Major mining operations worldwide are becoming safer and more sustainable with the use of new and emerging technologies designed specifically for the sector. Leading the way? Arizona companies and University of Arizona researchers who are making the industry safer, sustainable — and profitable. 

Climate change is inspiring these companies and researchers to find solutions, said Claudio Cossio, project manager for , a global mining technologies firm headquartered in Chandler that provides technology solutions focused on sustainability for every stage of operation, from mine exploration to closure and reclamation.

Investors are also demanding it. They want to see a positive return, not just on financial performance, but on keeping the planet safe, Cossio said.  

“Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is becoming like safety in the mining industry. Right now, it’s still a priority, but it’s becoming more ingrained as a core value as part of our culture. A lot of the major mining corporations are setting pretty high goals to get to net-zero emissions by 2030 or 2040, depending on the mining company,” he said. 

Profitable technologies to save the planet 

Cossio was one of four of Arizona’s leading experts on mining technology who spoke last week at a forum called, Tucson Tech: Smarter, Safer, Sustainable Mining. The panel discussion was hosted by the , the voice of the tech industry. 

Other speakers at the event were: Nick Hare, president, Hexagon Mining; Abraham Jalbout, founder and CEO, Auxilium Technology Group; and Brad Ross, director of the Geotechnical Center of Excellence, Lowell Institute for Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona (UArizona). 

They spoke about trends and technologies that are making the industry safer, sustainable and profitable. Today’s companies are selling solutions to improve efficiencies in resource consumption, minimize land disturbance, reduce pollution, recycle water, and safely close and reclaim mining lands, the speakers said.  

Here’s a snapshot of what these Arizona leaders are doing to produce mining products to save the planet: 

Auxilium Technology Group: turning mine waste into products of value

Based out of Tucson, grew out of a research collaboration with researchers in the College of Engineering at UArizona. The company has licensed UArizona inventions that offer sustainable and holistic solutions for the mining sector including turning mineral waste into products, extracting heavy metal and rare-earth from mining effluent,  water purification and desalination, lower carbon emissions, and energy savings.

“Our goal is zero waste,” said Jalbout, whose company is focused on repurposing mine tailings into products like a spray-on geofoam insulation for walls of underground mines to reduce heat. 

Hexagon Mining

This global tech company has its North American headquarters in Tucson and is a leader in digital solutions that create Autonomous Connected Ecosystems (ACE) that can be built into all processes for planning, operations and safety to solve surface and underground sustainability mine challenges. 

“The market is demanding that we must look at it from a global world perspective,” Hare said. “So everything we offer works toward sustainability in some way or other. When you’re talking about improving efficiency, when you’re talking about improving effectiveness.”

, which has about 21,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of $4.4 billion, specializes in “fully connected” mines with components like: 

• Automated equipment such as excavators and dump trucks, shearers and conveyors, drilling equipment, crushers, bunkers, and skips

• Hardware, such as sensors, RFID tags, wireless infrastructure, drones, embedded systems

• Software, such as cloud and platform solutions, data analysis solutions, 3D imaging and modeling software, and remote management solutions     

Stantec

With a major office in Chandler, , provides sustainability solutions and services for every stage of operation, from mine exploration to mine closure and reclamation. Biologists, geologists, archaeologists, material specialists, hydrologists, engineers, geochemists, regulatory experts, risk assessors, and toxicologists work with companies to design sustainability into every step. 

Among the dozens of services they can provide are regulatory support, exploration and planning, baseline technical studies, environmental assessments, water and waste management and more. 

Geotechnical Center of Excellence: partnering to solve geotech problems 

Ross, director of the , talked about the center’s collaborations with private industry to develop in-demand mining technologies. For example, researchers are currently testing thermal imaging as a possible warning tool for random rock falls. 

Meanwhile, a vision is in the works to expand the highly-ranked mining engineering and mineral resources program department at the UArizona into a new college of interdisciplinary mining, Ross said. 

Mining program upgrades, expansion in the works 

Recently, the program received a $2 million donation that could grow into millions more to upgrade the research and teaching facilities including the San Xavier Underground Mining Laboratory, provide financial support to students, and seed plans to grow a new interdisciplinary school of mining engineering and mineral resources. 

“One thing we think is really important is training and making sure our professionals are prepared and understand the most recent technology because it is changing so fast,” Ross said. “We are seeing huge advances. If we don’t have people prepared, those advances don’t do us much good.”

To read more about the research being done at the Geotechnical Center, visit: .

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A new report released by The Western Way, an environmental advocacy organization, and the Arizona Technology Council reveals that Arizona is on track to continue building on its booming carbon-free energy sector.

Beyond recording Arizona’s progress to this point, the report outlines recommendations that the groups hope lawmakers and policymakers will implement in order to “incorporat[e] the energy innovation sector into Arizona’s economic recovery plan.” 

According to the report authors, the innovation sector at-large is the most significant nexus between good business and good environmental stewardship.

Easing the adoption of clean energy

The report advocates for state government and local governments to enact certain policies that allow Arizonans to use clean energy more easily and to promote conservation.

The report sees the Arizona Corporation Commission in an integral position to allow for further adoption of clean energy across Arizona. The Commission recently adopted an ambitious Energy Rules package that included “an updated energy efficiency standard that by 2030 would require utilities to implement energy efficiency measures equivalent to 35 percent of their 2020 peak demand.”

In order to make this change actionable, the authors call for the adoption of the new Energy Rules package as part of a formal rulemaking process. 

The authors advocate for the Legislature to allow local governments to “offer Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing,” which would permit Arizona residents and job creators to finance renewable power, energy efficiency, and water management for low costs in the long-term.

Height and setback restrictions often increase clean energy prices because of how areas factor rooftop solar panels and wind power systems into a building’s height. Acknowledging that many of these restrictions are warranted, the authors also say that “those regulatory requirements should not be inadvertently discouraging more widespread adoption of renewable energy technology.” The report recommends that state legislators work with localities to roll back some of these regulations.

The report also calls for renewable energy storage to be exempt from the transaction privilege tax (TPT) which already exempts clean energy. This will eliminate one of the regulatory barriers to energy storage, which is particularly relevant to solar energy, which requires large storage capacities.

Emphasizing role of public-private cooperation

As has been on during the COVID-19 pandemic, public-private partnerships are central to American and international responses to large-scale challenges. The same is true, according to the report, for clean energy.

To facilitate the expanding electric vehicle (EV) industry, the authors recommend lawmakers invest in EV charging stations “across the state.” Such a policy would make it much easier for consumers to purchase EVs, as they would not have to worry about charging as much as before, and would promote companies like Nikola Motors and Lucid Motors who have recently built up a presence in Arizona.

More broadly the report supports infrastructure investment and the dedication of further federal and state funds to public infrastructure. It also advocates for the utilization of public-private partnerships “to find new and innovative kinds of efficiencies.”

Integrating hydrogen power

Arizona is well-known for Palo Verde Generating Station, the largest carbon-free energy plant in America, as well as its expansive solar fields. But this report argues that hydrogen power is often neglected, and to the detriment of Arizonans.

Hydrogen power is carbon free as well, prompting the authors to urge lawmakers to “support investment in renewable hydrogen infrastructure and the transition of commercial fleets to cleaner fuels.”

Among its suggested reforms are the creation of a “Hydrogen Investment Capital Special Fund,” which would accelerate investment and extension of Arizona’s Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit, including hydrogen in the mix of covered energy sources.

Advanced manufacturing’s pivotal role

Viewing innovation as the key to market-based renewable energy solutions, the report advocates for legislators taking another look at 2019’s Arizona House Bill 2657, which would establish a “Technology and Innovation Workforce Fund.”

Recognizing the massive importance of Arizona’s universities, the authors also call for further partnership between higher education and advanced manufacturers as well as renewable energy sectors to build up a high-skill workforce prepared for the economy of tomorrow.

The report goes into further depth on business leaders’ confidence in Arizona’s ability to create good paying jobs, expand clean energy adoption, and protect the state’s bountiful natural resources. 
You can read the entire report .

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