10 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
of resource provisions. In many countries commissions
have been established to understand how the ‘dash for
volts’ can be secured (Sanderson, 2022). Some nations have
decided that the best pathway is maximum production,
others have sold assets to raise revenue. There is generally
a lack of clarity of how commodity prices will fluctuate
in future market scenarios. Some governments (e.g., UK,
Norway, Singapore) have taken the decision to ‘bake- in’
strategies that see electric provision to be the backbone of
national net-zero and energy supply systems. In reality, the
mineral engineering community is acutely aware that the
ability to supply an electric economy is severely impaired
and that increasingly there is a shift to needing to liberate
from reserves that exist at lower grades.
In the paper here we will focus on examples around cop-
per, a well-established mineral processing sector that con-
tinues to be in significant demand, and lithium, a strongly
developing sector of significant diversity in approach. The
purpose is to explore the art of the possible in delivering
net-zero operations and meeting demand. And also, to ask
where should minerals engineers fit into the green innovation
chain?
CORPORATE AND SOCIETAL RESPONSES
TO THE SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES
Importance of Trust
Societal consumers are savvy and in different cultures have
differing levels of awareness. As consumers draw closer to
metals containing products (batteries, fuel cells) in some
nations and markets there will be demand for more knowl-
edge of the underlying sustainable practices used in pro-
duction of the materials and may exert consumer pressure
in choice of their purchase of devices. It is hard to know
the impact of this on corporate providers, but it is not
unreasonable to assume that corporations who manufac-
ture will wish to choose lower CO2 production pathways.
Businesses procuring metals and minerals will exert increas-
ing pressure on determining their purchasing requirements.
Government regulations might drive this. Others in the
green innovation chain may draw on prioritize end-to-end
Source: IPSOS 2023
Figure 3. Veracity Index in 2023 for all professions, showing %trusted to tell the truth
of resource provisions. In many countries commissions
have been established to understand how the ‘dash for
volts’ can be secured (Sanderson, 2022). Some nations have
decided that the best pathway is maximum production,
others have sold assets to raise revenue. There is generally
a lack of clarity of how commodity prices will fluctuate
in future market scenarios. Some governments (e.g., UK,
Norway, Singapore) have taken the decision to ‘bake- in’
strategies that see electric provision to be the backbone of
national net-zero and energy supply systems. In reality, the
mineral engineering community is acutely aware that the
ability to supply an electric economy is severely impaired
and that increasingly there is a shift to needing to liberate
from reserves that exist at lower grades.
In the paper here we will focus on examples around cop-
per, a well-established mineral processing sector that con-
tinues to be in significant demand, and lithium, a strongly
developing sector of significant diversity in approach. The
purpose is to explore the art of the possible in delivering
net-zero operations and meeting demand. And also, to ask
where should minerals engineers fit into the green innovation
chain?
CORPORATE AND SOCIETAL RESPONSES
TO THE SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES
Importance of Trust
Societal consumers are savvy and in different cultures have
differing levels of awareness. As consumers draw closer to
metals containing products (batteries, fuel cells) in some
nations and markets there will be demand for more knowl-
edge of the underlying sustainable practices used in pro-
duction of the materials and may exert consumer pressure
in choice of their purchase of devices. It is hard to know
the impact of this on corporate providers, but it is not
unreasonable to assume that corporations who manufac-
ture will wish to choose lower CO2 production pathways.
Businesses procuring metals and minerals will exert increas-
ing pressure on determining their purchasing requirements.
Government regulations might drive this. Others in the
green innovation chain may draw on prioritize end-to-end
Source: IPSOS 2023
Figure 3. Veracity Index in 2023 for all professions, showing %trusted to tell the truth