For decades, the mining industry has lived with a persistent truth: coarse particles lost to tailings are an unavoidable cost of doing business. These silent losses, often measured in billions of dollars annually across global operations, have shaped how the industry defines recovery efficiency. Operators, engineers, and executives alike accepted this inefficiency as the practical boundary of what technology could achieve. Minerals trapped within coarse particles were written off as waste, while plants focused their efforts on optimizing recovery within conventional grinding and flotation circuits.
But what if that limitation were no longer absolute? What if coarse particles, long discarded, could be brought back into play, not only increasing metal recovery but also transforming energy use, throughput, and sustainability practices in mining?
This is precisely the story that HydroFloat®, developed by Eriez Flotation, is rewriting. By introducing a step-change in how coarse particles are separated and recovered, HydroFloat® challenges one of the most entrenched inefficiencies in mineral processing. The implications of this technology extend far beyond technical gains. It has the potential to reshape the economic models of mining projects, reduce environmental footprints, and align resource extraction with the growing global demand for sustainable practices.
To appreciate the significance of HydroFloat®, it is essential to understand why coarse particle recovery has been such a challenge.
Traditional flotation systems were designed around fine particles. The physics of bubble-particle attachment, surface chemistry, and hydrodynamics within flotation cells all favour smaller particle sizes. As particles become larger, their inertia increases, and their ability to remain attached to rising bubbles decreases. This results in a high probability that coarse particles detach before reaching the froth, ultimately reporting to tailings rather than concentrate.
Grinding and Its Costs
Because conventional flotation struggles with coarse particles, the industry’s workaround has been to grind ore finer and finer before it enters flotation circuits. While effective in liberating mineral particles for recovery, this strategy comes with two major drawbacks:
- Energy Intensity: Grinding is the single largest energy consumer in most mineral processing plants. The finer the grind, the greater the energy input required. This not only drives up operating costs but also increases the carbon footprint of operations.
- Diminishing Returns: Beyond a certain point, grinding yields marginal increases in recovery relative to the energy expended. In fact, excellent grinding can lead to losses of valuable minerals due to slime coating or entrainment issues.
The result is a delicate balance between grind size, recovery efficiency, and energy cost, a balance that has historically constrained how much value could be extracted from ore.
The consequence of these limitations is that coarse particles, despite containing valuable mineral content, have consistently ended up in tailings storage facilities. These materials not only represent a direct economic loss but also contribute to environmental and social challenges. Larger volumes of tailings require more extensive storage solutions, which carry risks related to stability, water management, and long-term environmental liability.
HydroFloat®: A Technological Breakthrough
HydroFloat® technology introduces a fundamental shift in this paradigm. Rather than forcing operators to grind ore ever finer, it enables the recovery of coarse particles that conventional flotation leaves behind.
HydroFloat® employs a fluidized-bed flotation system. Unlike traditional flotation cells, where bubbles rise through a slurry, HydroFloat® creates a countercurrent flow of water that fluidizes the bed of particles. This fluidization provides several key advantages:
- Enhanced Bubble-Particle Contact: By reducing particle settling and promoting stable suspension, the system ensures that coarse particles have a greater opportunity to attach to bubbles.
- Reduced Detachment: The fluidized environment minimizes turbulence, lowering the probability of coarse particles detaching from bubbles during their rise.
- Coarser Feed Compatibility: The design allows for feed sizes that would overwhelm conventional flotation systems, meaning grinding requirements can be significantly reduced.
The Performance Gains
The results of this innovation are substantial:
- Double the Recovery: Particles once written off as unrecoverable can now be captured, effectively doubling recovery rates for certain size fractions.
- Higher Throughput: By accommodating coarser feed, plants can process more material in less time without sacrificing recovery.
- Energy Savings: Reductions in grinding translate into dramatic energy savings, cutting both costs and emissions.
- Sustainability Advantages: Coarser tailings are more amenable to dry stacking, a safer and more sustainable tailings management strategy.
These are not incremental improvements—they represent a step-change in mineral separation.
HydroFloat®’s significance extends beyond technical performance. Its adoption directly addresses the broader challenges and priorities shaping the mining industry today.
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Goals
Investors, regulators, and communities are increasingly focused on ESG performance. HydroFloat® contributes to these goals in multiple ways:
- Reduced Energy Use: Lower grinding requirements decrease greenhouse gas emissions associated with power generation.
- Smaller Tailings Footprint: Recovering coarse particles reduces overall tailings volume and enables safer storage options like dry stacking.
- Resource Efficiency: Maximizing metal recovery means less waste and better use of finite resources.
Economic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Profitability remains central to mining operations, and HydroFloat® provides tangible benefits:
- Increased Revenue: Higher recovery rates directly translate into more saleable product.
- Lower Costs: Energy savings and reduced grinding requirements decrease operating costs.
- Improved Project Economics: Enhanced recovery and efficiency can extend mine life, improve net present value (NPV), and justify investments that might otherwise fall short.
Production Efficiency
HydroFloat® improves efficiency at multiple levels of the plant:
- Higher Throughput: Coarser feeds mean plants can process larger volumes without overwhelming downstream circuits.
- Reduced Bottlenecks: By alleviating grinding circuit constraints, HydroFloat® helps balance plant throughput more effectively.
- Operational Flexibility: Plants can optimize grind size not just for metallurgical recovery but also for energy use, throughput, and tailings management.
Responsible Tailings Management
Tailings management is under intense scrutiny following several high-profile dam failures. HydroFloat® enables:
- Coarser Tailings: Easier to dewater and more stable in storage.
- Dry Stacking Options: Reducing reliance on conventional tailings dams.
- Reduced Environmental Liability: Lower risk of catastrophic failures and long-term contamination.
Broader Implications for the Mining Industry
The adoption of HydroFloat® carries implications that extend across the mining value chain.
Changing the Economics of Ore Bodies
Many ore bodies considered marginal or uneconomic under traditional processing may become viable with HydroFloat®. By improving recovery and lowering costs, the technology can unlock resources previously left in the ground. This has the potential to expand reserves, extend mine lives, and improve return on investment for new projects.
Addressing the Energy-Climate Nexus
Mining is energy-intensive, and grinding circuits are the single largest energy consumers. By reducing reliance on fine grinding, HydroFloat® aligns with global efforts to reduce carbon emissions. For companies facing pressure to decarbonize, this technology offers a concrete pathway to lower their carbon intensity per unit of metal produced.
Improving Industry Reputation
Mining’s social license to operate depends heavily on its ability to demonstrate environmental responsibility. HydroFloat® provides a tangible example of innovation that reduces waste, improves efficiency, and supports safer tailings practices. Adoption of such technologies strengthens the industry’s ability to argue that it can meet society’s demand for metals without compromising environmental or social values.
A Catalyst for Future Innovation
By challenging long-held assumptions about particle recovery, HydroFloat® may spur further innovation in mineral processing. Just as it reimagines flotation for coarse particles, future technologies may emerge to optimize other overlooked areas of processing, from ultra-fine particle recovery to water use efficiency.
Case Perspectives and Demonstrations
While HydroFloat®’s principles are compelling, its real-world validation comes through demonstrations and early applications in industry. Presentations by experts such as Jordan Lee have highlighted case studies where HydroFloat® has significantly improved recovery rates and altered the economic outlook of projects. These case studies provide proof of concept and help build confidence for wider adoption.
Companies adopting HydroFloat® are not only benefiting from higher recoveries but also positioning themselves as leaders in innovation and sustainability. In a competitive landscape, being an early adopter of such transformative technology can provide reputational advantages with investors, regulators, and customers.
The Path Forward
The mining industry stands at a crossroads. Demand for metals is rising, driven by the global energy transition, electrification, and population growth. At the same time, the industry faces mounting pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, improve safety, and deliver social value.
Technologies like HydroFloat® offer a way to reconcile these demands. By improving recovery, lowering energy use, and enabling safer tailings management, HydroFloat® provides a pathway to more sustainable and profitable mining.
The question is no longer whether the technology works; it has been demonstrated to deliver results. The question is how quickly the industry will adopt it, and how it will reshape the economics and sustainability of mining on a global scale.
Image Credit: Eriez Floatation
