TOMRA Mining Boosts Critical Mineral Recovery

TOMRA Mining is transforming mineral recovery by applying advanced sensor-based sorting technologies to extend the life of critical mineral deposits. As global demand for lithium, copper, rare earths, and other key metals rises, alongside declining ore grades and rising operational costs, these technologies help mining operators recover more valuable minerals from lower-grade ore. By separating waste early in the process using X-Ray Transmission (XRT), Near-Infrared (NIR), and Laser sorting, TOMRA’s solutions reduce the need for energy-intensive downstream processing, thereby increasing efficiency and reducing environmental impacts.

This approach enables the unlocking of previously uneconomic deposits and supports sustainability goals by cutting energy and water use, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing tailings volumes. Field applications, such as at Eloro Resources in Bolivia and the EU-funded Li4Life project, demonstrate sensor sorting’s role in improving supply security for minerals critical to the clean energy transition.

“By rejecting waste early, operators feed higher-grade material into their mills, reduce operational expenditure, and improve overall efficiency. This is particularly crucial for critical minerals, where supply tensions are increasing worldwide.” said Rasoul Rezai, Global Segment Manager Metals at TOMRA Mining.

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