Rio Tinto has discovered one of the largest gem-quality yellow diamonds ever in Canada from its Diavik mine in the remote Northwest Territories of Canada. The 158.20 carat rough diamond is one of only five yellow diamonds weighing more than 100 carats ever unearthed at Diavik. The mine’s production primarily consists of white gem quality diamonds, with less than 1%…
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Rio Tinto confirms Arcadium Lithium deal
Rio Tinto has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Arcadium Lithium for $6.7 billion. The transaction, which will be implemented by way of a Jersey scheme of arrangement, is expected to close in mid-2025. “Acquiring Arcadium Lithium is a significant step forward in Rio Tinto’s long-term strategy, creating a world-class lithium business alongside our leading aluminum and copper operations to…
Read MoreRio Tinto’s Kennecott expands solar power
Rio Tinto has approved construction of a new 25-megawatt solar plant at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah, bringing the mine’s total solar capacity to 30 MW. It will be located next to an existing 5-MW solar plant. “Expanding our solar farm is the latest step in our journey to reduce our carbon footprint. Together with other measures we’ve taken,…
Read MoreRio Tinto exec seeks faster permitting under Trump
A Rio Tinto executive said U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s new administration should focus on speeding up the permitting process for its stalled Resolution copper mine in Arizona, reported Reuters. The mine could supply more than one-quarter of the country’s domestic copper needs. The new Trump administration would be able to either approve or block the proposed underground operation. The news…
Read MoreKennecott completes switch to renewable diesel
Rio Tinto has finished the transition from conventional to renewable diesel for all heavy mining equipment at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah. The miner said the move is expected to reduce Kennecott’s Scope 1 emissions by 450,000 tonnes. Additionally, the switch to renewable diesel reduces PM2.5 emissions at the tailpipes of its haul truck fleet by 40%. “The transition…
Read MoreDiavik mine starts underground production
Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in Canada’s Northwest Territories has moved into commercial production at its A21 underground operation, which was developed beneath the previously mined A21 open pit. The construction of the underground mine involved the development of over 1,800 meters of underground tunnels to access the orebody. With safety as the core focus, the miner noted that there…
Read MoreComing clean
Canadian-based Movex talks material cleanup with its new technology, removing the complexities and safety issues of under-conveyor and crushing maintenance and optimizing cleaning conditions. By William Nicholls In the mining sector, efficiency in material cleanup during the crushing and conveyor processes is critical. It inevitably impacts a mine’s output, number of downtimes, resource allocation, worker safety and operational costs. Use…
Read MoreRio Tinto awards $875,000 for critical minerals research
A Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) professor has been awarded $875,000 from Rio Tinto for a two-year project to examine new techniques to recover critical minerals in the waste byproducts from copper extraction and refining. “Our project will test new chemical dissolution strategies and purification techniques to produce pure gallium and germanium compounds from these waste materials,”…
Read MoreRio Tinto to keep Resolution’s copper in U.S.
A Rio Tinto senior executive said that the miner aims to keep all of the copper from its Resolution mine inside the United States should the long-delayed and controversial project win regulatory approval, reported Reuters. “Certainly if Resolution comes on stream, all of that copper we would like it to be sold in the U.S.,” said Bold Baatar, head of…
Read MoreTalon Metals, Argonne to improve domestic battery production
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory has entered into a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement with Talon Metals on developing a new process to use mining waste in electric vehicle battery production. The process will use iron sulfides from Talon’s by-products in its nickel production to synthesize lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathodes, which are increasingly used in…
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