Track: Operations Management

Abstract

Given the increasing concerns about the adverse effects attributable to climate change, two imperatives of the sustainability paradigm are to reduce pollution and CO₂ footprint, especially in the energy-intensive mining, minerals processing and beneficiation sectors of industry. Thus, a major challenge in minerals processing is to optimize the energy consumption of unit operations. In principle, this requires the utilization of all data and information that fully characterize the dynamics of all material and physical elements which constitute the organization that operates an ore crushing and screening process. By analyzing available data and information, this paper highlights how the variability in ore quality influences the energy consumption of crusding and screening operations in a case study communition facility. The empirical findings reinforce the need to apply robust models based on implementation of 4IR technologies to provide better information for decision making; in this case, towards continuous optimization of energy consumption to lower pollution and CO₂ footprint of comminution unit operations.