The MissionZero Mine: a sustainable future for mineral processing

Join the MissionZero Mine vision as an early adopter

As part of the MissionZero Mine innovation cycle, FLS seeks to partner with forward-thinking mining companies for pilot trials and early deployments. These provide critical insight into how the technology will work in real-world applications while allowing the mining company to explore new opportunities to take its process to the next level. 

Trials and early deployments are designed to integrate easily into existing operations. Pilot equipment is skid-mounted for easy shipment, set-up, and commissioning at the mine site, where it can be compared side-by-side with conventional processes. This allows mineral processing plants to see how these latest developments can optimise recovery rates while reducing key inputs, such as power consumption, energy costs, plant footprint, and water consumption. 

During the pilot phase, FLS works with the client to optimise the system and ensure it delivers the expected improvements. Depending on the results of the pilot phase, FLS can also assist with technology scale-up to production levels. 

Beyond these operational benefits, early adopters position themselves as leaders in responsible mining at a time of increasing pressure to reduce environmental and social impact. They also gain both a critical early voice in the development of MissionZero Mine mineral flowsheets of the future and a key competitive edge over other operators. 

What does the MissionZero Mine look like?

The heart of the MissionZero Mine is an ambition to achieve zero-waste and zero-emission mining while enabling the production increases needed to meet that rising demand. Achieving this will require transformative mineral processing flowsheets. These will be commodity-specific and encompass technologies to improve energy efficiency, optimise recovery, enhance water stewardship and tailings management, and promote circularity. Some of these technologies already exist, while others will result from ongoing innovation.  

Why do we need the MissionZero Mine?

Mineral demand is expected to double by 2050, driven by economic growth, a rising population, particularly in the world’s cities, and the green transition. While recycling will play some role here, much will still be met by mining. Under the best of circumstances, meeting this demand would pose a challenge—and these are not the best of circumstances. Ore grades are declining while mines are getting deeper. Climate change and water access are demanding new strategies to limit the environmental and social impact of mining. This is why we need to change the paradigm. That’s why we need the MissionZero Mine vision.