Six companies have been named semi-finalists in the 2019 #DisruptMining competition.
The annual initiative, which was spearheaded by Goldcorp in 2017, challenges companies to come up with new innovations to help solve some of mining’s most pressing problems.
The winner, chosen by a panel of industry experts, has the opportunity to win up $1 million for a proof-of-concept idea that has real-world applications.
This year’s semi-finalists include:
- Commercial Pau: With the use of a patented biometric technology, this company's digital remote lockout system is designed to enhance safety and security on-site while reducing the amount of time required to effectively complete the lockout process.
- Envisioning Labs (Vancouver) has developed an innovative concept to reuse mine tailings to produce concentrated solar power reflectors. These reflectors are then used to generate clean energy and sorbents to reduce pollution.
- ETF Mining's (Slovenia) modular mining vehicles are fully electrified, digital and autonomous; offering improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact. Their modularity allows for the adoption and integration of new technologies as they become available.
- Gekko Systems (Australia) supplies innovative modular equipment and processing technologies focused on the recovery of gold. It is introducing the development of a product, the online gold analyzer, which will help determine the actual gold content in mineral processing slurries and solutions in real time.
- Hydrostor Inc.'s (Toronto) advanced compressed air energy storage (A-CAES) technology transforms unused mining infrastructure into energy storage systems that help mines manage their energy use and reduce their environmental footprint. The system can serve both the electricity grid and mining operations alike, reducing operational costs and providing legacy mines with new revenue opportunities.
- RubberJet Valley (Italy) uses a proprietary high-pressure water jet that breaks down large truck and mining off-the-road (OTR) tires in an environmentally friendly way. The resulting material is then used to produce new tires or other rubber-based products for commercial use.
DisruptMining also announced its panel of judges for the competition. They include:
- Ian Telfer, chair of the board of directors for Goldcorp;
- Katie Valentine, global head of mining consulting at KPMG;
- Sue Paish, CEO of Canada's Digital Technology Supercluster;
- Jacob Yeung, team captain of the UBC #DisruptMining judging team; and
- Wal van Lierop, founder and managing partner with Chrysalix Venture Capital.
Three #DisruptMining finalists will be announced in February, and an overall winner will be chosen during a March 3 pitch-style event being held in conjunction with the annual convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada in Toronto.
Since the launch of #DisruptMining in 2017, Goldcorp has invested more than $10 million in a range of new technologies and companies identified through the #DisruptMining innovation accelerator. This funding has supported companies through the startup phase into growth and scale-up.
