The results indicate that scenario differentiation based solely on electricity may change when consumables are included. Operating options that appear favourable from a kWh/t perspective may lose their relative advantage when material-related emissions are considered, while scenarios with slightly higher energy demand may remain competitive if consumable intensity is lower. The choice of functional unit (FU) is central to interpretation. In this study, kg CO₂e per ton of ore processed was appropriate for a grinding circuit optimization focused on throughput and energy efficiency. Overall, treating carbon intensity as an operational KPI, rather than solely as a reporting metric, enables meaningful side-by-side evaluation of production, energy, and sustainability performance across optimization scenarios. Consumables serve as a critical interface between processing and sustainability. This result shows that carbon performance in mineral processing goes beyond energy efficiency. While optimisation reduces specific energy consumption, incorporating grinding media and mill liners reveals a structural emissions baseline that limits proportional carbon reductions. Sensitivity analysis across different electricity grids indicates that as power systems decarbonise, the relative significance of Scope 3 emissions increases substantially. Therefore, sustainable mineral processing requires life-cycle-based carbon metrics that extend beyond energy indicators and explicitly account for material intensity. In the context of delivering the minerals the world urgently needs - faster. smarter and responsible - embedding these metrics within routine optimisation supports production decisions aligned with both performance and decarbonisation objectives.
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