en.Wedoany.com Reported - South32 has selected Glencore Technology's Jameson Concentrator flotation technology for its Hermosa critical minerals project in Arizona, USA, leveraging the equipment's small footprint and high energy efficiency to build a processing plant designed for automation and remote operations within a constrained site area.

Hermosa is a critical minerals project primarily producing zinc, manganese, and silver—metals regarded as essential raw materials for the energy transition. With the project's construction goals centered on maximizing production performance and minimizing environmental impact, the compact layout of the Jameson Concentrator became a primary factor in the equipment selection.

Constrained by surface space, the flotation circuit using the Jameson Concentrator requires only 11 Jameson Cells, compared to approximately 22 conventional flotation tanks for a traditional approach, with the former occupying about 60% of the latter's footprint. Glencore Technology predicts that, compared to a conventional tank flotation circuit, this configuration can reduce energy consumption by approximately 30%, with corresponding reductions in operating costs and carbon emissions.

Automation and remote operation capabilities were another consideration. The Hermosa processing plant will be operated remotely from Centro, South32's operations center in the nearby city of Nogales. Scott Martin, Director of Sales for the Americas at Glencore Technology, stated that rapid process feedback and reliable data are critical when designing a mine around automation and remote operations. With a residence time of just 5 to 10 minutes—compared to 40 to 60 minutes for a conventional flotation circuit—operators can see the impact of process changes more quickly, laying the groundwork for more frequent control actions, advanced process control, and future AI-driven operations.

Operational flexibility also influenced South32's decision. Martin explained that the Jameson Cell offers operators multiple configuration options, allowing individual flotation tanks to be reassigned to different duties as ore characteristics change, without requiring major circuit modifications. By enabling cells to switch between rougher and cleaner duties, the circuit can continuously optimize over the mine's multi-decade lifespan as feed characteristics evolve.

The smaller footprint, lower energy consumption, automation readiness, and operational flexibility align the Jameson Concentrator with Hermosa's long-term planning. The project demonstrates, to a certain extent, how future mines will be designed and operated, and South32's selection also indicates that next-generation mineral processing technology must deliver not only recovery rates but also smarter, simpler, and more sustainable operations.