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INNOVATION

Q A

&

A string of successful mine developments
across Africa have placed Perth-
headquartered Lycopodium Minerals Pty Ltd
at the forefront of project development and
processing plant design in the gold sector.
GMJ spoke to Lycopodium managing director
Peter de Leo about the company’s approach
to technical and cultural innovation.

GMJ: Innovation and technological advances
are playing an increasingly important role in
the gold sector. How does Lycopodium stay
on top of developments?

Peter de Leo: Lycopodium is routinely engaged by
gold companies to deliver bespoke, techno-economic
optimum projects and unique ESG framework or
standards for their projects. We pride ourselves in
delivering a tailored solution for each project.

Where is your innovation drive coming from? Similarly, we have excellent relationships with OEMs
and technology developers and collaboratively
PDL: We have a culture of continuous improvement
assist in the development and integration of their
and innovation led by our process and engineering
new equipment or emerging technologies into a gold
teams. Our teams remain abreast of the leading
processing plant. Lycopodium is also partnering with
technologies in industry and we have numerous
a number of clients in pursuit of improved construction
industry firsts in terms of process configurations,
techniques and enhancing our modular processing.
equipment applications and plant configurations in
the gold industry. We are sought out internationally Are there broad problems clients are looking
for our ability to reliably implement new and emerging
for innovative solutions to or are their needs
technologies into gold processing plants.
specific to their individual projects?
Recognising the value of innovation, we have patents
in place for many of our innovative solutions, which PDL: The pursuit of lower costs by the gold industry,
provides us with a clear differentiator as an innovator both capital and life cycle, continues to drive
in the gold industry. innovation. This is not a new topic and always remains
in the fore. Clients have a minimum expectation that
How do you work with clients and suppliers to Lycopodium will, in all instances, look after their best
create innovations? interest regarding the upfront, operating and sustaining
costs for a project.
PDL: We participate across industry committees and
Specifically, clients are increasingly pursuing ways of
technology groups and cooperative research centre
treating lower grade ores, either via highly selective
projects and engage with universities through research
underground mining, minimising waste haulage or
groups.
removing gangue with ore sorting.
We have long-standing relationships with many clients
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is
and industry colleagues, built over the delivery of
simply a key facet of maintaining a sustainable gold
many projects. These trusted relationships afford the
mining sector. Lycopodium embraces the challenges
opportunity for Lycopodium to assess, trial, develop
these standards require which has resulted in
and integrate new technologies within their projects.
innovative solutions to reduce our environmental
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