48 XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3
technologies to improve the speed, efficiency, or complexity
of problems computers can tackle. Obviously, the rate of
advancement in the computing industry is driven by far
greater demand for new products than the glass, cement, or
mining industries.
Throughout history, innovation has happened in
distinct waves for every industry from the Industrial
Revolution through the current “sixth wave” speculated to
be Sustainability (Figure 2). While each of these cycles was
driven by disruptive market demands and/or geopolitical
changes, the need for more and /or new metals and min-
erals underpinned nearly every cycle. ‘Innovation cycles’
present a breakthrough technology followed by steady
advancement until the next great breakthrough. As time
has passed, the duration of each cycle has accelerated by
approximately five years from ~60 years from 1785 to 1845
to now 25 years for the sixth wave of innovation for the age
of digital and climate change beginning in 2020.
As we face this sixth wave of innovation for sustain-
ability and climate change, we find the global community
challenged to meet the growing demands for the miner-
als required for these new industrial needs in sustainability
and climate technologies. Additionally, there are significant
geopolitical tensions associated with the origin and refining
of the minerals needed for the digital and climate change
age thus, increasing the urgency to develop and implement
new technologies and processes across the value chain.
Concurrently, we are faced with challenges to our tradi-
tional mining and processing techniques for base metals
because the global supplies of base metals such as copper,
iron ore, etc. are faced with declining grades, increasingly
complex ore bodies, tighter regulations, and greater envi-
ronment, social, and governance (ESG) expectations from
stakeholders. Lastly, the mining industry has a dire work-
force and pipeline challenge. While some countries have
invested in these capabilities extensively over the last 40
years, others, such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia, have
struggled to even maintain the current workforce and have
significantly reduced and even eliminated nearly all edu-
cational and workforce development infrastructure. The
mining industry has an unprecedented series of market,
technical, geopolitical, and workforce drivers that necessi-
tate the next innovation cycle in mining.
NEW DRIVERS FOR MINING
INNOVATION
Globally, we are now presented with comparable drivers for
new mining products to what the semi-conductor industry
Figure 2. Waves off innovation of the first and the next industrial revolution (Hargroves
and Smith, 2005)
technologies to improve the speed, efficiency, or complexity
of problems computers can tackle. Obviously, the rate of
advancement in the computing industry is driven by far
greater demand for new products than the glass, cement, or
mining industries.
Throughout history, innovation has happened in
distinct waves for every industry from the Industrial
Revolution through the current “sixth wave” speculated to
be Sustainability (Figure 2). While each of these cycles was
driven by disruptive market demands and/or geopolitical
changes, the need for more and /or new metals and min-
erals underpinned nearly every cycle. ‘Innovation cycles’
present a breakthrough technology followed by steady
advancement until the next great breakthrough. As time
has passed, the duration of each cycle has accelerated by
approximately five years from ~60 years from 1785 to 1845
to now 25 years for the sixth wave of innovation for the age
of digital and climate change beginning in 2020.
As we face this sixth wave of innovation for sustain-
ability and climate change, we find the global community
challenged to meet the growing demands for the miner-
als required for these new industrial needs in sustainability
and climate technologies. Additionally, there are significant
geopolitical tensions associated with the origin and refining
of the minerals needed for the digital and climate change
age thus, increasing the urgency to develop and implement
new technologies and processes across the value chain.
Concurrently, we are faced with challenges to our tradi-
tional mining and processing techniques for base metals
because the global supplies of base metals such as copper,
iron ore, etc. are faced with declining grades, increasingly
complex ore bodies, tighter regulations, and greater envi-
ronment, social, and governance (ESG) expectations from
stakeholders. Lastly, the mining industry has a dire work-
force and pipeline challenge. While some countries have
invested in these capabilities extensively over the last 40
years, others, such as the U.S., Canada, and Australia, have
struggled to even maintain the current workforce and have
significantly reduced and even eliminated nearly all edu-
cational and workforce development infrastructure. The
mining industry has an unprecedented series of market,
technical, geopolitical, and workforce drivers that necessi-
tate the next innovation cycle in mining.
NEW DRIVERS FOR MINING
INNOVATION
Globally, we are now presented with comparable drivers for
new mining products to what the semi-conductor industry
Figure 2. Waves off innovation of the first and the next industrial revolution (Hargroves
and Smith, 2005)