Last updated on April 27th, 2023 at 04:44 pm
In the presence of Mr. Arun Kumar Shukla, CMD, HCL, and Professor Rajiv Shekhar, Director, IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaborative and sponsored research projects was signed between Hindustan Copper Limited and Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) at HCL Corporate Office in Kolkata.
HCL, the only copper miner in India, owning all the operating mining leases of copper ore in the nation, has had its first technical collaboration with IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, which is a momentous occasion. At the moment, the majority of ore production comes from underground sources, and production levels are around four million tonnes per year.
The ore body’s complex geological characteristics and the increased depth of mining have caused various geotechnical and groundwater-related issues, along with technical and operational problems.
Safety standards and sustainability issues must also be HCL are in its expansion phase with about three-fold enhancement of ore production capacity wherein development activities in projects are either ongoing in nature or already planned in most of its mines. At present, the mined-out ore is processed at its own ore beneficiation plants, and the Metals in Concentrate (MIC) are sold partially in the domestic market and the rest in the international market.
As an institute of national repute, particularly in the fields of mining of minerals and its beneficiation and Earth Sciences, IIT-ISM, Dhanbad will play a key role in solving the emerging geological, technical, environmental, sustainable, and ore beneficiation issues to accomplishing the envisaged expansion program of HCL.
This MoU will cover HCL’s need for technical assistance from IIT-ISM in upgrading copper ore production by modifying mining methods with advanced technologies, improving productivity and safety in mines, getting environmental clearance, conducting various hydrological and hydrogeological studies, and exploring unconventional methods like geophysical exploration and remote sensing. The miners go deep into the earth to explore copper ore.
The miners go deep into the earth to explore copper ore. They use a variety of tools to excavate the ore, and then process it to extract the metal. The company wishes to partner with IIT-ISM to improve the Indian copper mining sector through R&D projects, training and development of HCL Engineers and Managers, skill set development and knowledge up-gradation in the areas of exploration, ore benefit, and various different statutory/ mine regulation amendments or related issues.
