Microwave Applications in Mineral Processing: Opportunities for Energy Savings and Smart Beneficiation

Join us this month as Professor Erin Bobicki discusses new innovations in sustainability. The depletion of high-grade ores, rising production costs, climate change, the increasing scarcity of fresh water, and the need for a social license to operate all necessitate the development of efficient and sustainable mineral processing technologies. The application of microwaves in mineral processing presents an opportunity for energy savings and improved mineral separation efficiency. This presentation briefly describes the fundamentals of microwave heating, discusses emerging applications of microwave technology in mineral processing, reviews results from our lab on the microwave processing of ultramafic nickel ores, and addresses common concerns regarding energy savings and scale-up.

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Dr. Erin R. Bobicki is a professor of mineral processing in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Toronto. She has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta and has worked as a researcher and plant metallurgist for Vale, and as a Process Technology Development Engineer for Intel. Professor Bobicki’s research interests include microwave applications in mineral processing, bioreagent development, bioseparation, the rheology of complex mineral slurries, and value recovery from waste materials.