Sumitomo is a major producer globally of Zinc , Lead and Silver from their Minera San Cristóbal ( MSC ) operation in Bolivia . “ It ’ s a fascinating place ,” explains Dr Adair . “ It operates with a head grade of around 1.7 % Zn where traditionally Zinc / Lead / Silver operations would be looking at an equivalent of > 7 % Zn or more . In spite of this , the operation is one of the world ’ s most profitable thanks to remarkable approaches in optimising process performance , combined with world class water and energy conservation .”

Located in the south-western Bolivian province of Nor Lípez , and operating since 2007 , the mine produces around 1,500 metric tons of Zinc-Silver and Lead-Silver concentrates each day . To achieve this result , MSC needs to move a daily average of 150,000 tons of rock , 52,000 tons of which goes to the process plant

EXECUTIVE PROFILE :

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Title : CEO

Company : CRC Ore

Dr Ben Adair has three decades ’ experience in the mining industry . Splitting his time between roles in applied R & D , and working for majors such as Rio Tinto , he joined CRC ORE in 2015 . Prior to this he worked at the University of Queensland , both as Director of the JKMRC and then running an industry funded Ore Sorting Centre . “ I ’ ve been able to bring a skillset to CRC ORE which has been honed on the practical challenges facing the industry ,” says Dr Adair . “ The experiences I ’ ve had at processing plants , auditing mining sites and at innovation labs in R & D , have given me the ability to see whether a particular approach can be practically implemented or not . There are many wonderful ideas out there , but can they stand up to the industrial process ? That ’ s why the work we do at CRC ORE is so important .” miningglobal . com