TOMRA Mining’s advanced technology and unique experience in designing and installing large-scale ore-sorting plants were key to the successful completion of the world’s largest lithium sorting plant. The sorting installation, part of Pilbara Minerals’ P680 Expansion Project, has a capacity of more than 1,000 tonnes per hour, and demonstrates the power of TOMRA’s cutting-edge technology to improve overall ore recovery and reduce energy consumption through early and effective waste reduction.
Pilbara Minerals, a major player in the global lithium supply chain, has successfully commissioned the world’s largest lithium ore sorting plant at its Pilangoora Operation in Western Australia. Powered by TOMRA Mining’s cutting-edge sensor-based sorting technology, the facility breaks new ground in hard-rock lithium processing, improving lithium recovery and increasing final product quality, while significantly reducing energy consumption through the elimination of waste early in the process. The new facility is part of Pilbara Minerals’ P680 Expansion Project.
The large-scale project for the design and installation of the new crushing and ore-sorting plant was delivered on schedule, within the deadlines set by Pilbara Minerals.
The successful delivery hinged on the effective collaboration and coordination of the teams from TOMRA Mining, Pilbara Minerals, international companies involved in the manufacturing and shipping of components, and multiple contractors on the work site.
“The success of this project is a testament to TOMRA Mining’s collaborative approach and capacity to deliver innovative, large-scale, high-capacity sorting solutions tailored to the unique demands of our clients, providing continuous support from the testing and design phases right through to installation, commissioning, and beyond,” says Gavin Rech, Area Sales and Technical Manager Australia at TOMRA Mining. “What’s more, the scale and success of this plant have demonstrated to the mining industry the benefits and capacity of sorting.”
Successfully addressing a key challenge: processing ore
One of the challenges in lithium mining is managing spodumene ore whithinn barren host rock. These non-lithium-bearing materials, some with densities similar to lithium-rich spodumene, complicate traditional metallurgical methods and can reduce the efficiency of downstream processes.
TOMRA Mining tackled this challenge with its high-precision sensor-based sorting technology: 10 sorters — 4 TOMRA XRT COM TER for fines, 3 TOMRA XRT COM2.0 for mid-sized particles, and 3 TOMRA PRO Primary Color for coarse-sized particles.
The commissioning of the world’s largest lithium ore sorting plant has delivered a sorting capacity of 1,000 tonnes per hour. The facility’s ability to remove barren material upstream enhances the efficiency of downstream processes, reducing energy consumption by 8–15 GWh annually, and ensuring consistent product quality.
“The ore sorters enable a better utilisation of the resource as they remove contamination from the ore upstream,” explains Gavin Rech. “This means that the wet plant does not use energy, water, and reagents to process barren ore, and that the contamination doesn’t reduce the efficiencies and recovery of the downstream plant. In addition, our sorters’ high availability and efficiency ensure consistent quality feed for the processing plant.”
Collaboration: The Cornerstone of Success
The successful completion of this project owes much to TOMRA Mining’s collaborative approach, which emphasized partnership and adaptability throughout the process.
TOMRA’s involvement began in 2017 with geological assessments and bulk test work conducted at its Sydney Test Center. These tests validated the performance of the sorting equipment under operational conditions and formed the basis of the sorting plant design.
The TOMRA team worked closely with Pilbara Minerals and engineering partner DRA Global on every aspect of the project from equipment testing to plant layout and operational integration.
During installation and commissioning, TOMRA mobilized a global team of specialists from Australia, South Africa, Germany, and beyond to ensure the project met the deadlines. This effort culminated in a seamless ramp-up to full operation.
This hands-on support continues with a 24-month service contract, providing on-site support 7 days a week, 365 days a year to optimize sorter performance and address any operational challenges.
“The global collaboration on this project has been an excellent demonstration of the core TOMRA value set of Passion, Innovation, and Responsibility,” concludes Gavin Rech.
TOMRA Mining
TOMRA Mining designs and manufactures sorting technologies for the global mineral processing and mining industries. The company’s solutions aim to transform how natural resources are processed to maximize recovery and minimize our ecological footprint.
As the global market leader in sensor-based ore sorting, TOMRA Mining is responsible for developing and engineering intelligent technology to deliver resource efficiency and reshape the industry for the better.
Follow TOMRA Mining on Facebook @TOMRA.Sorting.Mining, X @TOMRAMining, LinkedIn at TOMRA Mining and on YouTube at TOMRA Mining.
TOMRA Mining is a part of TOMRA Group. TOMRA was founded on an innovation in 1972 that began with the design, manufacturing and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers.
Today, TOMRA is leading the resource revolution to transform how the planet’s resources are obtained, used and reused to enable a world without waste. The company’s business divisions are TOMRA Food, TOMRA Recycling, and TOMRA Collection.
TOMRA has approximately 105,000 installations in over 100 markets worldwide and had total revenues of about 14.8 billion NOK in 2023. The Group employs 5,000 globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The company headquarters are in Asker, Norway.
For further information about TOMRA, visit www.tomra.com
