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Data Insights Innovation in mining: mine drainage systems

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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.

Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.

45+ innovations will shape the mining industry

According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the mining industry using innovation intensity models built on over 81,000 patents, there are 45+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.

Within the emerging innovation stage, tunnel ventilation systems, remote tunnel monitoring, and mine drainage systems are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Lithium recovery, battery metal recycling and tunneling, and anchoring machine are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are hydrometallurgical extraction and hybrid industrial vehicles, which are now well established in the industry.

Innovation S-curve for the mining industry

Mine drainage systems is a key innovation area in mining

The contamination of surface water by mine water discharge is known as mine drainage. Mine drainage systems, such as open drains, sump pumps, and settling ponds, are required to prevent disruptions in excavation, loading, and hauling activities caused by a large amount of water in the pit.

GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 235+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established mining companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of mine drainage systems.

Key players in mine drainage systems – a disruptive innovation in the mining industry

‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.   

‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.  

Patent volumes related to mine drainage systems

Zijin Mining Group, one of the leading patent filers in mine drainage systems, assesses acid rock drainage risks at mine sites and develops methods to reduce drainage generation. The company incorporated acid rock drainage into its overall water recycling system, recovering valuable metals from higher concentration acid rock drainage, neutralizing it with lower concentration acid rock drainage, and then reusing or discharging it once the required standards were met. Zijinshan gold and copper mine recovers more than 10kt of copper metal a year from acid rock drainage using this method.

In terms of application diversity, Pingdingshan Antaihua Mining Safety Equipment Manufacturing leads the pack, while National Energy Investment Group and CSCEC Road And Bridge Group stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, China National Petroleum held the top position, followed by Jinchuan Group and China Energy Investment.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the mining industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Mining.

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.

GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.