EXPLOSIVES & BLASTING mill throughput by increasing its fines percentage in the-1 / 2” size fraction. Several rock types posed a challenge to this goal because of their hardness and grindability characteristics, so the operation turned to the Dyno Nobel team to begin a Drill to Mill project.
Through the baselining and analysing processes, Dyno Nobel identified several areas for optimisation. With optimised blast plans and high precision explosive products, including TITAN bulk emulsion, ΔE 2, and DigiShot electronic detonators, the team made changes to burden and spacing, explosives density, stemming length, blast initiation timing and priming practices. These improvements produced measurably better rock fragmentation, particularly in the targeted-1 / 2” size fraction, increasing mill throughput by 15 % for a total of $ 58.1 million of added value.
This same holistic mindset has also been present when developing the electric MPU named in Pontanilla’ s presentation title.
Earlier this year, the company announced it was trialling what it believed to be the world’ s first electric bulk explosive mobile processing unit( MPU) at Fortescue’ s Solomon operations, in Western Australia. The DYNOBULK ® Electric MPU, like Dyno Nobel’ s other MPUs, is engineered to deliver the explosive product directly to the blasthole but offers a sustainable alternative to conventional diesel-powered vehicles used in the mining and resources sectors.
It includes a 390 kWh lithium polymer battery, an electrified propulsion system and has regenerative braking technology. It can be recharged in about 45 minutes, reducing downtime and maximising productivity using its 650 kWh fast-charging battery station powered by renewable energy sources such as solar and wind or hydropower – further reducing emissions and supporting off-grid operations.
Pontanilla said the focus on reducing emissions goes beyond electrifying the carrier of the MPU – in this case a Volvo FMX 8x4 truck – to efficient use of the explosives the vehicle is carrying and dispatching.
“ In that sense, we are looking at the use of green ammonia and also renewable oils to create a blasting solution with net-zero carbon emissions,” he said.
This is reinforced by the company’ s DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY blasting technology platform, which provides the ability to vary emulsion density from hole to hole as well as vertically within each individual blasthole so that explosive energy is targeted to where it is needed.
DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY is important in the Electric MPU context given Fortescue, the mining company set to trial the first vehicle, signed a six-year performancebased contract leveraging this technology at the Iron Bridge Magnetite Project in Western Australia’ s Pilbara region back in 2022. In 2023, the two companies also signed a technology alliance focused on drill and blast decarbonisation, with one area of interest being a reduced GHG emissions DIFFERENTIAL ENERGY solution.
On the DYNOBULK Electric MPU specifically, Pontanilla described in Santiago how the vehicle that has been built is predicated on the predictable nature of MPU applications.
“ At an open-pit mine site, we know the time it takes to reach the benches and to return to the reloading point,” he said.“ We also know that, in general, it is customary to have a descent; a trip to go downhill fully loaded with the 40 tonnes of weight. The return to the plant is without the payload and we usually go uphill as well.
“ This is where … the benefits of regenerative braking come in. It is this regeneration that allows us to arrive to the blasthole with the battery practically 100 % where we have to load the explosive into the hole before returning back to the factory.”
The MPU has the potential to unload the explosive within 30-45 minutes, allowing it to return quickly to be recharged with more explosives.
The three-hour cycle scenario that Pontanilla mapped out at the event aligns well with the Electric MPU battery“ autonomy” time of six hours, he said.
He added that the 650 kWh charging solution, which is container-based and movable, plus existing battery capabilities, meant mines would not have to invest in new power infrastructure – an important factor for the adoption of any new batteryelectric machine.
In terms of other benefits, he outlined the potential to save 50,000-80,000 litres of diesel per year, reduce wear on the MPU service brake( due to regenerative braking), taking advantage of a new propulsion system with“ minimal maintenance” and increased operator comfort.
While the company has only just started the electric MPU trial in Australia, Pontanilla said Dyno Nobel is also looking at testing in North America and, in the future, in Latin America.
He added:“ We are aiming for continuous development of the energy management and transmission processes on the Electric MPU, plus looking for other types of units, factories, chassis, etc, plus seeking strategic alliances and collaborations with other suppliers, and also looking for alternatives for underground mining.”
Blasting with real-time understanding
Dyno Nobel is not the only company looking at BEV developments in the explosives and blasting space.
Orica is exploring the development of a battery-electric Mobile Manufacturing Unit™( MMU™) for delivering explosives in blasting areas to help reduce GHG emissions and, in the process, contribute to cleaner and more sustainable mining and civil operations.
More broadly, Orica Blasting Solutions’ growth focus hinges on providing high energy and enhanced control products for deeper and harder mining operations. Nigel Pereira, VP of Commercialisation for Orica, told IM that these two aspects represent distinct but related challenges.
“ In copper operations, future orebodies are being discovered at depths exceeding 900 m, introducing new operational demands,” he explained. Operating at such depths underground comes with elevated ground temperatures and the risk of increased seismic activity where mechanised development machines like the company’ s Avatel™ solution could help automate the drill and blast process.
In surface operations, deeper mining brings with it critical wall control challenges, opening up the opportunity for Orica Digital Solutions’ Geotechnical Specialist Services( GSS) to provide sensor-agnostic remote monitoring and analysis tools. This same environment is associated with constraints in mobilising“ real estate”, Pereira says, which can be overcome by using wireless initiation systems like WebGen™ to enable new mining methods not possible with wired alternatives.
These same applications also require blasting solutions tailored to the rock conditions, according to Pereira.
“ Our 4D™ bulk system technology focuses on intelligent energy management rather than brute force,” he said.“ Unlike conventional explosives with fixed profiles, 4D delivers the right amount of energy for each geological condition, resulting in more consistent fragmentation and reduced highwall damage – even in challenging rock formations.” This system is complemented by BlastVision ® technology for blast performance monitoring – tracking everything from flyrock control to wall stability and overall blast effectiveness.
As part of the company’ s research and development program, Orica is undergoing trials of several“ promising” solutions that could aid these efforts.
At an Australian coal mine, trials are underway as part of Orica’ s‘ Deep program’ to extend deep application capabilities beyond the current limits using 4D technology.
“ We are also developing enhanced fragmentation control technologies, with excellent results emerging from coal and metal operations in Asia and Latin America,” Pereira reported.“ These trials have shown
International Mining | AUGUST 2025 45