Paper on Sustainable Pumping Receives Highly Commended Recognition from CEEC
CEEC International: Coalition for Minerals Efficiency (CEEC) has recognised a paper titled "Pumping Sustainably - Power and Water Consumption in Mineral Processing Plants: Someone Should Care" with a Highly Commended recognition for the 2022 CEEC Medal for Operations.
Although the paper did not receive the CEEC Medal, the Highly Commended recognition highlights the valuable contribution of the researchers to the field of sustainable mineral processing practices.
The authors of the paper: Alan Varghese, Sudarshan Martins, Evert Lessing, G. M. Hassan and Ali Karrech, expressed their appreciation for the recognition of their work. “We are thrilled to see our contribution receiving CEEC’s high commendation, which recognises the importance of advancing discussion and development of ways to achieve more sustainable slurry pumping in the Mineral Processing Industry. This motivates us to continue our work." Said Mr Varghese.
The authors are a multidisciplinary team of engineering professionals, with members located in Finland, Australia, and Canada. Formed through a collaboration between Metso and the University of Western Australia, they bring together experience ranging from site development work, R&D pump design, data science, and mining engineering to address the increasing need for a greener mining industry. Their focus is on understanding and developing slurry pumps for sustainable mining applications of the future.
Their current research on slurry pumps covers various aspects, including the development and instrumentation of testing rigs, the improvement of pump performance, asset health management, data science, and digitalization of pumps, and the life cycle assessment of pumps.
The paper provides insights into the energy and water consumption of pumping systems in mineral processing plants and offers practical solutions for reducing their environmental impact. Slurry pumps are ubiquitous in Mineral processing plants—due to their relatively small size, on average, their individual impact on energy and water usage is normally overlooked. Their aggregated impact, however, is significant, and it is our team's mission to not only highlight this fact but also focus on how slurry pumping can be done more sustainably.
“We feel passionate about this, as the energy transition to renewable energy sources demands a significant increase in the mining of critical minerals, and there is no doubt in our minds that this has to be done in a more sustainable and responsible way.”
The CEEC Medal and Highly Commended recognition are awarded annually to papers that contribute significantly to the understanding and implementation of eco-efficient comminution and mineral processing practices. The authors of the "Pumping Sustainably" paper have made an important contribution to this field and their work is highly valued by the CEEC community.
For more information about the CEEC Medal and Highly Commended recognition, please visit www.ceecthefuture.org.