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Lisa October and Diana Kasymova have been named the winners of the 2025 Mining Innovation and Research Battlefield following a fiercely competitive final round at Mining Indaba in Cape Town. The Mining Innovation and Research Battlefield (MIRB), convened by the Development Partner Institute (DPI) and hosted at Investing in African Mining Indaba, serves as a platform for groundbreaking ideas addressing mining’s most pressing challenges. This year’s competition focused on revolutionising tailings management through innovative and sustainable solutions aimed at achieving zero harm while fostering a more responsible and circular mining economy.
Following a rigorous selection process, three finalists were chosen from a global pool of applicants. They presented their ideas at Mining Indaba, the world’s largest African mining investment event, as part of the Industry Intel stream. The competition attracted a distinguished panel of judges from Anglo American, Trafigura, and the University of Cape Town, who evaluated each concept based on its potential for industry-wide impact.
Lisa October from the University of Cape Town, alongside Diana Kasymova of Metso, emerged victorious with their pioneering research on enhancing the water cycle in tailings management. Their concept introduces a distributed water circuitry system designed to maximise flotation performance while reducing waste, ultimately working towards zero water effluent waste. The judges were particularly impressed by their ecosystem approach, which positions water as a key enabler for sustainable tailings reclamation.
As winners of the 2025 competition, Lisa and Diana have been awarded a US$25,000 research grant, sponsored by Anglo American, to further develop their project over the next 12 months.Laura Nicholson, Content and Communities Director for Mining Indaba, praised the exceptional standard of innovation showcased by all finalists. She emphasised the growing impact of MIRB in fostering research-driven solutions for mining’s most complex issues. Nicholson said, “The calibre of ideas presented this year was remarkable. Each finalist demonstrated how tailings management can be redefined through cutting-edge sustainability strategies. Hyve Group is proud to have partnered with DPI in growing this initiative, which has evolved into a dynamic platform for industry transformation.”
DPI’s Executive Director Florence Drummond, , highlighted the competition’s dual purpose not only driving industry solutions but also cultivating future mining leaders. “MIRB is about more than just solving challenges, it is about empowering the next generation of innovators. This competition provides a rare opportunity for emerging researchers to gain exposure, build industry connections, and engage directly with senior leadership. The combination of technical innovation and professional development is exactly what the mining sector needs to drive meaningful change,” said Drummond.
Among the finalists was Vitor Loureiro Gontijo from the University of Queensland, who explored waste-to-wealth opportunities by co-processing uranium and copper tailings to extract rare earth elements and cobalt. Another finalist, Mwiza Muwowo of BioCarbonX, proposed an innovative project to convert tailings into biochar, a process aimed at decarbonising the atmosphere while simultaneously recarbonising the biosphere.
Judge Norman Mukwakwami of Trafigura commended the breadth of innovative thinking, underscoring the competition’s role in advancing responsible mining practices. Mukwakwami shared, “What stood out this year was the multi-faceted approach to tailings management. The finalists demonstrated how the future of mining is not just about waste disposal but about transforming waste into value. These ideas bring us closer to a reality where zero harm in tailings management is not just an aspiration but an achievable goal.”
