OZ Minerals said it will collaborate with fellow miners Boliden and Rio Tinto to unlock new and innovative technologies for managing tailings.

Under the umbrella of the Think & Act Differently (TAD) incubator initiative, the companies will fund and support innovators who are working to reimagine mining and processing to eliminate, minimise, reuse or find value in mine tailings. 

OZ Minerals said the miners will also collaborate on other selected innovations to pursue improved productivity while delivering benefits such as lower emissions and reduced waste.  

“By collaboration on generic challenges for the mining industry in a pre-competitive setting we will be able to make progress faster and more resource efficient,” explained Joanna Lindahl, Boliden Mines’ sustainability director.

“For the inventors and startup companies in the TAD incubator, it is also an excellent opportunity to get insights and business understanding from several different mining companies. We are very much looking forward for this collaboration and hope to find new opportunities to strengthen the industry in the future.”

The collaboration will support innovators by providing materials, funding, technical guidance and the potential for field trials at mine operations. Innovators will retain ownership of their intellectual property rights, with a licence to use those rights granted to the companies that support them.

The Think & Act Differently program, powered by OZ Minerals, works towards building an ecosystem of partners who will explore and accelerate themes that prioritise social and environmental responsibility for the development of the modern mine. 

Source: OZ Minerals