Czech chemical company Draslovka says a new commercial partnership with Silicon Valley technology firm Avathon can accelerate adoption of AI-driven mineral process monitoring and operating systems in mining.
Privately-owned Draslovka, which paid US$521 million for US-based Chemours’ mining solutions business in 2021, has invested heavily in mineral process stream sensors and its MetOptima “metallurgical optimisation AI engine”. It says the combination with Avathon’s autonomy platform can help miners lift mineral recoveries and stabilise plant throughput via “real time mineralogy and metallurgical AI”.
The Draslovka-Avathon offering could also be used to lower reagent, energy and operating costs and help digitise and automate maintenance. Under their agreement Draslovka and Avathon would collaborate on go-to-market initiatives and joint commercialisation of the combined offering.
“This partnership with Avathon allows us to deliver Draslovka’s real-time mineral and slurry monitoring technologies as part of an integrated operational platform, answering the growing industry demand for optimisation and autonomous decision making,” Draslovka CEO Pavel Bruzek said.
Draslovka says it is best known as one of the world’s largest producers of sodium cyanide, a chemical vital for gold mining, but claims its “most important contribution to the mining sector is its Glycine Leaching Technology (GLT), a proprietary leaching technology for gold, copper, nickel and cobalt that offers a more sustainable and economic alternative to conventional methods”.
In 2022 Draslovka acquired Western Australia-based Mining and Process Solutions and the GLT developed at WA’s Curtin University, saying at the time the “market-ready solution to reduce reliance on cyanide used in the gold mining industry” had important, wider potential applications in base metals.
It is now realising that potential. Draslovka says glycine enables non-toxic extraction of metals through selective leaching. “Glycine isn’t chemically consumed, is recoverable and recyclable – providing cost-effective extraction and process control when paired with MetOptima and Blue Cube technologies,” the company says.
SparkCognition, formed in Austin, Texas, in 2013, became Avathon towards the end of 2024 when it also moved its HQ to San Francisco.
“Mining customers are looking to connect plant-level optimisation with enterprise-wide operational resilience,” Avathon CEO Pervinder Johar said. “Through our collaboration with Draslovka, Avathon delivers that bridge – combining real-time process intelligence with autonomous operational management to drive smarter, more resilient operations.”
