Around 20 million tons of Ammonium Nitrate (AN) explosives are used globally and causes significant CO2 greenhouse gas emissions and environmental issues. In addition they are hazardous to the environment and require high energy for production. Emissions from AN explosives lead to billions of dollars in post-processing and production downtime.
Why does this matter?
Because post detonation gas is highly toxic and the ventilation times required are long. Even longer for deep underground mines. Short- and long-term exposure to Nitrate fumes (NOx) leads to severe health issues. Ammonium Nitrate leads to leading to high levels of ammonia formation in leeching water and water treatment of nitrates and ammonia is expensive. Last but not least, the EU aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 compared to 1990.
Interview with Blake Morgan, Growth Manager at Hypex Bio Explosives Technology AB.
What is Hypex Bio?
Hypex Bio is an emulsion explosive based on hydrogen peroxide that can be used in a similar operational manner to conventional bulk explosives. It has been proven to deliver the same blast performance results as current, nitrate based, emulsions without generating toxic and environmentally harmful gases and water-born pollutants. Since hydrogen peroxide only consists of water and hydrogen, no other toxic remnants are formed. The use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer also offers a large reduction in total carbon emission compared with nitrate-based explosives due to its production being significantly less energy intensive. Based on EU averages, the use of Hypex Bio instead of conventional explosives can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90 percent.
Why develop a green explosive?
At Hypex, we firmly believe that the migration to a green, nitrate and ammonia-free explosives solution aligns with the mining industry’s green agenda and will have a positive impact on the sustainability transition of extractive industries. By helping the mining and metals industry to expand while simultaneously reducing its carbon and pollutant footprint, Hypex offers a proven and effective contribution to the green energy shift that the world needs to achieve a sustainable, prosperous future.
What has the Hypex team achieved?
To test our solution in a live environment and to address the many challenges that an ambitious project like ours entails, we have sought to work closely with partners, such as Boliden, who share our sustainability mindset.
This trail process resulted in the commercially ready solutions we have today. Through extensive testing and development, we have laid the groundwork for our transition into a robust industrial company with the capabilities to support and scale the technology, ensuring widespread availability, and implementation today and in the future.
Currently, our strategy focuses on demonstrating our platform in real production environments where customers and their operators get a chance to experience nitrate-free emulsion technology firsthand. These activities are ongoing in underground construction projects, as well as in mining and surface blasting. With these projects, we intend not only to further substantiate our extensive claims, but also to assure our customer base that we are a skilled and reliable technology supplier.
“Hypex Bio Explosives Technology AB has been awarded Boliden Supplier Recognition in Sustainable Innovation for their innovative approach to support Boliden to become the most climate friendly and respected metal provider in the world. Their customer centered development will significantly reduce the need for water treatment and the total C02 emissions.”
Ann Falk, CPO Boliden
What does the future hold?
With our solution’s environmental benefits driving a high level of interest and demand from current and potential customers, our core challenge is not achieving sales, but is instead building the capacity to meet the demand that we are already experiencing.
To address scalability and eliminate single points of failure, we have encapsulated our technology within a platform comprised of a structured array of products, services, and knowledge transfer. Our business model outside Scandinavia hinges on third-party distribution partners utilizing this platform, leveraging their ambition and capacity to implement it in their local markets where they already possess a strong market presence.
In addition to geographic expansion, we are listening to our customers and partners’ needs and actively working on a range of additional applications for our platform including surface down hole, sub-level stopping and up hole charging. In the future, we are also eager to leverage our data-ready platform to pursue integration with automatic charging hardware. Enabling a nitrate-free and sustainable explosives technology to be operated via an automated, digitized, and electrified charging method would not only address the ESG targets of the mining industry, but also significantly improve productivity and safety at the charging site.
This is one example of future technology that will allow for improved competitiveness and sustainability for the whole Swedish mining industry.
Photos: Hypex Bio Explosives Technology AB
