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Mining Education and Innovation

Corporate Canada giants vie for Ottawa supercluster funds – by Sean Silcoff (Globe and Mail – August 11, 2017)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

A clean mining cluster proposal led by the Canadian Mining Innovation Council
and the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) is backed by giants
Glencore, Teck, Vale, Goldcorp and Agnico-Eagle. “There wasn’t a lot of time”
to assemble the application, said CEMI CEO Douglas Morrison. “We knuckled
down and did what we had to.”

Ottawa’s flagship innovation initiative – a pledge to fund up to five so-called “superclusters” – has drawn a strong response, with dozens of hastily gathered consortia led by some of Canada’s largest companies vying for $950-million in federal funds.

Royal Bank of Canada, Magna International Inc., Telus Corp., Teck Resources Ltd., Loblaw Cos. Ltd. Shoppers Drug Mart unit and Open Text Corp. are among the more than 200 companies that have joined with 20 post-secondary institutions – some of which are supporting more than one bid – to create “superclusters” in such wide-ranging fields as agriculture, advanced manufacturing, cryptocurrency, big data, medical technology and artificial intelligence.

They have been joined by some of Canada’s most prominent startups and “scaleups,” including Stemcell Technologies Inc., Thalmic Labs Inc, Miovision Technologies and Don Tapscott’s Blockchain Research Institute.

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[Mining/Clean Resources Supercluster] Sudbury, mining must be part of debate – by Dick DeStefano (Sudbury Star – August 5, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Dick DeStefano is the executive director of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Service Association.

If you were asked to identify five major sectors that will create sustainable jobs and wealth in the next 150 years in Canada, would mining and related industries be on the list?

If I offered you a major chunk of $950 million over five years and you built a consortium that was willing to match the request dollar for dollar, would you be interested in helping to create a Canadian national mining cluster that will reflect the innovation and commercialization of applications that will improve safety and increase sustainability in this sector?

There is a new promise from Canada’s federal government that is calling on Industry leaders from select sectors to propose “superclusters” of technological innovation that promise to create jobs and spur economic growth. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains said in May 2017: “We are in a global innovation race. This is about creating a high value economy.”

Where do mining companies, supply chain companies, mining research institutions and Northern Ontario fit into this plan?

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Mining microbes could unlock wealth, clean tailings – by Mary Katherine Keown (Sudbury Star – August 3, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

With luck, ingenuity and some scientific know-how, Sudbury’s tailings ponds could become a new source nickel, copper and zinc. Researchers from Laurentian University, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia met at the Vale Living with Lakes Centre on Wednesday at a symposium to discuss biomining research.

“The topic of discussion is developing technologies that aim to remediate waste and effluent waters from mining operations in Sudbury and British Columbia,” Vlad Papangelakis, a professor at the University of Toronto and the project lead of the biomining research, said Wednesday. “We hope to recover some value from locked metals in these residues that will offset the processing costs.”

The value of residual nickel in Sudbury tailings amounts to $7 billion, according to recent world nickel prices. “There is significant economic interest, therefore, to use the eco-friendly processes being developed by (biomining) for remediation and base metal extraction,” symposium organizers said in a release.

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Sudbury’s mine tailings worth billions – by Staff (Sudbury Star – August 1, 2017)

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

There is money to be made – and saved – by finding new, environmentally friendly ways to deal with mine tailings in Sudbury and across Ontario. With this in mind, the Vale Living with the Lakes Centre in Sudbury on Wednesday will welcome its academic and industry partners for a two-day Elements of Biomining (EBM) research symposium.

The national network has received $4 million in funding from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation to develop biotechnologies for mine waste stabilization, and the recovery of valuable metals like nickel, copper and zinc.

To achieve this goal, Elements of Biomining will harness the capabilities of naturally occurring microbial communities. Researchers form the University of Toronto, University of British Columbia and Laurentian University make up Elements of Biomining.

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[Ontario] Research to keep miners cool at extreme depths – by Len Gillis (Timmins Daily Press – July 25, 2017)

http://www.timminspress.com/

New research is underway to help miners stay cooler while working at extreme depths underground. Such research could eventually benefit workers at the Kidd Mine in Timmins, which is the deepest base metal mine in the world.

Research scientist Dr. Stephen Cheung of Brock University said the ultimate goal is to find ways to make miners feel cooler and more comfortable and therefore be able to contribute more to more production. “As you know the deeper you go, the hotter the mines are and the greater the energy costs to ventilate those mines so that the miners can actually be working underground,” said Cheung.

“The idea here really is rather than cooling the entire chamber, it is most likely much more cost effective and efficient to be cooling the individual miners. So that’s kind of the genesis or the idea for the whole project,” he added.

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Mining sectors put heads together – by Karen McKinley (Northern Ontario Business – July 20, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Pan-Northern Regional Mining Research Alliance in the works to bring different sectors in the field for stronger collaborations

Northern colleges, universities and funding partners with a focus on the mining industry are teaming up to pool their talents and collaborate on more projects that will benefit themselves and the region.

On July 10, Laurentian University hosted the first meeting of the Pan-Northern Regional Mining Research Alliance to bring interested parties together to discuss the format of the group and decide on its priorities.

The meeting included 21 participants from five universities and four colleges – all of whom are in northern Ontario – four funding agencies, several northern government agencies and science partners.

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NEWS RELEASE: CMIC and CEMI ensure the future of mining is CLEER with joint submission to the Federal Innovation Supercluster Initiative

Canada (July 21, 2017) – The Canada Mining Innovation Council (CMIC) and the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI) led a joint Letter of Intent (LOI) submission to the Federal Government’s Innovation Superclusters Initiative. Working on behalf of the mining industry, CEMI and CMIC proposed the creation of a clean resources supercluster called, CLEER (Clean, Low-energy, Effective, Engaged and Remediated). This CLEER supercluster will transform the mining sector’s productivity, performance, and competitiveness.

This will be achieved by tackling global challenges of water, energy, and environmental footprint, with bold targets of 50% reduction in each area by 2027. CLEER will engage the mining services and supply sector (MSS) and anchor mining companies, accelerate collaborative innovation, stimulate investments exceeding $5B, with the objective of growing SMEs, improving industry productivity, initiating export pathways, and creating more than 100,000 jobs.

In May, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, opened the application process for the Innovation Superclusters Initiative. The 2017 Federal budget has made $950 million available over five years, starting in 2017-18, to support a small number of business-led innovation superclusters that have the greatest potential to accelerate economic growth.

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Transforming the Mining Industry with Barrick Gold – by Jennifer Rideout (Cisco Blog – July 13, 2017)

https://blogs.cisco.com/

Global mining leader Barrick Gold is at the forefront of digital transformation. The organization, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, is focused on becoming a 21st century company – a priority that drives Barrick Gold to integrate technology into everything they do.

Look no further than Barrick’s recent partnership announcement with Cisco and Great Basin College in Nevada for proof of this focus. The company is investing nearly $400,000 over three years to “bring digital and information technology skills development courses, free of charge, to groups in the community” through Cisco’s Networking Academy curriculum.

The company doubled-down on this announcement by stating they plan to expand the program to every community in which they operate – including in Argentina, Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Zambia.

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Michelle Ash: Barrick Gold’s Chief Innovation Officer: Digital Mining

http://www.ideacity.ca/

Michelle Ash is the Chief Innovation Officer at Barrick, where she looks at how innovation can not only drive productivity in the existing business, but how it can be harnessed to deliver alternative business models.

She joined Barrick in January 2016, with more than 20 years’ experience in the mining and manufacturing sectors, with a focus on business improvement and change management.

Previously she was Chief Operating Officer for Acacia Mining in Tanzania, spearheading business improvement programs that resulted in operational improvements and cost-savings.

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George Salamis: Executive Chairman of Integra Gold Corp. – Mining Disruption: An Overview

 

http://www.ideacity.ca/

Last year he challenged the industry to “get off the sidelines and into the innovation game.” Get ready to be astounded by what that means.

With over 25 years of experience in the mining industry, George Salamis understands the opportunities. He issued his challenge at Integra’s 2016 Gold Rush Challenge, the industry’s largest ever crowdsourcing campaign. Now new technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and virtual reality are being applied to mineral exploration, and George is in demand as a speaker who can explain what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

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NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Advancing Mining Technology [Sudbury Norcat] (Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines – June 30, 2017)

Province Supporting Development of New Mining Products and Services

Ontario is supporting the development of new, innovative mining technologies and helping to create new jobs for residents in the Sudbury area by expanding a state-of-the-art research mine.

Glenn Thibeault, MPP for Sudbury, made the announcement on behalf of Minister of Northern Development and Mines Bill Mauro this morning at the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) Underground Centre in Onaping, Ontario. The province is supporting the mine’s expansion through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC).

This operating mine provides mining companies with an active laboratory where they can develop and showcase their mining technology innovations. Upgrades will include improved ventilation and electrical systems that will enhance workers’ health and safety on the job.

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Cambrian College receives $2.1M research grant: A collaboration with mine business partners for the next five years – by Karen McKinley (Northern Ontario Business – June 26, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

The future is looking more secure for several innovation projects at Cambrian College in Sudbury with a large grant coming their way.

Cambrian Innovates, the applied research division at the college, and three mining industry partners will benefit from a $2.1-million grant aimed at supporting a five-year Mine Environmental Stewardship Initiative.

The grant is coming from the federal government’s National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) College and Community Innovation (CCI) program. The funds were secured through an Innovation Enhancement grant that will support a five-year Mine Environmental Stewardship Initiative.

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Laurentian students making a name in mining – by Harley Davidson (Sudbury Star – June 24, 2017)

 

http://www.thesudburystar.com/

Two St. Catharines natives are part of winning teams in this year’s MINED Open Innovation Challenge, offered by the Ontario Mining Association to mining and engineering students.

Adam Grinbergs and Sarah Bulanda, Laurentian University students, are members of the first and second place teams, respectively. The program tasked engineering students to come up with solutions to hypothetical mining problems.

Their case study presented them with the challenge of cooling down underground mines. Grinbergs’ team came up with a concept called Deep Water Cooling, in which cool water from the bottom of the Great Lakes is pumped into the mine and misted into the air. Grinbergs says the process of cooling deep mines is essential, with temperatures in mines rising an average of 1 degree Celsius per 100 metres depth.

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A breath of fresh air for deep mining: Century-old technology readapted to cool air in ultra-deep mines – by Karen McKinley (Northern Ontario Business – June 22, 2017)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

A new attraction on display at Dynamic Earth in Sudbury is bringing a century-old invention to the modern age with the aim reducing the costs of deep mining. The Hydraulic Air Compressor (HAC) demonstrator was unveiled at the tourist attraction with much fanfare on June 21.

The 100-foot-tall industrial scale system for testing and demonstrating air compression was installed in its own headframe in a former elevator shaft that used to be a part of Big Nickel Mine. “This project is going to do so much more than develop a new air circulation system, it’s going to rewrite the textbook on thermodynamics,” said project lead Dean Millar in an interview.

“This will make deep mining here in Sudbury, and ultimately the rest of the world safer, more cost efficient and greener.” The HAC Demonstrator project is a joint undertaking of a Sudbury research consortium involving the Ultra-Deep Mining Network (UDMN), MIRARCO Mining Innovation, Laurentian University, Electrale Innovation, Reasbeck Construction, Independent Electricity System Operator, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and Dynamic Earth.

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Australian miners lag on innovation and technology – report – by Esmarie Swanepoel (MiningWeekly.com – June 20, 2017)

http://www.miningweekly.com/

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – A report by global consulting firm VCI has warned that the Australian resources sector is falling short on innovation and technology strategy.

VCI’s ‘State of Play’ report surveyed over 800 leaders from 321 companies in the global mining industry and uncovered that, while 66% of Australian mining executives say their companies are prepared for digitalisation, only 26% are focusing on innovation plans that extend beyond just three years.

Despite nearly 98% of Australian mining company leaders indicating innovation is ‘important’ or ‘critical’ to their long-term business strategy, when it came to their company’s focus on a long-term strategy, Australia ranked last in the globe, trailing other major mining regions including South Africa, India and North America.

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