COMPANY INSIGHT

ColdBlock Technologies: Setting a New Performance Standard in Sample Digestion

We believe there is a better way than the status quo in the sample digestion market. We provide laboratories with unrivalled solutions to improve productivity and increase profits through innovative sample digestion products with unmatched speed, simplicity and safety. Our goal is to offer an unrivaled solution in optimizing laboratory efficiency, productivity and safety while shattering your current sample preparation costs.

At ColdBlock Technologies we believe innovation is the key to survival.

As unexpected pressures mount, incremental improvements are no longer sufficient to cope with escalating labour issues, higher costs and lower ore grades. Therefore, many organisations must become more innovative, to help reduce capital, people and energy intensity, while boosting mining concentration.

To reap efficiency rewards, however, mining companies must overcome their traditionally conservative tendencies. By breaking the “business as usual” mindset, mining companies can free themselves to adapt practical applications that already exist in other industries and apply them to fit their current needs

More than half of the country’s coal mines are managed by pro-Russian separatist militia.

Credit: DmyTo/Shutterstock.

Why are ceramic and urethane linings so important for steel piping in mines?

Companies need to embed innovation into their corporate strategy, even if it starts small. Miners should consider modular technologies that allow companies to think big, but test small and scale fast. Mining companies should consider leveraging emerging technologies and enter alliances or joint ventures with technology providers and other companies already taking steps to harness organizational intelligence.

Lastly, operational realities need to be considered because altering industry realities with innovation often threatens the status quo.

Deloitte recently released its report identifying the top 10 issues facing mining companies; it indicated “innovation is the new key to survival.” The conservative mining industry needs to “adopt a truly innovative mindset” that includes incorporating an “entirely new design paradigm that leverages new information, mining and energy technologies to maximize value.”

At ColdBlock Technologies we believe there is a better way than the status quo in the sample digestion market. We provide laboratories with unrivalled solutions to improve productivity and increase profits through innovative sample digestion products with unmatched speed, simplicity and safety.

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The technology was born out of Brock University in St. Catharines Ontario Canada in 2009. The trajectory of the product development followed, through collaborations with other academic institutions and government partners. As with many start ups, the journey moved from initial research collaborations, prototype development, validation of technology in research setting, commercial prototype development, Company incorporation in 2014, and finally to validation in commercial setting and commercial launch in 2015.

Since its launch ColdBlock has been the recipient of many awards including Mining Magazine Top Ten Technology Innovation in 2015, Build in Canada Innovation Award partnering with Geological Survey of Canada in 2015, Canadian Mineral Analysts Association Best Technical Paper in 2016 (Uranium), US Society of Mineral Analysts Best Technical Paper in 2016 (Large Sample Size Gold) and awarded a Two Phase project for Gold and Base Metals through Amira International.

More than half of the country’s coal mines are managed by pro-Russian separatist militia. Credit: DmyTo/Shutterstock.

Ceramic and urethane lining can work for varied mining applications?

We have extensive evidence of success in the mining industry Highlighted by a variety of publications in peer reviewed journals as well as conference presentations including Publications.

Analytical Chemistry and Research “ Rapid high performance sample digestion for ICP determination by ColdBlock digestions: Part 2 Gold determination in geological samples with memory effect elimination
Analytical Chemistry and Research “Rapid high performance sample digestion of base metal ores using high intensity infrared radiation and determination by nitrogen based MPAES
Talanta “ Determination of Gold and Silver in geological samples by focuses infrared digestions: A re-investigation of of aqua regia digestion.
Talanta “A novel methodology for rapid digestion of rare earth element ores and determination by MPAES and dynamic reaction cell ICPMS
JAAS “ Determination of Gold buy MPAES following MIBK extraction and ColdBlock digestion

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Conference Presentations

Canadian Mineral Analysts 2016 “ Application of ColdBlock Technology to the determination of rare earth elements, uranium and thorium in geological materials
Canadian Mineral Analysts 2016 “ A new Safe Rapid digestion method for Uranium Exploration using ColdBlock Digesiton technology
Society of Mineral Analysts 2016 “ Rapid digestion of large sample sizes ( up to 30g) for Gold analysis using a ColdBlock Digestion System
PDAC 2017 ““ Rapid digestion of large sample sizes ( up to 30g) for Gold analysis using a ColdBlock Digestion System
Canadian Mineral Analysts 2017 “Determination of Gold by MPAES following MIBK Extraction and ColdBLock Digestion.

All of the collaboration and work in the mining industry have led to installations of ColdBlock^TM Digestion systems all over the world in key mining and commercial laboratories. These partners and customers are supported not only by our Global distribution network, but also by our operations and research and development laboratory located in the Cairns Research Complex at the Brock University campus.

Our research and development and operations teams continue to evolve and develop our next generation of digestion systems and accessories for this truly innovative technology.

We at ColdBlock Technologies take great pride in the trajectory our innovative Canada company has taken from inception at Brock University to complete commercialization and global distribution.

Our goal is to offer an unrivaled solution in optimizing laboratory efficiency, productivity and safety while shattering your current sample preparation costs.

Eero Knuutila is Head of Service Development at Helsinki Airport.

Image courtesy: Helsinki Airport