Valve engineering and systems company Bürkert is helping mining companies around Australia supply critical minerals in an eco-friendly manner.
From soaring demand for critical minerals to intensifying sustainability expectations and volatile markets, today’s mining sector faces a number of escalating pressures.
Against this backdrop, digital transformation has emerged not just as a trend but as an imperative and strategic enabler for mining companies worldwide.
The global shift towards electrification, clean energy and smart technologies has dramatically amplified demand for lithium, cobalt, copper and rare earth elements. But despite surging demand, the industry must contend with rising operational costs, resource depletion, and limited new discoveries.
Meeting market expectations requires balancing growth ambitions with cost control and operational efficiency.
Mining companies are constantly challenged to increase productivity, reduce downtime, and lower operational costs, all while managing harsh, dusty and remote environments that complicate maintenance and safety.
Regulators, investors and consumers also increasingly demand transparency around environmental stewardship, waste and water management, and community impact.
As such, investments in modern mining technology are projected to exceed US$20 billion in 2025, according to industry analysis from agricultural technology company Farmonaut, driving widespread automation and Internet of Things (IoT) deployment.
Real-time sensor data enables fleet and process optimisation, predictive maintenance and optimal resource utilisation, reducing downtime and environmental footprint. The same technology can also improve environmental compliance and safety through continuous monitoring for dangerous conditions like tailings instability or equipment failure.
Bürkert’s technologies are already being used in Australian mines for mineral processing, tailings treatment, and environmental management. An extensive range of intelligent valves, sensors and automation solutions can be used to play a key role in enabling mining operations to collect, transmit and act on real-time process data.
In the abrasive and high-dust environments typical of mining, Bürkert products are engineered for durability while maintaining precision control. Smart flow, pressure and level sensors can provide continuous measurement of water, slurry and chemicals, integrating seamlessly with plant supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and IoT platforms.
Bürkert can also supply digital networked pneumatic valve islands and process automation systems that allow centralised monitoring and control, reducing manual intervention and improving safety.
Digital control units with built-in diagnostics help operators predict maintenance needs before failures occur. A good example is Bürkert’s side control digital valve positioner, which can be used in a wet or dusty environment.
In areas where it is not ideal for someone to service the valve directly, the positioner can be installed remotely, away from the valve, which avoids it being affected by vibration. The smart positioner is bleed-free, which means it doesn’t leak air when in a hold position: there is zero air consumption in a still state, improving energy efficiency.
By delivering high-accuracy instrumentation and robust communication interfaces (including all common industrial protocols such as EtherNet/IP), Bürkert enables mines to reduce water use, manage tailings more safely, optimise reagent dosing, and ensure consistent product quality.
These capabilities support operational efficiency and environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance, helping mining operations meet their sustainability and productivity goals in an increasingly data-driven industry.
This article appeared in the Spring edition of Mining Magazine.
