A systematic review on the sustainability of slurry pumps in the mining industry

Mining and mineral processing is an essential industry that provides the raw materials driving modern life. Despite its importance, the industry is characterised by high energy consumption. While significant attention is provided to energy savings in the comminution circuit during mineral processing, pumps are often overlooked. This paper presents a systematic review of slurry pumps and their digitalisation in the mining industry; this study is motivated by the need for sustainable pumping solutions following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) press release on climate change. The study delves into the impact of slurry on pump performance, shedding light on the significant energy costs associated with pumps, factors affecting this overlook and available techniques for measuring pump efficiency effectively. Furthermore, an analysis of pump application life cycle data across design, installation, commissioning and mature operation phases uncovers that pumps consume 18–28% of plant energy and 7% of site water. Despite the abundant literature on pumps, no holistic review of their sustainable deployment has been found. This paper introduces simple sustainability metrics to draw attention to this aspect and offers practical recommendations for achieving both power and water savings. These metrics are introduced as a new concept in this paper; they are inspired by field experience and incorporate a triangle of pump availability, efficiency and water utilisation. It is a simple and dynamic way to capture snapshots of pump operation and its overall sustainable performance over time. In addition, with the rise of digitalisation, the paper conducts a market review to explore available solutions for efficient monitoring and performance tracking. The review explores the substantial potential of digitalisation in monitoring the performance of slurry pumps, addressing their continuous health evaluation, and identifying sustainability improvements related to energy savings, water utilisation and embedded carbon reduction.