Sources and sinks for potentially hazardous elements in mine waste

Mining is important to the Canadian economy but also generates large quantities of waste rock. Water percolating through some waste rock piles dissolves metals that can become hazardous to ecosystems. Laboratory tests are used to simulate this process. The intern will examine a suite of samples from a multi-year laboratory test to identify the source minerals and new minerals (sinks) that may have formed during the experiment. She will also work with the partner to determine the mineral reactions that occurred during the tests. The focus will be on nickel and cobalt, two metals mined in Canada and used for electric car batteries. The partner organization will benefit from access to cutting-edge analytical equipment at Queen’s

Faculty Supervisor:

Heather Jamieson

Student:

Allison Surrette

Partner:

pHase Geochemistry Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Queen's University