System assessment
Metals production faces the daily challenges of changing feed compositions, costs of raw materials, changing recycling and emission regulations, and fluctuating cost of energy. We model and validate process technologies, systems, and value chains to optimize processes, energy consumption, CO2 footprint, and process cost. We achieve these goals, amongst others, through the modelling of particle behaviour as well as automation and digitilization of beneficiation and extraction process technologies.
Another research focus is on assessing the resource potential of ore bodies or tailings using geometallurgical characterisation and modelling. Geometallurgy integrates available geological, geochemical, and mineralogical knowledge with factors that influence all stages of the mining value chain, such as mining/geotechnical engineering, processing, metallurgy, and geoenvironmental aspects.
