Annual Meeting Preliminary Program - Full Brochure (PDF) - SME

TECHNICAL PROGRAM
10:05 AM
Sulphate Solutions for this New Problem
M. Martikainen 1 and P. Rantam 2 ; 1 Kemira R&D Center, Espoo, Finland
and 2 Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
The mining industry is known to be a large consumer of water. The waste streams
from mining operations contain various types of impurities, such as sulphates,
heavy metals and cyanides. These impurities make the water undesirable both for
reuse within mine water circuits and for disposal to the environment. Sulfate is
one of the most common anions present in mine effluent water, and the environmental
risks are often secondary compared to heavy metal leaching, for example.
As a result, regulatory standards concerning sulphates have been limited or even
non-existent; however, regulatory agencies are increasingly concerned about the
high sulphate amounts in the effluents, and the regulatory standards for sulphate
are likely to become more stringent. It is well known that removal of SO4 to levels
below 1200 ppm is difficult to accomplish economically. The main sulphate
removal methods can be classified as membrane filtration, biological treatment,
ion-exchange and chemical precipitation. All these methods have their own advantages
and limitations. In addition, every mining location is unique, and therefore
the appropriate treatment should be tailored according to the mine site.
10:25 AM
Mixer Design Studies for Liquid-Liquid Mixing in Solvent
Extraction
V. Gupta, Z. Huang and T. Olson; Group Research & Product Review,
FLSmidth Salt Lake City Inc., Midvale, UT
In solvent extraction process, two immiscible liquid phases (organic extractant
and aqueous pregnant leach solution) are mixed in a stirred tank such that one
phase will be dispersed as droplets and the other phase will be the continuous
phase. During mixing, a uniform droplets size distribution through shear dissipation
from an impeller is desired for the efficiency of the extraction process.
Excessive shear will cause fine droplets which will stabilize the emulsion, resulting
in loss of valuable metals and expensive extractant. Low shear will cause the
inefficient mixing between the organic and the aqueous phases and results in
phase separation. The objective of this study is therefore to understand the liquidliquid
mixing through droplet size distribution, phase disengagement time, and
residence time. The effect of different impellers geometry, size, type, and location
in a stirred tank were investigated. CFD studies were conducted on the selected
impellers to understand the mixing and flow patterns generated by the impellers.
The fundamental understanding of the liquid-liquid mixing will help engineers to
better design the mixing process in solvent extraction.
Mining & exploration:
Geology: rare earths, thorium, and Potash:
america’s Future
9:00 AM • Wednesday, February 27
chair:
9:00 AM
Introductions
J. Kutsch, Thorium Energy Alliance, Harvard, IL
9:05 AM
Molycorp Vertically Integrated Business Strategy
D. Cordier; Geology, Molycorp, Greenwood Village, CO
The Molycorp integrated mine to magnetics supply chain strategy is to produce
custom engineered materials from 15 different light and heavy rare earths, as well
as from a number of rare metals. These materials go into smart phones, computers,
energy efficiency lighting, hybrid and electric vehicles, advanced wind turbines,
and many other technologies.
9:45 AM
Thorium, Rare Earth&Molten Salt Reactor-future of Energy
J. Kutsch; Thorium Energy Alliance, Harvard, IL
Th, RE, MSR Presentation: Thorium, Rare Earths & Molten Salt Reactors (MSR)
- the Future of Industry and Energy John Kutsch, Executive Director of Thorium
Energy Alliance. The proposed talk would briefly review the entwined history of
Thorium and Rare Earths. The talk will also review how Thorium can be used to
produce vast amounts of energy and that by using Thorium, it will free the west to
refine Rare earth metals as a second source for Rare Earths and create a second
player in the market to defeat China’s monopolies on rare earth supplies.
10:05 AM
The Diverse Potash Resources of Utah
A. Rupke; Utah Department of Natural Resources, Utah Geological
Survey, Salt Lake City, UT
Potash activity is at a high in Utahs history, and the resources are found in diverse
geological settings including brines, bedded evaporites, and alunite. Currently,
potash is being extracted or investigated in all of these settings within the state.
Great Salt Lake Minerals harvests brines of Great Salt Lake to produce potassium
sulfate, and they are currently permitting expansions. Near Wendover,
Intrepid Potash exploits subsurface brines of the Great Salt Lake Desert for production
of potassium chloride. Subsurface brines are being evaluated elsewhere
in the Great Salt Lake Desert and at Sevier Lake playa. Near Moab, Intrepid
Potash solution mines deep evaporites of the Pennsylvanian Paradox Formation
to produce potassium chloride. At least three companies have begun exploration
of the Paradox evaporites in other areas of southeast Utah. Utah also hosts the
largest alunite deposit in the country and one company is exploring this deposit
as a source of potassium sulfate. Given the diversity of the potash resources of
Utah, existing production, and extensive exploration, Utah may play an important
role in future domestic production.
10:25 AM
Global Availability Update for Rare Earths
J. Gambogi; USGS, Reston, VA
Rare earth elements (REEs) are used in important applications such as batteries,
catalysts, magnets, phosphors, and lasers. Although REEs are abundant in the
earths crust compared to many metals, there are few producers of REEs. In 2011,
China was estimated to produce more than 97 percent of the worlds REEs. In recent
years, prices for rare earth oxides and metals have risen dramatically, production
licenses and export quotas have been imposed by the Chinese
Government, and global consumption has increased. A review of active projects,
prices, recycling initiatives, supplies, and trade patterns provides insight into the
near- and long-term availability of these materials.
10:45 AM
Neodymium in Rare-Earth Deposits on a Wolrwide Basis
J. Hedrick 1 and S. Sinha 2 ; 1 Hedrick Consultants Inc., Burke, VA and
2
Rare Earths R Us, Dayton, OH
Neodymium is the leading rare earth in demand for both wind turbine generators
and elecric motors. The availability of neodymium will be assessed by examining
the rare-earth contents of the major rare-earth mines and deposits. Based on this
data, the theoretical amount of neodymium that could be extracted at economic
or near-economic costs will provide an estimated of our surrent and future supply.
Demand forecsts from the U.S. Department of Energy will be used as a basis
to deremine if the available supply is sufficient for future needs or if a shortfall
will exist.
9:25 AM
Rare Earth and Energy Independence
J. Kennedy; ThREE Consulting, St. Louis, MO
Thor, the God of Thunder, was Mankinds protector and was responsible for
keeping the worlds climate in balance. So it is almost divine providence that
Thorium will one day fill this roll in our lives. Learn how Thorium and Rare
Earths are the key to solving the environmental crisis and the economic crisis.
The question is who will control both, China or the West.
This is the Technical Program as of September 1, 2012. IT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
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Please see the Onsite Program for final details.