Models quantifying the grade and tonnage of mineral deposits form the basis of important and costly decisions for planning, optimization and extraction of a natural resource. Models are initially generated from sparse exploration sampling; however, information is continuously collected until resource extraction. Predicted values that reconcile well with true values following extraction instill confidence in […]

This project attempts to improve on a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) based assessment system that is used to evaluate the thickness of the salt layer in the roof of Potash mining rooms to enhance mine safety. The goal is to improve the operation of the algorithm by studying the GPR signatures of known geological structures […]

The research project would involve developing and executing an experimental program to optimize the application of electrokinetic dewatering technology for oil sands tailings called EKS-DT developed by ElectroKinetic Solutions (EKS). This research will involve conducting a series of high priority experiments for process optimization and innovation. Three main research categories involving electrokinetic tailings consolidation modelling, […]

Teck Resources Limited is searching for a method to characterize and quantify the heterogeneity of ore based on numerous parameters. Naturally, when characterizing an ore body’s heterogeneity, the variability in the deposit can contribute towards the sortability of the deposit. The main objective of this research is to investigate a method to quantify the sortability […]

Over two years a post-doctoral fellow will investigate the electrostatic separation of potash. This will be accomplished experimentally by triboelectrically charging different materials, with and without conditioning agents, and then testing different separation techniques. Separation techniques will include electrostatic separation and a fines removal process. Electrostatic separation implementation in Saskatchewan may have multiple advantages, when […]

After identifying elevated metal concentrations in two seepages from a waste rock pile at Mount Polley Mine, an investigation was launched to determine the potential source as well as the implications for potential treatment. Evidence points to a previously unidentified source of acid mobilizing metals from the waste rock pile and being neutralized along the […]

The Decar Nickel District is located in British Columbia. With more than 2 million tonnes of Ni, the district represents a significant resource. The nickel occurs in an uncommon mineral awaruite which is an alloy of nickel and iron. Due to its strong ferro-magnetic properties and high density (SG 8.0) it should be easily recoverable […]

Conventional mining activities are composed of four distinct operation coming together. These operations are called; drilling, blasting, loading and hauling. As being the first step in this chain of operations, drilling quality and preciseness is very vital for the success and effectiveness of remaining components. Accurate drilling not only saves time to the company but […]

Arsenic (As) is a toxic metalloid that is widespread in the environment. Anthropogenic mining activities result in As being released from rock via mining activities in mine tailings, waste rock and process waters. ORANO has a proposed mine site expected to produce waste rock containing As and other metals/metalloids. This waste rock needs to be […]

The project aims to refine a process developed by Terra CO2 Technologies to use a small proportion of geopolymer cement made from mine tailings to solidify and stabilize a bulk volume of tailings against leaching and water contamination. Beyond tailings stabilization, waste mineral geopolymer cement may be advantageous as an environmentally-friendly replacement for Portland cement […]

The project has been defined to address the growing concerns of the mining industry towards sustainable copper production with low cost and environmentally friendly process option. The current processes for copper extraction are either expensive or have detrimental impact on the environment. This proposed project pertains to the development of a technology that applied green […]

Large deformation problems represent a new issue in the current Canadian engineering practice since the current numerical methods cannot adequately address these problems. Material point method (MPM) is a modern numerical technique with many potentials for applications in large deformation problems in geotechnical engineering. The main benefit of addressing large deformation problems is the estimation […]