CEEC Awards Two 2024 Operations & Design Medals for Outstanding Contributions to Eco-Efficient Mining
CEEC International is pleased to announce that the 2024 CEEC Medal for Operations & Design has been jointly awarded to two outstanding papers. The Medal Evaluation Committee received a strong field of high-quality submissions this year, and for the first time in this category, determined that the scores of the top two papers could not be separated. As a result, both author teams have been honoured with the Medal.
One of the co-recipients is the paper “Pioneering Coarse Particle Flotation – Transformative Insights from Five Years of Operation”, authored by Campbell Haines, Luke Vollert, William Downie, Isaac Heath, and Rami Ghattas. This paper documents the successful large-scale deployment of coarse particle flotation (CPF) technology at Newmont’s Cadia operations. By integrating Eriez HydroFloat™ technology into concentrator flowsheets, the Cadia team demonstrated a step-change in sustainability outcomes - achieving reductions in energy intensity, improvements in copper and gold recovery, and creating new opportunities for tailings management and water efficiency. Lead author Campbell Haines reflected, “The CEEC award is a prestigious industry award that helps provide direction globally on best practice, sustainable innovation. To be recognised by CEEC for the work we have done in this space is a great honour.”
Sharing the Medal is the paper “Redefining the Battery Limits of Processing Plants – Improving Sustainability through the Deployment of Sensing Technologies”, authored by William Futcher, David Seaman, and Professor Bern Klein. Presented at the Mill Operators Conference 2024 in Perth, the paper explores the integration of real-time sensing technologies to extend the traditional “battery limits” of mineral processing plants. Through successful trials at the Red Chris operation in British Columbia, Canada, the authors demonstrated the deployment of ShovelSense (XRF-based shovel sensors) and PGNAA belt scanning to optimise ore-waste classification at the mine face and ahead of the mill. These innovations showed the potential to reclaim ore from waste, divert misclassified material, and provide feed-forward control into the processing plant - improving recovery, reducing energy and water intensity, and enhancing overall sustainability outcomes. “We are honoured to receive this recognition from CEEC. Our work shows that by pushing sensing technologies closer to the mining face, we can improve resource efficiency, reduce waste, and deliver meaningful sustainability gains for the industry.”
Reflecting on this year’s results, CEEC Technical Advisory Committee Chair Grant Ballantyne said:
“Both papers represent outstanding contributions to the field of eco-efficient minerals processing. The committee was impressed not only by the technical rigor of each study but also by their real-world impact. It was impossible to separate them on merit, and together they highlight the breadth of innovation, from advanced flotation to cutting-edge sensing technologies, that is helping transform our industry.”
CEEC congratulates both author teams on this recognition. These two papers showcase different but complementary innovations, one focusing on flotation and concentrator performance, the other on mine-to-mill integration and sensing, that together highlight the critical role of technology in driving eco-efficient mining practices.
Nominations are now open for the 2025 CEEC Medal, and CEEC encourages submissions of outstanding papers, articles, or case studies that demonstrate measurable improvements in energy, water, and tailings management across mining and processing.
Learn more and submit your nomination here: www.ceecthefuture.org/medals