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Robert Friedland eyes replacing SAG mills with I-Pulse technology

I-Pulse says its approach could cut mining’s energy use by up to 80% versus conventional grinding and boost metal recoveries by about 5% if proven at commercial scale.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Mining

Robert Friedland, the founder and executive co-chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, said he wants to replace mining’s power-hungry grinding mills with a system that uses short bursts of electricity to shatter ore from the inside, reducing reliance on traditional SAG and ball mills, Mining.com reports.

Mining.com reports that Friedland told Mining Forum Americas in Colorado Springs that technology developed by his private company, I-Pulse, could use up to 80% less energy than conventional grinding and increase metal recoveries by about 5%, based on I-Pulse’s own projections.

Friedland said the potential benefits include major electricity savings and a lower carbon footprint, while also noting the key challenge is scaling results from tests to equipment that can process thousands of tonnes of rock around the clock.

Mining.com adds that turning the technology into a viable alternative would require it to compete with mills that have long been used to crush and grind ore, including SAG mills that tumble ore as part of conventional processing.

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