Juan Rayo, founder and Chairman of the Board of Grupo JRI, spoke with BNamericas about the challenges facing the mining industry and the role engineering will play in supporting these processes.
“It is likely that in 50 years, underground mining will account for 80% of total mining, with open-pit mining making up only 20%. Shifting that paradigm will be one of the major challenges,” said Juan Rayo.
He identifies three key challenges:
1. The transition to underground mining, driven by the depletion of open-pit mines and increasing environmental demands.
2. The shift toward polymetallic mining, through innovations in flotation processes and achieving chalcopyrite leaching.
3. Tailings safety in the face of extreme seismic events, rethinking tailings dams and advancing thickening and filtering technologies.
To read the full interview, click here.
