Metso Outotec has launched Geminex, a digital twin which manages variability in mining and metallurgical operations.

Geminex simulates and optimises operations in mineral processes by coming operational data from both internal and external data sources.

The technology can also be used by pyro- and hydrometallurgical processes, Metso said.

The Geminex technology uses HSC process models, which have already been implemented in hundreds of minerals flowsheet development processes, Metso Outotec said.

Metso Outotec said the technology minimises carbon footprint, maximises efficient use of resources, simulates the process without environmental or financial risks, and enables material traceability. The technology also increases profitability, and is easy to implement, the company said.

Geminex "provides a true end-to-end digital solution by enabling enriched decisions leading to optimised performance," Director for minerals processing digital solutions Jari Moilanen said.

Mine operators will be able to simulate and test operational scenarios and parameters with accurate process models and real data. This will enable better short- and long-term decision-making, and improves the use of resources.

"The increasing complexity of ores, the shorter global economic cycles and the faster changes in commodities demand, combined with strict sustainability targets, form an equation that requires a new toolbox," Metso Outotec technology director Kari Heiskanen said.

The Geminex digital twin is a part of the company's Planet Positive portfolio, which covers the environmental, social and financial aspects of sustainability.

Metso Outotec launched the Planet Positive initiative in March 2021, to help the mining industry achieve greater sustainability in its supply chains.