HOUSTON, TX - Richard Verkley,Mining is one of the industries where technology occupies a central place, often proving a decisive factor in the transformation of a new venture into an efficient, profitable operation. Innovation is essential for achieving speed, cutting costs, reducing energy and water consumption, and minimizing environmental impact.With high-grade deposits becoming scarce, mills are forced to process more mined material, which leads to higher expenses and affects the profitability of mining companies. For this reason, sorting equipment has emerged as a focal point for innovation, benefiting from advances in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), comments Richard Verkley, a veteran entrepreneur and CEO of Eco Metals Recovery UK .
When the mining industry regained its footing in 2016, companies began revisiting capital investment plans, prioritizing solutions for productivity improvement. As in virtually all economic sectors, the attention has shifted to digital innovations , of specific interest to miners being software for optimizing asset utilization, remote monitoring and control devices, and robotics. “Mining is an industry hugely dependent on automation, and sorting is an area where innovation can deliver tremendous benefits. The application of AI in mining is still in the early days, but the growing number of projects centering on the technology indicate its massive potential,” Richard Verkley notes. It is being tested in the mineral exploration process, improving exploration targets and optimizing mine operations through smart equipment and autonomous vehicles. AI is also making its way into the sorting process, where speed and accuracy can deliver a substantial production increase, huge cost-savings, and environmental benefits in the form of reduced water, energy, and chemicals consumption.
AI-based sorting equipment relies on sensors that help separate the waste from the target material by recognizing typical characteristics, for example, color, atomic density, transparency, or conductivity. Depending on the material mined, precision can be maximized by combining several detection technologies, such as color recognition, near-infrared sensors, X-ray fluorescence, radiometry, X-ray transmission, and electromagnetic sensors, Richard Verkley explains. Since miners can set whatever criteria they desire, such equipment has application in virtually all areas of mining. Tomra Systems, a Norwegian sensor-based sorting and recycling equipment manufacturer, has developed an underground mineral sorter and has tested it in the I2Mine project in Boliden, Sweden. According to the case study, this innovative solution led to 12% less mass needing to be moved, which in turn reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions while increasing resource productivity.
Canadian-born entrepreneur and philanthropist Richard Verkley has become one of the most distinguished figures in the clean environmental mining community as the CEO of Eco Metals Recovery UK introducing the state of the art precious metals Separator, and Farpoint Metals & Mining . The former specializes in precious metals separation with enhanced recovery offering mining companies a chance to increase profits while remaining environmentally clean, while the latter is a gold mining company focused on sustainable practices. Among Richard Verkley's numerous philanthropic projects is the Hearts of Gold Foundation, which he established together with his wife. Despite his business obligations and extensive charity work, the seasoned executive finds time to share his vast experience with fellow entrepreneurs through video courses that encompass skills, strategies, and sustainable practices.
