1012 driven engine. An example of this is the mine to mill digital solution from MineSense that utilizes XRF and electromagnetic spectroscopy to identify ore chemistry through sensors mounted on excavators, loaders, and conveyor belts. Their AI solution recognizes spectral fingerprints unique to each mine’s geology. MineSense is also planning to integrate hyperspectral imaging into its solution (Gleeson, 2024). 2.3 Process Everything Processing everything includes deriving value from the entire rock that has been extracted, and processing all of it, leaving little to no waste behind. Several emerging technologies promise to deliver on this: • Molten oxide electrolysis can be used to convert all ore grades to high quality liquid metal using renewable electricity with a one step process. This has been applied to selectively extract valuable metals from complex, low-concentration materials like slag that are currently considered waste. • Supercritical fluids such as CO₂ can act as solvents to selectively dissolve metals at high pressure. • Microorganisms can leach specific minerals from low-grade ores, selectively target metals like copper, gold, and nickel by promoting bacterial oxidation. The microbes release the metals into a soluble form, making it easier to extract. The appropriate mix or cocktail of microbes can address the extraction of multiple minerals. The challenge with such approaches is to deliver value at scale through cost effective means. Certain commodities and minerals can be more readily targeted. They also represent starting points for mining companies. Many valuable minerals such as scandium, tellurium, REE, molybdenum, and sulfur are often left behind in copper tailings because current technologies cannot selectively target trace elements in low concentrations. They can represent future processing opportunities. Trend Spotlight: Achieving “process everything” requires a shift to designing processing systems that maximize utilization of the full extracted rock mass. Multi-metal flowsheets were featured in the Copper 2025 conference, that looked to organize a multi-commodity dialogue focused on maximizing natural resources, with emphasis on copper, nickel, cobalt, and other critical materials. An example includes the technology from Valor, with its programmable ligands, which are specialized molecules designed to bind selectively with target metals when an electric current is applied (Snowden, 2025). These could represent a breakthrough if it can handle complex feedstocks that are difficult to process with conventional approaches. 2.4 Transform Leaching Heap leaching is widely used for certain commodities like copper for its simplicity and relatively lower cost in treating low-grade ores. For commodities like copper, where declining ore grades pose a problem, heap leaching aids in the economic recovery of copper from the lower-grade ore, if the challenges related to chalcopyrite leaching are effectively overcome. The main challenge with chalcopyrite leaching is the passivation layer that acts as a barrier between the copper ore and the lixiviant, rendering the leaching process ineffective. Reaction kinetics at ambient temperatures often require long cycle times. The recovery from conventional heap leaching is also relatively lower than the concentrator circuit due to the larger particle sizes, as the ore being leached is not subjected to the grinding circuit. Innovations with the potential to transform leaching include the following: • Use of oxidants to accelerate the reaction kinetics and temperature which can help overcome the chalcopyrite passivation layer. • Novel use of lixiviants and reagents that acts as solvent and oxidizing agents, facilitating leaching through enhanced dissolution. • Use of catalysts to break through the chalcopyrite passivation layer. • Biological approaches involve the use of microorganisms and bacteria, which are often naturally occurring and can aid the leaching process. Microorganisms can be utilized to trigger the ferric leach process for example.
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