DOE Awards $3 Million for 'Green' Mining Technology R&D

The U.S. Department of Energy has announced it will provide over $3 million to five new research and development projects to improve the energy efficiency of the U.S. mining industry. The projects are worth over $7.6 million and address top research an development priorities defined by the mining industry. The technologies to be developed will help meet national goals for energy and the environment.

“These innovative projects will help the mining industry reduce energy use while boosting productivity and enhancing environmental performance,” said DOE secretary Spencer Abraham said. “The Department of Energy is pleased to be working in partnership with the private sector and academia to leapfrog the status quo and achieve national energy and economic benefits in the mining industry.”

Industry partners will provide about 60% of total funding for the five projects, for a total industry share of nearly $4.6 million. This high percentage of industry cost share indicates strong commitment to these technologies by the mining industry and suggests strong future support for technology commercialization and adoption.

These five projects represent the latest in the series of collaborative research and development partnerships formed between DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program and energy-intensive U.S. industries. The National Mining Association contributed expertise for the technical review of proposals, which were required to focus on pre-competitive research and development needs identified in the industry’s Mineral Processing Technology Roadmap. All of the projects involve collaborative partnerships, as described below:

• Total Ore Process Integration and Management — Michigan Technological University of Houghton, Mich., will lead a dozen industrial partners including Eloranta Associates of Tower, Minn.; Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio; and U.S. Steel of Mt. Iron, Minn. in developing a Total Ore Processing Integration and Management System. This novel system will allow mine and mill personnel to respond rapidly to upstream and downstream changes to optimize the entire mineral processing stream, reducing mill and mine energy use by 10%. DOE will contribute $622,651 of the projected $2,602,876 total cost of the three-year project.
• Optimized Charge Motion and Slurry Flow in Plant-Scale SAG Mills — The University of Utah in Salt Lake City, in collaboration with Kennecott Utah Copper of Salt Lake City, Cortez Gold Mines of Crescent Valley, Nev., and PERI of Salt Lake City, will develop a pilot semi-autogenous grinding facility (SAG) that uses highly durable ceramic as opposed to steel balls to pulverize copper ores, with sensors to reduce energy use by 15% to 20%. DOE will contribute $383,480 of the $913,480 total project cost over two years.
• Advanced Surface-Enhancement Technology for Decreasing Wear and Corrosion — Led by the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.; DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and a dozen industry partners will develop an advanced high-density infrared (HDI)-based surface enhancement technology that will decrease the wear and corrosion rates of mineral processing equipment by an order of magnitude. DOE will contribute $1,250,671 of the project cost of $2,511,329, approximately half of the total expected cost over three years.
• Improved Energy Recovery and Reduced Coal-Processing Wastes — CQ Inc. will lead EME Homer City, Penn.; Generation L.P., PBS Coals Inc. of Friedens, Penn.; and Alliance Coal LLC of Oakland, Md. in implementing the GranuFlow technology to improve energy recovery and reduce waste in coal processing. By adding a binding agent into the process, mills can improve the physical characteristics of the coal to create a more acceptable fuel, improve processing efficiency, and reduce environmental impact. DOE will contribute $468,304 of the $936,608 total project costs over two years.
• In-Plant Testing of High-Efficiency Hydraulic Separators — The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va., in collaboration with Eriez Manufacturing Inc. of Erie, Penn., and four other partners will test and analyze hydraulic separators, research ways to improve the efficiency of the separators, and develop next generation, high-efficiency separators. Of a total expected cost of $700,821, DOE will contribute $345,800 over three years.

Through these projects and others like it, DOE supports research, development, and deployment of clean, efficient, and renewable energy technologies to help U.S. industries meet America’s energy needs while protecting the environment and strengthening the economy. For more information on these projects, visit the program Web site.