An energy-efficient and low-emission alternative for grinding copper and gold ore deposits could potentially transform mineral processing worldwide.

New crushing technology developed by Australian company Gyratory Roller Solutions Pty Ltd (GRolls) and being investigated by Adelaide University researchers is showing significant advantages over conventional grinding techniques.

GRolls Director and Adelaide University PhD candidate Mark Drechsler said the crushing technology reduces the need for grinding and milling (known as comminution), saving operating costs and reducing the industry’s carbon footprint at the same time.

The GRolls crushing technology uses a unique combination of pulsed compression, tension and shear forces to break down ore. This configuration reduces more than 40% of particles to below 425 microns in a single pass and generates less than 14% of fine particles smaller than 75 microns.

The technology performs particularly well with finer ore feeds under 2.36mm.

When modelled against an existing conventional grinding operation at a copper-gold operation in NSW, the GRolls circuit demonstrated a 20% reduction in energy consumption and nearly halved the total comminution cost.

With ore grades declining and deposits becoming more complex and remote, the new technology offers a viable alternative for the mining industry,” according to FII metallurgist Dr George Abaka-Wood, who supervised Drechsler’s project.

Co-author of the study, Research Leader Minerals and Resource Engineering at the Future Industries Institute, Professor Bill Skinner, said the GRolls technology offered a compact, scalable simple solution that can be used dry or wet, in standalone units or integrated into existing circuits.

GRolls hopes to commercialise the technology in the next 12 months with the help of a $300,000 South Australian Government Seed-Start grant.