instance by exploring technologies for to produce battery-quality manganese sulphate for electric vehicles.

"Welcome to the age of super efficiency in mining,” said BME technology and marketing GM Nishen Hariparsad. “The smart adoption of technology now allows mining service providers to explore new frontiers of efficient and sustainable growth, by integrating mines and service providers across the value chain.” 

Hariparsad explained how BME's digital blasting solutions, coupled with effective data analysis across the mining chain were boosting productivity and efficiency. Their "Blast Alliance" initiative fosters partnerships with system designers to unlock measurable value through better fragmentation, reduced downtime, and downstream production benefits. 

Hariparsad also highlighted Innovex 300D, a mechanised bulk explosives solution that reduces nitrate leaching, protects against emulsion run-off and offers resistance against free ammonia, commonly found in mine waters and tailing dams, as well as acidic sulphate soil conditions. 

DRD Gold CEO, Niël Pretorius, described some of the new technology allowing DRD Gold to optimise its efficiency as well as environmental outcomes in its work to extract value from tailings. “Technology is designed to serve human needs and to improve people’s quality of life,” he reminded attendees. 

He explained how DRD Gold’s mega-volume, nano-extraction process for low-grade, high-volume material relied on sophisticated technology to maintain precise plant conditions 24/7, leading to narrower operational ranges and more predictable outcomes. He explained how AI algorithms could pinpoint slurry pipeline leaks to within metres, significantly enhancing risk management and environmental protection. 

He said DRD Gold's 60MW solar farm, capable of balancing direct consumption, battery storage, and grid interaction, was a part of the organisation’s ongoing commitment to sustainable energy.

Simon Prevett, mining sales manager at Engen Petroleum, described work being done to improve the efficiency of current technology, and to reduce emissions. “Engen is leveraging advancements in fuels and lubricants to enhance mining equipment performance and reduce environmental impact for our clients,” he explained. 

He highlighted Dynamic Diesel, a bespoke additive technology that improves atomisation and keeps injectors cleaner, leading to better responsiveness and fuel efficiency. He said advanced synthetic lubricants were now ensuring longer component life, higher availability, and fewer breakdowns, while the Engen FluidLink service was significantly reducing lubricant consumption for clients.

Mandela Mining Precinct (MMP) executive director Julie Courtnage offered a research perspective, explaining how MMP focused on improving safety, productivity and longevity at existing mines, and how collaboration was fundamental to that.

“We can't do this alone. The more we collaborate, the better the industry will get at developing, adopting, and implementing new technologies,” she said. Courtnage highlighted projects around non-explosive rock breaking and advancements in remote-operated and autonomous mining, especially for ultra-low profile operations in South Africa's deep mines. 

She also stressed the importance of marrying technology with human factors like skills development, and the need to address equipment interoperability challenges. She also showcased the MMP Advanced Orebody Knowledge (AOK) programme, which looks to create a “glass rock” environment to guide drilling patterns, to boost safety and efficiency.