Mineral Resources Mary M. Poulton, Director - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• J. David Lowell Institute for

Mineral Resources

Mary M. Poulton, Director mpoulton@email.arizona.edu

Our Purpose: Culture Change = The New Face of Mining

The Lowell Institute:

• Fuses intellectual

disciplines

• Is responsive to

stakeholder needs

• Engages communities
• Conducts use-inspired

research

• Makes important

discoveries

• Is entrepreneurial
• Has permeable boundaries
• Is engaged globally

To create a diverse workforce that:

• embraces sustainable resource development,
• uses modern science and technology,
• understands social and legal conditions,
• is globally focused

Our Mission

• The Lowell Institute for

Mineral Resources is a leading global center for mineral resources that bridges basic and applied research and education in the fields of science, social science, engineering, health, business, leadership, law, and that works with leaders to adopt new ideas, policies, and technologies to enable more compatible mining.

Reclaimed sand and gravel mine, now a golf course- Marana, AZ

The Challenges

• Lowering fresh water use
• Lowering energy use /

renewable energy

• Healthy and safe

communities and workforce

• Improving our

understanding of the global mineral resource inventory

• Improving environmental

stewardship

• Lower operating costs
• Social license
• Informing law/policy

decisions

• Educating the next

generation

• Engaging our communities

Reclamation by Freeport McMoRan – Bisbee, AZ

Our Focus Areas

• Geosciences – Lowell Program in Economic

Geology

• Economic Geology
• Structural, Geochem, Min/Pet, etc
• Mineral economics
• Oil/Gas exploration
• Mining & Geological Engineering
• Operations
• Geomechanics
• Sustainability
• Processing/Extractive Metallurgy
• Health/Safety – Center for Mine Health and

Safety

• Risk Management
• Exposures
• Training
• Environment – Center for Environmentally

Sustainable Mining

• Water
• Air quality
• Reclamation
• Communities
• Law – Global Center for Resource Law and Policy
• Indigenous peoples law
• Master in legal studies for mining
• Social/Community
• Development Practice
• Capacity Building
• Economic Development
• Entrepreneurship/Leadership
• Professional Development

Lowell Professional Field Geology Course

Globally Engaged

• Pan American Hub for

Compatible Mining

• Latin America Natural

Resources Academy

• Undergrad certificate

in International Sustainable Resource Development

• Dean Carter US-Mexico

Bi-National Center

• Many collaborations in

Mexico

• Close collaborations in

Canada, Australia, Peru, Chile

• Ties in Asia

100,000 Strong in the Americas Program Launch January 2014, US State Department

Flexible Organization

• Create and disseminate

knowledge in service to our communities – externally focused and stakeholder driven

• Faculty teams – small group

starts new focus area

• Technical Advisory Committee

(TAC) – faculty, industry, government professionals establish plans for research, teaching, engagement for each thematic area

• Centers – mature group with

established funding

• Board of Directors – industry

leaders advise on strategy and

• perations, provide connections

to industry and other stakeholders

Doug Silver (l), Orion Capital; Tom O’Neil (r), former COO Cleveland Cliffs 2013 Lacy Distinguished Lecture. Silver is Chair of IMR Board

Use-Inspired Research

Overviews of:

• Geology
• Mining
• Extractive Metallurgy
• Environment
• Health and Safety
• Law
• Communities

University San Xavier Mining Laboratory Student Manager Nick Carouso

Lowell Program in Economic Geology Eric Seedorff, Mark Barton, Mathew Steele-MacInness, Pilar Lecumberri-Sanchez

• Understanding of the

natural inventory

• Improving but limited:

(1) by empirical knowledge, (2) by scientific understanding

• Accessibility of that

inventory

• Distribution in the

Earth – the geology

• Non-geologic (political

[& technical]) issues

• The human capital to

assess, produce, and remediate the geological mineral inventory

• 1 year Professional Science

Masters in Economic Geology

• MS and PhD programs
• 3 10-day field courses

Ore Forming Systems

Eric Seedorff, Mark Barton, Mathew Steele-MacInness, Pilar Lecumberri-Sanchez

• Topical studies
• development and

application of analytical techniques to resource challenges

• Deposit and district

studies

• applied science for

expanding and improving reserves and production

• basic geology and

genesis of ore systems

• 4-D geological

framework studies

• regional context for

exploration, assessment and policy

Mineral Characterization

Robert Downs, GEOS

• Develop

comprehensive, searchable database for all known mineral species

• Raman spectra
• XRF
• Chemistry
• Pictures
• Database website
• http://rruff.info

Used on Mars Curiosity Rover mission

University Mineral Museum

• 19,000 mineral specimens with special emphasis on Arizona

and Mexico

• Started in 1892
• 7,000 micromounts
• Meteorite collection
• Miners’ Story – digital archive
• Interviews with miners
• YouTube – Miners’ Story
• Also on Facebook

San Xavier Mining Laboratory

Steve Gravley, Director

• Commercial production in

1880

• San Xavier Mining

and Smelting Company

• Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn deposit
• UA leased #6 shaft area

for teaching in 1958

• UA purchased property for

$1 in 1975

• 90 acres of land
• Training Center built in

2010

• State of art hoisting

facility

• Use for research and

teaching, safety training

Department of Mining & Geological Engineering

Sean Dessureault and Victor Tenorio

Mine Operations Technology

• Only control center laboratory in

a university mining program

• Can operate/simulate large mine

from this room

• Use to test new approaches,

software, and train mine dispatchers and managers, explore new ways to convert data to information to action

• Data mine social media data

Photo courtesy of Pete Brown, College of Engineering

Department of Mining & Geological Engineering

Moe Momayez, Eric Lutz, Krishna Muralidharan

Innovative Solutions for Heat Management in Hot Mines

• Heat Strain
• Identify the primary/secondary factors contributing

to heat strain risk assessment models (job-task, shift, and workers body mass index)

• Geothermal Heat
• Molecular dynamics modeling allows the

development of geopolymer-based material with high mechanical strength and extremely low thermal properties

• Ventilation-on-Demand
• Integrated optical fiber distributed sensing and

computer modeling to estimate the distribution of contaminants help automate monitoring, management and delivery of fresh air

• Emergency Response Methodologies
• Develop “draft” protocol for hot-mine emergency

response: contingency cooling, rapid evacuation, shelter-in-place Funding from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

Department of Mining & Geological Engineering

John Kemeny, Kwangmin Kim, Moe Momayez

Geomechanics

• Weaken rock to lower energy

cost for grinding and increase drilling rates 10-100x

• Track energy cost by block unit

in mines to optimize energy use and cost

• Mine to mill optimization
• Improved blast optimization and

slope stability

• 4D data collection for slope

stability, use of drones

Department of Mining & Geological Engineering

Gail Heath, Mary Poulton, Moe Momayez

Sustainability

• Geosensing - automated, 4D

data collection for compliance and safety

• Fluid flow
• Liner integrity
• Stability
• Warning alarms
• Renewable Energy
• Develop floating solar panels to

minimize the evaporation from the supernatant water in tailings ponds and generate renewable energy at the same time

• Floating panels have:
• Adjustable buoyancy (depending on

the type and weight of the solar panel)

• Modular design
• Remote controlled

KGHM International – Carlota Mine Miami, AZ Floating solar panels – patent Pending, commercializes as RePower LLC

Department of Mining & Geological Engineering

Brent Hiskey, Jaeheon Lee, Jinhong Zhang, Isabel Fay Barton

Processing/Extractive Metallurgy/Geometallurgy

• Silver Hydrometallurgy
• Leaching with Lead Nitrate (Pb(NO3)2)
• Acantite (Ag2S) and other silver sulfides

leaching

• Leaching behavior in anaerobic

conditions

• Bioleaching – mesophiles and extreme

thermophiles

• Alternative Lixiviants –Thiosulfate,

Thiocyanate, Thiourea

• Intensive and silver cyanidation
• LIX and amine extractants
• Ammonia leaching
• Rare Earths
• Re-use of mine tailings
• Atomic force microscopy for flotation
• ptimization
• Geometallurgy – ore characterization,

mineralogy

Center for Environmentally Sustainable Mining

Raina Maier, SWES, James Field, CHEE and many other faculty

• Phytostabilization of Mine

Tailings in Arid Environments

• Metal Speciation in

Arid Mine Tailings

• Rosemont Re-vegetation
• Binational Copper Mine

Tailings Native Plant Inventory Project

• Mine Site Re-vegetation
• Fate and speciation of

metal(oids)

• Groundwater protection
• Education modules for

indigenous communities

Funding from NIEHS and Mining companies

Health/Safety Research

Jeff Burgess, Eric Lutz, Mary Poulton - CoPH

• Biodiesel Emission Exposure in

Underground Mining

• Impact of Formal Risk Management System
• n Lost Time Injuries
• Thermal Stress in Hot Underground Mines
• Evaluation of In-ear Noise Dosimetry in

Underground Mining

• Health/ Safety Economics
• Age, Injuries, and Costs in the Mining

Industry

• Fatalities and Disasters in Coal Mining
• Mine Community Arsenic Exposure
• Active learning for improved safety training
• Serious gaming simulations for training

(English-Spanish)

• Translated training materials into Spanish
• Mining Institute for Supervisor Leadership

Funding from NIOSH, MSHA, Alpha Foundation and Mining companies

Global Natural Resources Law Center

John Lacy, Mary Poulton, Rogers College of Law

• For lawyers and non-

lawyers

• International focus
• Master of Legal Studies

(MLS) 30 units

• Law Masters (LLM), JD

certificate

• Online

Charles Jeannes, CEO, Goldcorp 2014 Lacy Distinguished Lecture Law alum and benefactor

ARIZONA LAW OVERVIEW

• Top-tier U.S. law school
• 100 years of training lawyers (founded in 1915)
• 37 full-time faculty
• Broad expertise and extraordinary depth in areas
• f environmental law, indigenous peoples law and

policy, and international trade and business law

• Numerous faculty conducting research in areas

related to mining law and policy

• Exceptional professors of practice with mining-

focused practices

• Global student body, with 1/3rd of students coming

from outside the United States.

• More than 7,200 alumni in 50 U.S. States and 40

countries

1

Master in Legal Studies (MLS) Specialization in Mining Law and Policy

• Addresses the gap in understanding by

management, investors, lawmakers and civil society organizations about the importance of law and policy in all aspects of the mining industry:

• Mining tax policy basics
• Land ownership laws
• Public-private partnerships
• Intellectual property
• Water, land, air environmental protection
• Indigenous and vulnerable communities
• Stakeholder communication
• Ethics, corruption
• International focus

Social License and Community Engagement

• Center for Indigenous Peoples

Law

• James Anaya, James Hopkins
• UA Superfund Research Program
• Pan American Hub for

Compatible Mining

• Education outreach program
• Pam Wilkinson
• Masters in Development Practice
• School of Geography and

Development

• School of Anthropology

Pam Wilkinson reaches 10,000 students and teachers each year in their classrooms to talk about mineral resources

Economic Development

• UA Tech Park
• 1,345 acres
• 2 million square feet of office space
• 40 companies
• 6,500 employees
• $2.3B economic impact
• Demonstrations
• Solar Zone – largest grid-scale solar demonstration

facility in world, 225 acres, 10 companies

• Focus Areas
• Advanced energy, arid lands ag, defense, smart vehicles,

mining

• Global Advantage
• Help companies do business in US
• The Offshore Group
• AZ Center for Innovation
• Help launch new companies/technologies
• Community economic development
• Asset mapping
• Economic corridors
• Bisbee project

https://techparks.arizona.edu

Entrepreneurship and Leadership for Mining

Eric Seedorff, Mark Barton, Mary Poulton, and IMR Board

• Focused on geologists

creating junior and small mining companies

• mineral economics
• valuation
• acquisition
• negotiation
• investor relations
• taxes
• capital markets
• contract law
• social license
• expropriation
• ethics and corruption
• J. David Lowell, UA alum and benefactor

Most successful discoverer of copper deposits in world

Policy and Advisement

• Brief staff for all Arizona

federal representatives and senators

• Arizona Mining Caucus in

state legislature

• Planning sessions with

legislators and regulators and industry

• Poulton - Chair

Committee on Earth Resources for National Research Council of National Academies

Staff for Arizona congressional delegation

Impact

• 27 disciplines across 10

colleges

• >200 faculty and

students

• >250 industry

professionals involved

• >1,300 professionals in

short courses

• 80 companies
• 27 countries
• 10,000 students/teachers

reached each year

• 9,000 miners trained for

safety

• International

collaborations

• 12 companies started

New Faces of Mining

Next Phase – International School

• f Mineral and Energy Resources

(ISoMER)

• Build strongest mineral resources cluster in world,

starting with:

• world’s broadest mining-related university with

linkages to energy sector

• strong international partners
• Western Cordillera - largest metals belt in world
• build on IMR success,
• Dave Lowell interest, UA support
• engagement of many other partners (e.g. mineral

museum)

• Let’s create the model for 21st Century New Face of

Mining

Exploration Feasibility/Development production Closure

Engaging Innovating Partnering Synergy

International School of Mineral And Energy Resources (ISOMER)

Scope

• Emphasis on interdisciplinary and international graduate education

and support for undergraduate programs

• PhD minors
• Master degrees
• Graduate certificates (e.g. mining entrepreneurship, sustainable

resource development, etc.)

• Collaborative degrees (e.g. mining law)
• Professional education (short courses, field courses, workshops)
• International student exchanges
• Support research and technology transfer
• International industry, academic, government, civil society

collaboration

• Advise on policy
• Community engagement
• Communication and networking
• International “Think Tank”

The Plan – Faculty

• up to 18 faculty positions shared with existing departments
• 5 Professors of Practice
• Mining Engineering
• Metallurgical Engineering
• Chemical/Environmental Engineering
• Economic Geology, Mineralogy
• Mineral Economics/Mine Finance
• Health and Safety
• Mining Law
• Reclamation
• Social License/Policy
• $40M endowment (fund each at $70-80k/yr each)

The Plan – Students and Operations

• Up to 45 graduate fellowships
• $35M endowment ($25-50k/yr/student)
• Activities – research investments, workshops, international

collaborations, outreach, short courses, distance education, field courses, etc

• $20M endowment
• Operations, labs, staffing
• $35M endowment
• Space/Infrastructure
• $20M
• Total=$150M ($5.2M/yr cash flow plus one time $20M for

space)

Our Sponsors and Partners

• Science Foundation Arizona
• David and Edith Lowell
• Freeport McMoRan Copper and Gold
• Peabody Energy
• Newmont Mining
• Resolution Copper
• Hudbay (Rosemont Project)
• BHP Billiton
• Arizona Rock Products Association
• Anglo American
• Barrick Gold
• ASARCO
• Caterpillar
• Animas Resources
• Bronco Creek Exploration/Eurasian Minerals
• Mineral Zone
• Arkenstone
• William Pinch
• Oracle Mining
• Atlas Copco
• Empire Equipment
• KGHMI
• International Royalty Corp.
• Dark Pulse Technology
• Idaho National Laboratory
• Nevada Copper
• Far West Mining/Capstone Mining
• Rio Tinto
• 3M
• Teichert Materials
• Salt River Materials Group
• Vulcan Materials
• Golder Associates
• Mining Foundation of the Southwest
• NIOSH
• NIEHS
• MSHA
• USGS
• Arizona Geological Survey
• Coeur d’Alene Mining
• Gomez International
• HL and Linda Boling
• Hecla Mining
• Mark Savitt
• Bruce Marsh
• Minera Escondida
• Entrée Gold
• Sustainable Development Strategies Group

Help Shape the New Face of Mining – Be a Partner

For more information visit www.imr.arizona.edu