FLOTATION coarse particles. This represents an additional cost and complexity that most of our clients would like to avoid. It also requires the rejected fines to be treated elsewhere or remain lost in the process.”
In late 2024, Capstone Copper piloted Jord’ s NovaCell™ at its Mantos Blancos operation in Chile, without upfront classification, in a rougher tailings scavenging duty. The NovaCell™ pilot plant demonstrated up to 56 % copper recovery and consistently exceeded targets for upgrade ratio(> 6) and mass pull(~ 8 %). Importantly, this recovery was achieved using a single flotation unit rather than multiple cells in series. Mineralogy showed the NovaCell™ could effectively recover coarse(> 212 μm), poorly liberated particles(< 30 % surface exposure) that are typically lost in conventional flotation cells.
Sherwin adds:“ During the three-month trial, the feed to the pilot plant was highly variable; however, the plant remained stable without operator intervention, demonstrating the robustness of the NovaCell™ design.”
Brandon Akerstrom, Capstone Copper Director of Metallurgy, states:“ Capstone Copper recognises the significant value that CPF can bring to our operations. The NovaCell™ offers a distinct advantage by recovering valuable minerals across the entire particle size distribution generated by our existing comminution circuits. Moreover, it requires smaller downstream infrastructure to produce a marketable concentrate, significantly reducing capital expenditure compared to other CPF technologies we have assessed.”
Following the successful pilot campaign, the positive results supported progression to full-scale design. A detailed engineering study for the installation of Jord’ s NovaCell™ at Mantos Blancos in a rougher scavenger duty has now been completed. The proposed full-scale circuit uses a single NovaCell™ installed at the end of the existing circuit. Capstone is also progressing broader optimisation and expansion studies at Mantos Blancos, including a potential increase in concentrator throughput from 20,000 to 27,000 t / d.
Jord’ s NovaCell™ offers a differentiated approach to CPF circuits by processing the full particle size distribution in a single device, removing the need for upstream feed classification while recovering
Sherwin closes:“ By eliminating the upfront classification circuit in the CPF circuit, Jord has been able to provide a plant solution with a capital intensity( US $/ t Cu) significantly lower than a number of recently installed CPF circuits.”
Jameson Concentrators at South32 Hermosa and Valterra Platinum
South32’ s Hermosa project is setting a new benchmark for mine design, with Glencore Technology’ s Jameson Concentrator selected to support a safer, more efficient and increasingly automated processing operation.
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.
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
International Mining | OCTOBER 2026