Dredge Robotics is transforming process tank cleaning with a solution that mining clients swear by.
Dredge Robotics can’t keep mining clients away.
Such is the popularity and importance of its novel technology. Mining companies across Australia and around the world are turning to Dredge to deliver time-critical dredging jobs.
The company is able to safely dredge lined ponds containing contaminants at both ends of the pH spectrum while operations remain online.
While liner-safe dredging is a key Dredge application, the company is also known for its process tank solution, which sees compacted mud dredged from slurry tanks while they remain online.
This means mining companies don’t need to wait until a scheduled shutdown to carry out this traditionally time-intensive work. With Dredge’s solution, clients can harness robotic capabilities to not only safely clean the process tank on the first instance but model the tank to benefit future cleans.
According to Dredge Robotics chief executive officer Antony Old, once a client has tried the company’s process tank solution, they never go back.
“We haven’t had a client that’s done it once that hasn’t come back and done it as a repeat business task,” he told Australian Mining.
“Process tank dredging is one of those things where it’s a step change for the organisation, and sometimes it’s hard to understand where the benefits are going to flow to the business and how quickly.
“But once you start to see the benefits shake out in reality, it becomes a much easier, more cost-effective way of executing that work.”
Process tanks are subject to strict inspection regimens to meet statutory requirements and therefore need to be regularly cleaned to ensure inspections can be safely completed and tanks remain compliant.
By expediting a dredging job using Dredge’s technology, mine operators can stay ahead of the game and avoid costly unscheduled shutdowns caused by environmental issues or non-compliance.
Old said the Australian mining industry is prioritising innovation in new ways, which is in turn benefiting Dredge’s forward-thinking solutions.
“When large miners started adopting autonomous fleets in the last five to 10 years, people were intrigued but also sceptical by that as a concept,” he said.
“The technology has been increasingly proven in recent years, and for many majors autonomous fleets are now business as usual. We are seeing the same trend with our process tank solution.
“Miners are looking at our process tank solution and saying, ‘This different. This is very proactive’. And given they have been early adopters elsewhere, this solution could be more aligned with how they do other things.”
Golden opportunities
With gold prices continually notching record highs for the better part of 18 months, new gold mines are opening faster, and previously unviable sites are being reopened. And greater financial flexibility is enabling smaller miners to consider advanced technologies to benefit their operations, driving increased demand for Dredge’s solutions.
“With the gold price doing what it’s doing, and because of a few other drivers, we’re seeing some smaller miners getting clever about how they analyse their whole-of-life maintenance costs,” Old said. “This is seeing more miners realise the advantages of what we do.”
Another string to Dredge’s bow is the fact its robots can “dredge anything”.
“Whether its heavy mud, acidic overrun or even fly ash, our technology has proven itself in being able to dredge a large range of materials and exotic liquors,” Old said. “This gives clients peace of mind that when they engage us for a job, they know we can handle anything.”
As it deploys its advanced robotics across Australia, Dredge Robotics has become an industry forerunner – prompting mining companies to think differently about how they operate.
This is in turn creating a more forward-thinking Australian mining sector, and a more environmentally conscious one at that.
This feature appeared in the August 2025 issue of Australian Mining.
