Five Mining Innovation Trends - To Watch Out For In 2025 (No GPT used!)

By Jake Harris

The future technologies and concepts for delivering mining projects are rapidly being accelerated as we move into 2025. Several active ecosystems are driving and supporting innovators toward commercial success.

While the sector is known for its slow adoption of emerging trends, the following five areas have continually appeared in my work over the last twelve months.

I wanted to share the opportunities, possible hurdles, and some pointers from my position between industry and the startup/research landscapes, as Lead Research and Innovation Delivery at Unearthed.

1. AI/ML

The appetite to discuss and consider artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) is everywhere right now. It is fair to say this is not just the mining sector!

At the few conferences I attended in the last 12 months, any product or service even remotely associated with AI/ML was shouting it from the rooftops!

Mining Problem Statement:

·      Mining operators and contractors’ ability to utilise advanced data sets and analytics is questionable, especially those below the top tier.

·      The integration of AI/ML into daily operations is often hindered by outdated systems, poor data quality, and a workforce unprepared for, or unwilling to change.

What Innovators Could Consider:

·      Remember that they are engaging with mining specialists first, who are looking to leverage data to support existing activities. Meet them with focused, clear ROI products or services. Avoid over-engineering, or promising the world – incremental steps will get the ball rolling!

·      Focus on simplifying AI/ML solutions for ease of integration and adoption, and reduce the scare factor for the average mine worker.

·      Tools that can process fragmented data sets or enhance decision-making without significant retraining will be popular.

Where We Unearthed:

At Unearthed we delivered a strategic landscape overview of early adopters and primary movers in the AI/ML market for a mid-tier operator. This privately delivered document articulated the possible value and allowed for early considerations of budget allocation to be conceptualised.

Source: BHP website

2. Reduced Energy/Chemical Extractive Methods

Energy and chemical-intensive methods of mineral extraction are under the microscope, and for good reason! Communities are demanding greener operations, while mining companies are desperate to cut operating costs.

Problem Statement:

·      The energy transition must be manufactured for and fleets/infrastructure must be adjusted and delivered with new technologies and materials. However, these materials need to be delivered with minimal energy intensity and resulting environmental impact.

·      Chemicals are hard to produce in bulk and dangerous to deliver to remote mining locations. Once used they are troublesome to manage and dispose of. Reducing their requirement is a big positive for mineral processing’s footprint!

What Innovators Should Consider:

·      Small percentage changes in recovery rates, energy and/or chemical use can have a major impact on the huge throughputs most mining operations are delivering. Where throughput = volume of material (ore or rock) processed by a mine or plant over a specific time).

·      Hybrid approaches, blending two traditional techniques are being explored with early success in multiple commodities (Lithium and Copper for example).

Where We Unearthed:

We ran the Creative Copper Recovery challenge in 2024 with our partners at Think & Act Differently powered by BHP. The focus was on new and emerging ways to recover and process copper material from specific ore types.

Further to this, we have also conducted two private engagements focused on different styles of Lithium extraction. This commodity can be extracted from various feedstocks and as a major emerging piece of the battery electric puzzle – low energy options for extraction are of high value!

3. Waste Utilisation (Tailings)

Tailings management is a hot topic, with increasing pressure to turn waste into value. Whether it’s extracting residual minerals or repurposing tailings into construction materials, the potential is enormous.

Mining Problem Statement:

·      Mining operators view tailings as liabilities due to their environmental and operational risks. Traditional disposal methods are unsustainable or require long-term disruption to the earth’s landforms.

·      There is often large residual resource left within tailings storage facilities, and this is value being left behind when an operation shuts, anything to deliver even small returns can be highly valuable.

What Innovators Could Consider:

·      Scale is very important with tailings and waste stream repurposing. The order of magnitude is in the hundreds of millions of tonnes at many operations.

·      There are two clear innovator groups approaching waste stream reprocessing: Mineral extraction – techniques that reprocess the tailings material and remove commodities. Reusing waste rock – concepts are being commercialised that use finely ground rock waste into cementitious or building materials.

Where We Unearthed:

In 2023, we delivered the Fines to Fortunes open innovation project with the South32 innovation team. This focused on the remote GEMCO operations on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory and their Manganese slime tailings.

Additional areas under consideration for innovation within the mining cycle aim to reduce or deliver additional value from tailings material.

4. Underground Automation (Zero Entry)

Zero-entry underground mining is incrementally getting closer with the use of advanced automation systems. This harsh, GPS denied area has become a hotbed of activity for major OEMs and startups, as a new wave of automation extends from the load and haul activities through the mining cycle.

Mining Problem Statement:

·      Underground mines remain a hostile and harsh environment with limited connectivity and network capabilities. Those who have never considered it for their innovations must remember that GPS cannot be utilised for positioning.

·      Incremental changes have steadily improved automation in some of mining’s most hazardous tasks. However, the supporting activities are still mostly manually delivered by operators working at depth.

What Innovators Could Consider:

·      The environment and conditions are hard to comprehend without operational experience, likely further stunting innovation. Think tight rabbit warren-like tunnel complexes with corrosive water and high humidity!

·      Modular or bolt-on automation devices will be of high value in initial adoption (before the next fleet upgrade cycle). Those that are delivered with sturdy sensors and simple user interfaces will likely succeed.

Where We Unearthed:

Q4 2024 saw the Unearthed team deliver one of our biggest-ever engagements with the innovator ecosystem (99 submissions!). Via the Deep Mining challenge delivered with Think & Act Differently powered by BHP. This focused on technologies and concepts that could help unlock ultra-deep underground mining projects.

5. Environmental Technologies

As the mining sector explores the decarbonisation of its operations, technologies and those that support reduced environmental footprints are of the highest value. Many adjacent sectors have similar problem statements to the mining sector, and therefore collaboration around decarbonisation becomes of high value to focus efforts and fast track commercialised outcomes.

Mining Problem Statement:

·      The sector is under increasing scrutiny from its shareholders and the wider community to align to emissions targets to reduce global warming.

·      Mining houses have many different high-energy processes, from the initial explosives process to dislodge the rock mass, to the comminution circuit used to smash these into tiny fragments for mineral extraction. Therefore, the focus and value delivery of decarbonisation efforts can be disrupted over time.

·      The footprint of mining operations and the return of the surrounding ecosystem to a balanced state has become of extreme value.

What Innovators Could Consider:

·      Techno-economic factors still need to apply to decarbonisation technologies. Whilst carbon and energy reductions remain high value, the long-term viability of concepts needs to stack up.

·      Direct replacement of fossil fuels with the current renewables stack does not always make sense for high-energy draw operations that require 24/7 power delivery.

·      The rehabilitation and restoration of the ecosystem can be a long-term legacy cost for operators: remote and/or automated concepts are of high interest within this domain.

Where We Unearthed:

Decarbonisation efforts underpin many of the projects we deliver at Unearthed, last year alone, we explored four innovation challenges focused squarely on better environmental outcomes! These covered low-energy drying technologies, gas capture techniques, invasive alien species (ecosystem restoration) and soil delivery for the rehabilitation of land.

Summary

The mining sector, through innovation and operational teams, continues to explore new ideas for best case outcomes for mineral and metal delivery. The above five topics continue to be explored and nurtured by various mining houses, and I look forward to exploring new domains as the year unfolds!

Do you think I have missed any hot topics within your business or operations? As an innovative group approaching the mining sector did you learn anything within this document? I'd value your input on what we should focus on as we approach 2025 and beyond!