Paterson & Cooke UK is excited to be part of the new Critical Mineral Equipment Hub (CMEH) in Cornwall.
What is the Critical Mineral Equipment Hub?
The CMEH is a brand new, nationally unique facility for the Geo-Resources sector based at the Camborne School of Mines (CSM), with equipment also hosted at the Paterson & Cooke Cornwall Laboratory, Bluecap Resources, and Petrolab Ltd as key stakeholders.
It provides state-of-the-art green mineral processing equipment and expertise, including for copper, lithium, tin and tungsten, that are important for continued UK economic growth in a rapidly expanding market.
This initiative is funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund and forms part of Cornwall County Council’s Good Growth Investment Plan. The Hub makes high-quality mineral processing resources accessible to the region’s industry, as well as to the research and development sectors, while expanding business opportunities globally.
Why did Paterson & Cooke UK get involved?
Paterson & Cooke (P&C) has a longstanding relationship with Camborne School of Mines, offering:
- Guest lectures
- Dissertation project support
- Recruitment of graduates and alumni
It has been a principle of P&C to support CSM by providing knowledge of the most relevant developments in the mining sector. With particular focus on both our technical and core skills, not only knowledge of slurry transport, dewatering and underground backfill but also engineering principles, process control and the integration of test work with process design.
Through this symbiotic relationship, P&C gains enhanced testing capabilities and facility expansion, while simultaneously supporting the significant and highly active mining sector in the region.
How Does This Impact Our Laboratory Capabilities?
Our United Kingdom laboratory has already received and started to use some of the new test equipment, with further deliveries expected, ensuring full operational capacity by March 2025.
The test equipment both expands and compliments the current equipment at our Cornwall laboratory and includes:
- Tube Viscometer & SLIPER Sliding Pipe Rheometer* – Enables testing of a broader range of slurries, improving precision in slurry transport analysis.
- ISObar Cement Strength Testing Unit – Complements existing backfill test work, allowing comparisons of alternative binders to typical cements.
- Geotechnical Test Equipment** – Expands our ability to analyse filtered tailings.
- Bottle Rolls for Leaching Testing – Enhances our mineral processing capabilities.
- Hydrocyclone Test Unit – Provides various diameters to refine PSD sample preparation and test cyclone performance.
