TOMRA Mining says its ore-sorting technology has been proven at full industrial scale after being used as a core processing step in Pilbara Minerals’ (PLS) P1000 expansion at its Pilgangoora lithium operation in Western Australia.
The company said this milestone marks an important moment for its technology, moving from operating as a standalone optimisation layer, to becoming an integral part of day-to-day lithium processing.
"There's a clear difference between something that works in principle and something that operators trust implicitly," said Gavin Rech, the area sales and technical manager at TOMRA. "At Pilgangoora, sorting has crossed that line. It has moved beyond trial status, not because of a single performance metric, but because of repetition."
Chris Luke, the head of operations at PLS, said the P1000 expansion at Pilgangoora has moved the project into the next phase of operational growth. “The scale of what is being delivered is significant. We operate the largest lithium ore sorters in the world. This scale gives us robustness and the confidence in our operating model,” said Luke.
TOMRA said its sorting circuit can provide data on feed characteristics and rejection behaviour, giving PLS clearer visibility at the front end of the plant. The company added that its work has been supported by on-site specialists and remote monitoring, allowing for potential issues to be addressed early.
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