FLOTATION
Close up of Jameson Cell at Valterra Platinum’ s Mogalakwena North
Located in Arizona, USA, Hermosa is a critical minerals project designed to supply zinc, manganese, silver and other metals essential to the energy transition. With a focus on maximising performance while minimising environmental impact, Hermosa is being engineered as a best-practice critical minerals operation. This made the Jameson Concentrator’ s compact footprint and energy efficiency the first key factor in its selection.
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With limited surface space, the Jameson Concentrator configuration reduced the flotation circuit from an alternative of approximately 22 conventional flotation cells to just 11 Jameson Cells, requiring only around 60 % of the footprint. Glencore Technology projections also indicate energy savings of approximately 30 % compared to a conventional tank cell circuit, reducing both operating costs and carbon emissions.
A second consideration was Hermosa’ s focus on automation and remote operation. The processing plant will be operated remotely from Centro, South32’ s operations centre in the nearby city of Nogales.
“ When you’ re designing a mine around automation and remote operation, fast process feedback and reliable data become essential,” commented Scott Martin, Glencore Technology’ s Sales Director, Americas.
“ The Jameson Concentrator is particularly well suited to this environment. With residence times of just five to ten minutes, compared to 40-60 minutes for conventional flotation circuits, operators can see the impact of process changes much sooner. That enables faster optimisation, more frequent control actions, and creates a strong foundation for advanced process control and future AI-driven operation.”
Operational flexibility was another factor influencing South32’ s selection.
“ One of the advantages of the Jameson Cell is that it gives operators options,” said Martin.“ As ore characteristics change, individual cells can be reassigned to different duties, allowing the circuit to adapt without major modifications. That’ s an important capability for a project designed to operate for decades, especially one operated remotely.”
By allowing cells to switch between roughing and cleaning duties, the circuit can be continually optimised as feed characteristics evolve throughout the life of the mine.
Together, the advantages of smaller footprint, lower energy consumption, automation readiness and operational flexibility, made the Jameson Concentrator a natural fit for Hermosa’ s long-term vision.
Hermosa provides a glimpse into how future mines will be designed and operated. In selecting the Jameson Concentrator, South32 has demonstrated that the next generation of mineral processing will be defined not only by recovery, but by technologies that enable smarter, simpler and more sustainable operations.
Glencore Technology’ s Jameson Cell also continues to deliver against its performance objectives at Valterra Platinum’ s Mogalakwena North Concentrator, with the operation reporting further mass pull improvements alongside higher concentrator recoveries.
The latest results build on the successful commissioning of four Jameson Cells at the concentrator, replacing 40 conventional flotation units. The installation supports Valterra Platinum’ s low mass pull strategy. It produces a higher-grade concentrate at lower volumes, reducing downstream processing, materials handling and logistics requirements.
In its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2026, Valterra Platinum reported that the technology delivered the full mass pull benefits anticipated in the original investment case while also providing a measurable recovery improvement.
Valterra Platinum CEO Craig Miller said the company’ s focus on operational optimisation had led to:“ a 15 % yearon-year improvement in mass pull and improved concentrator recoveries at the Mogalakwena North Concentrator following the implementation of Jameson cells.” Since commissioning, the project has reduced concentrate production by approximately 90,900 tonnes. The lower concentrate volume has delivered reported cost savings of ZAR203 million, reduced smelter electricity use by 70.5 million kWh and avoided approximately 73,000 t of emissions. It has also removed the need for around 2,600 concentrate truck movements.
These results demonstrate how the Jameson Cell can improve overall processing performance beyond the flotation circuit. By increasing selectivity and reducing the volume of material sent downstream, the technology lowers the processing, energy and transport burden associated with each tonne of valuable concentrate.
Valterra Platinum also highlighted the broader sustainability benefits of the technology in their interim results report:“ The deployment of Jameson cell flotation technology enhances processing efficiency by improving mineral recovery while reducing energy consumption and reagent use. Its compact design enables
48 International Mining | OCTOBER 2026