The spin-off company OreSand Inc., led by Professor Daniel Franks of the Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), is already in discussions with the Chilean mining industry about the possibility of applying this renowned technological development in Chile, which drastically reduces waste and produces sand as a byproduct.
OreSand Inc. receives this important recognition from the World Economic Forum for its innovative circular economy solution, which offers mining companies a research-backed plan capable of drastically reducing waste and producing useful sand byproducts at a time when global demand for this material is increasing.
“The minerals that make up sand are discarded in large quantities during the extraction of metals like copper and iron,” explains Professor Franks.
“OreSand Inc. works with mining companies to reduce their waste by extracting clean byproducts like sand from the ore.
“For too long, the industry has extracted only the fillet, disposing of the rest as waste, and we believe it’s time to start making sausages.”
This vision of “integrated mining” and the deep partnerships already demonstrated by OreSand Inc. captured the imagination of the World Economic Forum’s Uplink Top Innovators program, where the project has been named one of eight global winners who will gain access to networks capable of supporting and scaling it up.
Professor Franks explained that sand is often discarded during the extraction and processing of more valuable metals and often ends up in a sludge of residual materials known as tailings.
And this is even though many researchers warn of an impending global shortage of sand, which is useful in products such as concrete, glass windows, and even microchips.
“The annual global demand for sand and other aggregates exceeds 50 billion tons, but this demand is wreaking havoc on the environment, destroying fragile ecosystems and ruining rivers and beaches,” explains Professor Daniel Franks.
OreSand Inc. helps mining companies use existing technologies to modify mineral extraction so that quality sand can be captured and processed before they become waste.
Dr. Louise Gallagher, also part of the OreSand Inc. team, said that by focusing on producing quality sand rather than reusing tailings, OreSand Inc.’s methods could create huge business opportunities and avoid the many problems associated with reusing mine waste.
“Tailings represent a costly waste management challenge for mining companies, often adding another layer of difficulty to an already complex project,” explains Louise Gallagher.
“Poorly managed tailings are notorious for triggering some of the world’s most serious environmental disasters.
“The insights we are developing at OreSand Inc. show how practices can be adjusted to prevent sand from being a tailings management problem and, instead, a valuable byproduct.”
Each year, the World Economic Forum identifies leading innovators through its UpLink platform, with the goal of finding and nurturing startups focused on sustainability.
OreSand Inc. was one of eight mining companies recognized worldwide for its innovation.
«We hope that, over time, the sustainable practices championed by OreSand Inc. will become the main guideline for the mining industry,» said Dr. Juliana Segura-Salazar, also a member of the team that developed this technology.
«We want to contribute to this paradigm shift,» she affirmed. «And under this challenge, we are building alliances with mining companies and also with the construction sector in different regions. Chile is a very important target we have our sights set on, and where we have had positive contact with major mining companies that are exploring the possibility of applying this innovation.»
OreSand Inc. has received support from the Australian Economic Accelerator and the Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer, initiatives of the Australian government.
