BEEAs winner sets new standard in mineral recovery

Rio Tinto will partner with e2v to develop machines in a bid to improve the efficiency of mineral recovery from previously discarded ore. According to e2v, the machinery will set a new world standard in mineral recovery. The partnership will enable Rio Tinto to scale up its mineral recovery platforms such as the Copper NuWave technology which is expected to be trialled later this year at Kennecott Utah Copper in the United States. Rio Tinto's head of innovation, John McGagh said: "Rio Tinto's Copper NuWave programme will enable e2v to work with us to build microwave generators of a scale not previously seen in industrial application that are safe, reliable and that we can deploy commercially. "This will provide us with highly efficient microwave power and help us achieve our goal to recover ore from previously mined material that would normally have been discarded. If we can commercialise this technology at scale it will be akin to tapping into a new ore body. This is world class technology that will ensure Rio Tinto continues to lead the way in the mining sector." Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, recently announced that e2v had been awarded a £6.25million grant under the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) administered by the UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS). e2v says it will use this to invest in capacity and facilities to create jobs and increase design, engineering, manufacturing and test capabilities in its ProWave industrial processing systems. Vince Cable said: "The UK economy needs partnerships like these; two leaders in their field, working together on hi-tech projects with a strong export focus. This shows the benefit of targeted investment from the Government's Regional Growth Fund and how it can help companies grow and expand into new markets. I am pleased that support through the fund is being put to such positive and immediate use." e2v recently reported the first delivery of its ProWave vermiculite processing system for commercial field trial installation, with Silvaperl, a UK producer of exfoliated vermiculite. Silvaperl is using the trial machine to supply its customers. The trial has also identified system requirements and modifications required to process worldwide sources of vermiculite, which will be completed within six months. Keith Attwood, CEO of e2v, added: "Building on our expertise in microwave and rf sources and power supplies for radar and radiotherapy markets, Prowave can operate at a fraction of the power consumption of traditional fossil fuelled systems and in a more environmentally sensitive way. We are delivering transformational economics to the industrial processing marketplace." e2v's ProWave system won Green Product of the Year at last year's British Engineering Excellence Awards.