The Critical Metals in Copper Mine Tailings Project Marks One Year of Research
This January, the multi-university team working on the ABOR-funded research project to assess critical metal content in Arizona’s copper mine tailings marked the end of a successful Year 1. The year started strong with the team forming partnerships with companies across Arizona’s mining sector. After that it was an eventful year of site visits, sampling expeditions, and drone flights over some of Arizona’s biggest tailings facilities (and some of its smallest!), resulting in more than 5 terabytes of data collected.
Using cutting-edge methods (and inventing a few new ones), the research groups are mapping out the mineralogy of each tailings facility. The remote sensing team, led by Dr. Dean Riley, has been using data from drones, airplanes, and satellites to spot tailings facilities and identify the minerals they contain. And to peek inside of them: Dr. Ben McKeeby at NAU has been flying drones equipped with ground-penetrating radar, thermophysical instrumentation, and more to look at the 3-d characteristics of some of the tailings sites. The results will help show what minerals are present, how different particle sizes are distributed, and what the subsurface structure of each facility looks like.
But even the newest and most inventive project needs boots on the ground. The project’s field team, led by Dr. J.D. Mizer, has visited numerous tailings storage sites, digging up surface samples, collecting slurry samples, and filling sample jugs with the water standing in tailings.
Returning to UA, the team has been processing the samples for assaying and distribution to the rest of the researchers on the project. Behind the scenes, students worked to compile geological, mineralogical, and production records from Arizona’s mines. The team’s database of copper mine tailings across the state is growing fast.
We’re looking forward to building on Year 1’s success in Year 2, continuing fieldwork and launching our experiments on critical metal extraction. Stay tuned for more updates!
Our Copper Mine Tailings Project Welcomes a New Researcher!
Dr. Peter Kueffer has joined the team as an Inorganic/Analytical Chemist. With over 20 years of experience, Peter will be establishing sample digestion protocols and subsequent mineral characterization methods primarily by means of ICP-MS and ICP-OES. He will also create a current compositional database for a variety of mine tailings which can be referenced for the efficiency of subsequent extraction and beneficiation endeavors.
Previously, Peter has been involved in developing cancer therapeutics, projects involving destruction of chemical warfare agents and has experience in EPA compliance labs.
Peter is excited to be back on the University of Arizona campus where he earned his degrees!
His wealth of knowledge and experience will be a true asset to this Project and we are thrilled to have him on board!
J-MARS/J-EARTH Partnership with ABOR’s Copper Mine Tailings Project
We are excited to announce that we will be partnering with the team that brought you JMARS. This exceptional team will be developing a visualization tool that will be used by our team to view plots, help us perform quick analysis of data, allow access and sharing of data, grayscale stretching, contour mapping and more.
JMARS or Java Mission-planning and Analysis for Remote Sensing is a planetary geospatial information system tool that allows scientific planning and analysis. It was first made available to the public in 2003, having initially been used for the THEMIS mission in 2001. It is one of the top 25 Java applications ever written (The 25 greatest Java apps ever written (oracle.com)).
For more information on JMARS visit: jmars.asu.edu
Introducing J.D., our new Postdoctoral Researcher
We are excited to welcome Dr. J.D. Mizer to the research team! J.D. is joining us as a Postdoctoral Researcher after 10+ years in the Arizona minerals industry, including exploration geology, geotech, and exploration management, following a Ph.D. in economic geology from the University of Arizona in 2018. J.D. brings extensive experience and a wide range of interests and expertise to the research on critical metals in copper mine tailings.
J.D. is looking forward to bringing his experience back to UArizona and contributing to the mining industry through his exploration and academic perspectives.
Welcome to the team!
