Minerals For Life: Overcoming Resource Constraints

Report

Programme and Abstracts

From 17-19 June 2013, the Mineralogical Society, in conjunction with the Geological Society, the British Zeolite Association and the IOM3held the conference ‘Minerals for Life’. The ambition of the meeting was to bring together those in academia with those working in industry to share experiences and skills. The programme was a strong one and a number of the speakers have agreed to allow their presentations to be copied below.

The mineral sciences span an increasingly broad range of subjects. The traditional core disciplines of characterization and classification have burgeoned in recent decades, as the range of analytical tools available has grown very rapidly along with our systematic understanding of mineral chemistry. Similar advances in exploration, mining and process engineering bring these fields to a state of advancement such that they would be unrecognisable to a practitioner of fifty years ago. Over the same timescale, our environmental awareness has developed greatly and the role of our subject remains at the core of many methods of environmental remediation. Moreover, it has helped foster environmental responsibility in operational practice. The science underlying minerals as functional materials covers many new fields, with wide applications spanning medicine, electronics, construction and many others, as we develop new applications for minerals and their products. The contribution of minerals to human well-being has never been more prominent than it is today. After all, if we don’t grow it or catch it, we must dig it from the ground!

The ‘Minerals for Life’ meeting was originally conceived as a way of bringing the best of current research activities to an audience spanning the minerals community as a whole.

The conference was very much a joint effort between the organising bodies. The Geological Society, The Institute of Minerals, Materials and Mining, The British Zeolite Association, and Mineralogical Society represent a combined membership of well over 20,000 people spanning the whole range of interests in mineral science and engineering. In addition, the contribution of the Environmental Radioactivity Network and staff at the Diamond Light Source has been invaluable.

The meeting was arranged around four broad themes with numerous cross-cutting presentations and ideas.

Thanks to the following who helped to make the conference a success:

Convenor: M. Tyrer
Organizing committee: J. Adams, T. Francis, F. Wall, M. Smith, T. Hartwell, D. Manning, J. Monhemius, S. Shaw, C. Kirk, D. Alderton, C. Greenwell, T. Milodowski, V. Coker, M. Hodson, S. Kelley, K. Goodenough, J. Harvey, S. Leese, C. Williams, L. Campbell

Session chairs: D. Alderton, F. Wall, A. Boyce, G. Christidis, C. Greenwell, S. Hillier, H. Heinz, M. Hodson, A. Finch, A.E. Milodowski, A. Benham, M. Tyrer, V. Coker, M. Tyrer, S. Shaw, R. Shaw, S. Norris, D. Read, A.E. Milodowski

and to the Mineralogical Society staff.

Sessions 1+ 2: Security of supply: Critical metals and other commodities

NERC SoS Minerals Programme: overview and update
Adrian Boyce

Cook Islands manganese nodules as a new source of rare metals
D.S. Cronan

Concentrating critical metals in alkaline magmatic provinces: what we know, and what we need to find out
Kathryn Goodenough, Adrian Finch, Frances Wall and Paul Lusty

The Proterozoic mantle source to carbonatite-hosted critical metal deposits and the role of phlogopite in hosting, transporting and concentrating the critical metals.
Dora Kavecsanszki, Kathryn R. Moore, Frances Wall, Paul A.J. Lusty

The mineralogy of responsible sourcing of rare earths
F. Wall and J.W. O’Callaghan

Substitution of critical raw materials
Catherine Joce

Resource security and the product supply chain
David Gardner

Achieving security of supply in a UK context
John Cowley

The EU and its EIP on Raw Materials – securing Europe’s future growth
Johannes Drielsma

Losing sleep over potash
David A. C. Manning

Struvite recovery in STW – Towards closing the phosphorus loop in the UK
Rosanna Kleemann

Ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of steel and aluminium
David Leal-Ayala

MgO and its role as a refractory mineral
C. Piribauer and Roland Nilica

A framework for reporting sustainability for the mining industry by using existing standards and reporting mechanisms
Oliver Heidrich, Richard Dawson and David A.C. Manning

By-product potential of critical metals (Nb/Ta/REE/W) and Sn within IMERYS kaolin operational areas, St Austell Granite, Cornwall
Ben Thompson, Robin Shail, Gavyn Rollinson, Richard Pascoe, Frances Wall and Pascal Hirtzig

Minerals in mine wastes: resources, recycling, remediation AUDIO
Karen Hudson-Edwards

Session 5: Engineering mineral functionality

Engineering functionality on clay surfaces
C. Detellier

Silicates and Phosphates in Nanobiotechnology: From Nanoscale Interfaces to Applications
H. Heinz

Sessions 6 + 7: Engineering mineral functionality
Novel ceramic casting slips for step change improvement in performance
J.M. Adams

An Electrochemical Approach to Study Carbonation of Lime Based Materials for Construction
Giovanni L. Pesce, Mara Serrapede, Guy Denuault, Richard Ball, Geoffrey Allen

The mechanical properties of kaolin-based coating layers and their influence on coated paper properties
J.C. Husband and J.S. Preston

Tubular halloysite
Stephen Hillier, Helen Pendlowski, Tony Fraser, Jean Robertson, Evelyne Delbos, Ian Phillips, Nia Gray and Ian Wilson

Hydraulic reactions in Lime Metakaolin mixtures
Giovanni L. Pesce, Richard Ball, Geoffrey Allen, Joao Rocha

Engineering minerals for performance applications – an industrial perspective
J. Phipps

A novel approach to identify trioctahedra smectites with X-ray diffraction
George E. Christidis and Eleni Koutsopoulou

The mechanical properties of mineral-filled polyolefins
J.M. Adams, C.D. Paynter, S Ritchie

Zeolite catalysts for selective methane oxidation
G.J. Hutchings

Properties and performance of a composite material comprising simulated consumer polymer waste – coal derived mineral residues
Herman Potgieter, Christopher Liauw and David Velado

Diagenetic silicates: New roles in reservoir quality, metal cycling and palaeo-environmental archiving
Nicholas J. Tosca

Global trends in building materials: Impact on Lafarge research directions
A. Jacquet

Session 12: Biomineralization: fundamental and applied research

Formation of iron minerals by Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria
Andreas Kappler

Vertebrate cells respond to nacre topography or chemistry?
Maggie Cusack, Matt Dalby, Peter Chung and Jeni Haggarty

Co-evolution of Phanerozoic ocean chemistry and CaCO3 biomineralisation
Uwe Balthasar and Maggie Cusack

Isotopic studies of earthworm secreted calcium carbonate – a novel palaeothermometer
Emma A Versteegh, Mark E Hodson and Stuart Black

Biominerals as Indicators of Past Climate – Promises, Potentials and Pitfalls
Adrian A Finch and Nicola Allison

Exploring microbial biomineralisation for contaminant sequestration from different waste streams
Bryne T. Ngwenya, Derek Martin, Kevin Dodds, Ian B. Butler and Marisa Magennis

Biomolecular studies of the diatom silicon transporter
Paul Curnow

Coupling bedrock weathering to microbial growth
Heather L. Buss, Laura J. Liermann, Mary Ann Bruns and Susan L. Brantley

Session 10: Carbon Capture and Storage

Carbon Capture and Storage: Meeting energy and mineral demands
Mercedes Maroto-Valer

Carbon capture by industrial minerals in soil
Carla-Leanne Washbourne and D.A.C. Manning

Nickel catalysts for capturing CO2
Lidija Šiller and Gaurav A. Bhaduri

Carbon capture and storage by mineralisation using serpentinites and ultramafic rocks
Antony Benham

Session: General

Multi-technique approach to characterize the inorganic matter in coal and its ashes
S. Potgieter-Vermaak, N. Maledi, N. Wagner, R.H.M. Godoi and J. Potgieter

Towards carbon-neutral cements
F.P. Glasser and M.S. Imbabi

The Hemerdon Tungsten Deposit, South Devon, UK: setting, geology and development
Richard Scrivener

Major Museum Rock and Mineral Collections as Research Resources
Rachel Walcott and John Faithfull

Session 11: Biomining and bioremediation

Using bacteria to break and make minerals in acidic liquors: industrial and environmental implications
D. Barrie Johnson

Microbial redox cycling of surface Fe ions in magnetite nanoparticles
James M Byrne, Nicole Klüglein and Andreas Kappler

Using bioremediation to remove uranium from groundwater
Laura Newsome, Kath Morris, Divyesh Trivedi and Jonathan Lloyd

Natural and enhanced bioreduction in hyperalkaline soils found beneath a chromite ore processing residue (COPR) landfill site 
Ian Burke

Bionanomineralogy; putting subsurface bacteria to work
Jonathan R Lloyd

Sessions 3 + 4: Minerals processing/recycling

Geometallurgy – a way towards better resource efficiency in mining industry
Pertti Lamberg

Nickel Residence in Goethite and Associated Fe-Oxyhydroxides: Strategies Towards Development of Laterite Specific Processing Methods
R.L. Norman, P.F.Schofield R.J. Herrington, S.E.Dann and C.A. Kirk

A novel process for combined recovery of aluminium, fluoride and graphite from primary aluminium smelting and aluminium finishing industry wastes
Diego F. Lisbona and Karen M. Steel

Industrial mineral products from mining waste
P.W. Scott

Ethical mineral production: Fair Trade for whom?
Gavin Hilson

Session 13: Use of large-scale facilities in mineral sciences and industry

New developments in micro-X-ray diffraction and XANES mapping at Diamond’s I18 beamline as applied to the mineralogy of earthworm granules
Fred Mosselmans, Loredana Brinza, Paul Schofield, Sophie Weller, Konstantin Ignatyev, Tina Geraki and Mark Hodson

Application of synchrotron based analysis for environmental pollution research: Case study of the Ajka aluminium plant red mud spill, October 2010
Ian Burke

Using soft X-ray spectroscopy for the characterisation of bio-nanoparticles
Victoria S Coker

The influence of iron oxide crystallization on the mobility of neptunium – synchrotron radiation and transuranic geochemistry
Pieter Bots, Sam Shaw, Gareth T.W. Law, Timothy Marshall, J. Frederick W. Mosselmans, Francis R. Livens, Melissa A. Denecke, Jörg Rothe, Kathy Dardenne and Katherine Morris

Use of Large-Scale Facilities in Mineral Sciences and Industrial Applications
Ian C Madsen

Sessions 8+9: Radioactive Waste Management – Engineered Barrier and Natural Analogue Systems

Engineered Barrier Systems for Radioactive Waste Management
Patrik Sellin

Assessment of the long-term performance of potential wasteforms for plutonium under conditions relevant for geological disposal in the UK
Guido Deissmann, Stefan Neumeier, Felix Brandt, Giuseppe Modolo and Dirk Bosbach

Mineralogical Comparisons of Experimental Results Investigating the Biological Impacts on Rock Transport Processes
Julia M. West, Doris Wagner, Antoni E. Milodowski, Joanna Wragg and Hideki Yoshikawa

Molecular-scale studies of radionuclide incorporation into mineral phases
S. Shaw

Natural analogues of mineral stability as key components of the geological disposal safety case
Ian G. McKinley, W. Russell Alexander, Susie M.L. Hardie, Elizaveta Klein and Ellie M. Scourse

Microbial ecology of the hyperalkaline Allas Springs (Cyprus), a natural analogue for cementitious radioactive waste repositories
Athanasios Rizoulis, Antoni E. Milodowski, Katherine Morris and Jonathan R. Lloyd

Cyprus Natural Analogue Project: what are the benefits to NDA-RWMD?
W.R.Alexander, A.E.Milodowski and S.Norris

Re-distribution of natural series radionuclides during mineral processing
D.M. Read

An analytical study of uranyl minerals from Cornwall, England
Richard Driscoll, Geoffrey Allen, Steve Parker, Daniel Wolverson, Richard Ball, John Mitchells, David Geeson and Imran Khan

Use of montmorillonite as a natural sorbent and effective remedy in human health
Y.М. Sapargaliyev, М.М. Kravchenko, А.Zh. Azelkhanov and Е.S. Suyekpaev

Posters

Resource efficiency of some apatite-bearing deposits
Safaa Al-Ali, Frances Wall, Richard Pascoe, William Dawes and Aoife Brady

Use of zeolite-bearing rocks of the Taizhuzgen deposit in agriculture of East Kazakhstan
А.Zh. Azelkhanov, М.М. Kravchenko, Y.М. Sapargaliyev and Е.S. Suyekpaev

Resource recovery and remediation of alkaline wastes
W.M. Mayes, M. Rogerson, I.T. Burke, D. Lisbona and J. Aumonier
Heavy rare earth elements in carbonatite: could late-stage apatite be a potential source?
S. Broom-Fendley, F. Wall, A.G. Gunn and A. Brady

Rare Earth Elements in Mine Waters
Matthew Holloway

Characterisation of potash-bearing evaporite deposits, North Yorkshire, UK
Simon J. Kemp, Doris Wagner, Ian Mounteney, Lorraine P. Field, Jeremy C. Rushton, Chris J. Milne, Jeremy P.L. Dearlove, Frederick W. Smith, Charlotte P. Bell and Tristan L. Pottas

Extreme REE enrichments in ultrapotassic alkaline rocks from Italy: roles of mantle anomalies, magma evolution plus fluid transfer, and economic implications
Angelo Peccerillo

Nanoparticle bioremediation
R.L. Skuce, D.J. Tobler, M.R. Lee and V.R. Phoenix

Identification of alkaliphilic and alkalitolerant microorganisms from a hyper-alkaline spring, and their impacts on the transport characteristics of sandstone
Sarah Smith, Jonathan R Lloyd, Julia West and A. Rizoulis

Kago low-sulfidation deposit: Mineralisaiton, genesis and relationship to the Nansatsu high-sulfidation system
Thomas Tindell, Koichiro Watanabe, Akira Imai, Ryohei Takahashi, Kotaro Yonezu, Adrian J. Boyce, Anders Schersten, Laurence Page and Takeyuki Ogata

Resource recovery and remediation of alkaline wastes
W.M. Mayes, M. Rogerson, I.T. Burke, D. Lisbona and J. Aumônier

Evaluating the swelling potential of treated clay minerals through computer simulation
H. Christopher Greenwell, James Suter, Richard L. Anderson, Peter V. Coveney and Steve Cliffe

Leak fluid chemistry control on 90Sr sorption mechanism in sediments
S.H. Wallace, S. Shaw, K. Morris, J.S. Small and I.T. Burke

Discussion at the end of the meeting, chaired by D.A.C. Manning, will be published at a later date.