CASE STUDIES

• Adrenaline Motorsport
• Cornwall Convertibles
• Golder Paste Technology
• Lockheed Martin UK
• Somar
• Watson-Marlow Bredel Pumps Ltd
• Zoeftig

REPORTS

Advanced Engineering and Aerospace

Founded in Canada in 1960, Golder Associates has grown into a one of the world's most respected ground engineering and environmental services specialists, with more than 150 offices across six continents.

The group offers an extensive array of technical consultancy and engineering services to clients in many different sectors, with the mining industry being one of the most important. Its subsidiary Golder Paste Technology Ltd (PasteTec) focuses on sustainable solutions to disposal of mining waste products, advising clients all around the world on the development and application of mine backfill and surface waste strategies and technologies. In 2007, the company opened an office in Cornwall to support its European operations and client base.

As Nick Slade, PasteTec's Regional Manager for Europe, explains, the decision was based on the need to cater to increasing demand from European clients, while the choice of Cornwall as a location owed much to the fact that several staff in the parent company had trained in the county's world renowned Camborne School of Mines. A base in Cornwall puts the company in a good position to tap into this rich and long-established seam of mining and ground engineering know-how. "There's a lot of scope to collaborate on potential research," he says, "and we're actively exploring this at the moment."

Nick himself had studied at Camborne School of Mines in the early 1990s before going on to work in the mining and tunnelling industry, spending eight years in the metals mining industry in Australia. "It was fantastic to be offered a chance to get back to Cornwall," he says, "and particularly to work for such a dynamic company involved in consulting, construction and operations."

Nick believes that even in today's climate of economic uncertainty, medium-term prospects for the sector are excellent: "Over the next few years we're looking forward to continuing growth in demand for the sort of services we offer in both mining and non-mining applications. The ongoing development of countries like China and India towards becoming developed industrial economies will drive sustainable demand for a range of mined commodities. And in parts of the world where water may be a scarce and increasingly expensive resource, in very cold and very hot climates, paste technology systems of the sort we develop enable major reductions in water usage, as well as helping to minimise the overall environmental impact of operations, allowing operators to manage risk more effectively."

Technology

The aim of "paste" technology systems in which PasteTec specialises is to transform wet, slurry-like material into much more stable material with a toothpaste-like consistency. One of the main applications is in mining, which typically produces waste product known as "tailings", often held in large dams adjacent to mines and associated processing sites. These can be hazardous, not only because they may contain toxic heavy metals but also because of the sheer volume of liquid contained by large earth structures.

Reducing the surface area and water content of the material makes it significantly easier and less risky to handle and dispose of. This is particularly useful where mining tailings are put back underground as "backfill" to replace ore-bearing material. Using paste-like backfill makes for a much more stable end result and enhances a mine's ability to produce more metal product at a quicker speed.

PasteTec undertakes analysis of tailings to ascertain whether they are suitable for treatment in this way and what is needed to engineer the material in order to achieve this. The company can then carry out every stage of the process from conceptual design, pre-feasibility and feasibility studies through to detailed engineering work to create the full plant specification.

Non-mining projects include waste management applications such as treatment of ash from coal-fired power stations, which can be processed into a thick, cemented product for more secure and efficient disposal. There are also possibilities to use paste technology, coupled with PasteTec's water treatment knowledge, to help deal with contaminated material resulting from dredging operations.

Clients

PasteTec's international client base mainly comprises mining companies with operations in various European countries, the former Soviet bloc and North Africa. But some projects are much closer to home: with the revival of interest in tin mining at South Crofty in Cornwall, PasteTec has undertaken conceptual work on tailings disposal at the site. It has also advised an Australian company that is looking into the possibilities of exploiting tungsten and tin deposits at Hemerdon Ball near Plymouth.

Workforce

All eight employees working for Golder Paste Technology (Europe) Ltd are based in Cornwall. Their experience spans the full spectrum of disciplines relevant to the company's work: process engineering, mining engineering, mechanical engineering and structural engineering. The company is currently planning to substantially expand its team in response to increasing workflow, and as part of this will be moving to larger offices at the end of 2008, in Falmouth's impressive new Discovery Quay development.

Support

"InvestinCornwall (formerly known as Cornwall Pure Business) gave us lots of information on potential locations, rental terms, availability of grants and so on," says Steve Wilson, a project manager at PasteTec who was closely involved in setting up the company's Cornwall office in 2007. "They also put us in touch with the Wheal Jane Group, a network of Cornwall-based businesses involved in mining consultancy, minerals testing and related areas. I was really impressed by their positive and supportive attitude - and by the fact that there was no charge for their very useful advice."