As the mining industry faces unprecedented pressure to reduce water consumption, lower energy costs, and meet stricter environmental regulations, dry grinding technologies are moving from niche applications to mainstream solutions. At the forefront of this transformation is the Vertical Roller Mill (VRM).

The Energy Advantage That Matters

Comminution—the process of crushing and grinding ore—remains one of the most energy-intensive stages in mineral processing, often accounting for the majority of a plant‘s total energy consumption. Traditional tumbling mills (ball mills, SAG mills) are notoriously inefficient. This is where VRM technology offers a compelling alternative.

Compared to conventional tumbling mill systems in the mining industry, the VRM system’s energy consumption is approximately 30–40% lower per ton of material processed. For a medium-sized mining operation processing 5 million tons of ore annually, this reduction can translate into millions of dollars in energy savings each year.

VRM: Not New to Industry, But New to Mining

While VRMs have been trusted for decades in cement production, coal grinding, and slag processing, their adoption in hard-rock mineral processing has accelerated only recently. More than 3,000 vertical roller mills are already in operation across over 100 countries for cement and industrial mineral applications. That extensive track record provides a solid foundation for VRM deployment in mining.

Test work and industrial applications have shown that VRM dry grinding technology can effectively replace autogenous (AG) grinding mills, semi-autogenous (SAG) grinding mills, and ball mills for almost any type of ore. The technology is proving particularly effective for gold, copper, iron ore, and phosphate applications.

Beyond Energy: Sustainability and Water Savings

Perhaps even more significant than energy savings is VRM‘s ability to eliminate water from the grinding circuit entirely. Traditional wet grinding consumes vast quantities of water—one of mining’s most critical and increasingly scarce resources.

Stefan Baaken, Managing Director of Loesche Australia, framed the challenge directly: “The mining industry is in a transitional phase. Energy is becoming more expensive, and renewable energy is becoming more important. Water is a precious resource and is no longer available in some mining areas. Beneficiation processes must be adapted to lower grade ores, and tailings dam safety must be improved. Today, miners must think outside the box to find solutions to these challenges.”

VRM-based dry processing directly addresses three of these four challenges—energy, water, and tailings.

How VRM Works

Vertical roller mills combine grinding, drying, and classification in a single machine. Material is fed onto a rotating grinding table while rollers press down to crush and grind the particles. An air stream lifts the ground material to an integrated classifier, where fine particles are separated and collected while oversize material falls back onto the table for further grinding. This integrated design eliminates the need for separate drying equipment, classifiers, and material conveyors found in conventional circuits.

The Bottom Line

For mining companies operating in water-scarce regions (Chile, Australia, South Africa, parts of China‘s northwest), facing rising energy costs, or managing tailings storage challenges, dry VRM technology offers a viable pathway to more sustainable and profitable operations.