NSERC recognizes 海角社区 innovation
Mining and minerals engineer James Finch and his team honoured with Leo Derikx Award
Canada鈥檚 leading mineral processing research group at 海角社区 University, along with Vale Inco, Teck Cominco, COREM, Xstrata Process Support, and SGS Lakefield have won the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada鈥檚 (NSERC) 2008 Leo Derikx Award, a special Synergy Award named after the former director general of research partnerships at NSERC. The presentations were made at a ceremony held in Halifax Sept. 25.
The 海角社区 team, led by mining and minerals engineer James Finch, has collaborated for two decades with the industry to pioneer a series of innovations that significantly improve the recovery of base metals from ore deposits. The award, and associated $200,000 research grant, was given in recognition of this longstanding collaboration.
鈥淭he 海角社区 Mineral Processing Group, led by James Finch, is recognized internationally for its excellence and technical innovation,鈥� said Denis Th茅rien, Vice-Principal (Research and International Relations). 鈥淲inning NSERC鈥檚 prestigious Synergy Award is recognition of James Finch鈥檚 position as an acknowledged leader in the global mining industry.鈥�
Dr. Finch and his team have focused on flotation cells 鈥� chemical reactors that permit separation and collection of target minerals from finely milled ore particles. The cells contain large volumes of aerated water, micron-sized mineral particles and various chemicals that help minerals attach to bubbles. The bubble-particle aggregate then floats up to form a froth that preserves the bubble鈥檚 integrity until it spills over the top, bursts and releases the target mineral into a trough. The researchers have made breakthroughs in both flotation chemistry and in the physics of gas dispersion used to create bubbles in the flotation cell.
The Synergy Awards for Innovation were launched in 1995 by NSERC to recognize partnerships in research and development between universities and industry. Since their inception, the awards have honoured the most outstanding achievements of university-industry collaboration and Canadian ingenuity.
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