Mine of innovation

UK engineers are to join forces with some of the biggest names in mining to develop technology that could slash the global energy bill.

The team, consisting of researchers from the University of Nottingham and power and sensing specialist e2v Technologies, is on the verge of commercialising a system that uses high-power microwave pulses to make rocks easier to grind.

Currently mining companies use giant tumble drier-like mills to break chunks of ore into smaller pieces that can then be crushed into powder, allowing copper or other valuable minerals to be recovered. According to Nottingham’s Dr Sam Kingman, this inefficient and time-consuming process is responsible for up to five per cent of the world’s total annual electrical energy consumption.

But Kingman claimed that microwave comminution, a concept first reported in The Engineer two years ago, has now reached the stage where it can offer

huge advantages over existing technology. By bombarding rocks with extremely high power, but very short pulses of microwave energy, massive thermal stresses are introduced into the rock, making it incredibly easy to break down.