McGill Members

Research Topic: Conducting research on the Self-Heating of Sulphides

In the Mining Industry, the self-heating of sulphides can cause major disruptions, hazardous environments and in some extreme cases, the loss of life. The research being conducted at McGill is to identify the fundamentals that cause a seemingly inactive sulphide to heat up without being exposed to an external heat source (self-heat). This research has shown that only some sulphides or a combination of sulphides when exposed to a “favorable environment” will self-heat. It has also been shown that self-heating proceeds in 3 distinct stages (A B and C). Past and currant test work has also been conducted in the attempt to mitigate the adverse effects of self-heating by the using chemical reagents.

Research Interests: Physical Separation, Design of Experiment, Optimization

Mineral processer with 16 years’ experience in applied academic research, Ozan Kökkılıç has a Ph.D. and solid knowledge and experience on mineral processing. Over the years, he gained significant experience particularly on the physical separation (comminution, size, gravity and magnetic separation) and flotation through the industrial research projects he participated at Istanbul Technical University, in Turkey. During his postdoctoral research at McGill University he worked in Prof. Jim Finch & Prof. Kristian Waters’s Mineral Processing Group and specialised on the dry gravity separation and centrifugal dense medium separation on gold, iron ore and rear earth minerals. During his Ph.D. thesis he also gained significant experience on design of experiment methods and he enhanced this knowledge as a member of McGill University, Mineral Processing Group. In addition to his research topics, he also assisted the Ph.D. candidates in the same area of expertise. Since 2017, he is continuing working at McGill University in Prof. Kristian Waters’s Mineral Processing Group as Research Associate.

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Research Interests: Froth Flotation, Frother Chemistry, SEM Image Analysis

With over 20 years’ teaching experience in both Canada and China, Yuehua Tan is very highly experienced in organizing presentation materials and making oral presentations. As fabrication nanostructured Pd membranes was part of her Masters’ study, access to the SEM and other facilities allowed her to develop analytical skills for material characterization. Recent research experience has involved not only frother/collector chemistry, but also self-heating, solvent extraction and Jameson Cells.

Research Topic: Flotation process and surface chemistry of minerals

Shiva joined the McGill Mineral Processing Research Group as a PhD student and investigated the applicability of inverse gas chromatography (IGC) to mineral flotation under supervision of Professor Waters. Later, during her postdoctoral fellowship, she evaluated the application of benzohydroxamic acid (BHA) to the flotation of sulfide minerals. Now, as a Research Associate, she collaborates in various research projects and co-supervises Co-Op students. Her specific research interests include:

• Froth flotation
• Surface chemistry
• Extractive hydrometallurgy
• Inverse gas chromatography (IGC)

Research Topic: The application of gas dispersion optimization to industrial flotation processes.

Mark’s research interests are in applying gas dispersion optimization to industrial flotation operations, with a focus on the measurement of gas dispersion and hydrodynamic indicators. Mark is interested in developing novel sensors and measurement techniques to achieve a better understanding of mineral processing.

Research Topic: Zeolite synthesis from coal fly ash and its application to heavy metals remediation from wastewater

Sofi's PhD research focuses on synthesizing zeolites from coal fly ash (CFA) to remove heavy metals (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺) from wastewater. By binding magnetite nanoparticles to the zeolite using colloidal PVA solution, Sofi created magnetic zeolites that can be recovered from water using a Wet High-Intensity Magnetic Separator (WHIMS). Her work demonstrated the efficient removal and recovery of metal-laden zeolites from treated solutions, promoting a sustainable water treatment process.

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Research Topic: Low temperature electrolysis of iron ores

Research Topic: Investigation into the surface chemistry aspects and beneficiation of graphite

Collin’s research is focused on the investigation into the surface properties and beneficiation of graphite. Graphite is one of the most versatile minerals used on an industrial scale. It is a key component of lithium ion batteries in addition to a variety of other uses. While flotation has been a commonly used technique for the beneficiation of flake graphite, it is difficult to achieve high concentrate grades due to cross pollution effects between the graphite surface and gangue impurities. In this research, the surface properties of graphite would be investigated using zeta potential, inverse gas chromatography (IGC) and reagent adsorption isotherms to better understand the interaction between graphite and flotation reagents. Beneficiation studies would be carried out using mechanical and pneumatic flotation cells while the possibility of pre-concentration would also be explored using magnetic and micro multi-gravity separators. The tests will provide new insights into the surface properties of graphite, improve graphitic grade and preserve flake size.

Research Topic: Modelling Flotation: Incorporating Process Mineralogy

This project will incorporate mineralogical analyses and flotation response into a more in-depth understanding of the factors involved in flotation. Therefore, different models will be applied to predict concentrate recovery and grade such as single rate constant and distributed rate constants (i.e., rectangular and gamma distributions). In addition, the goodness-of-fit of these models and the confidence interval of the parameters will be determined using regression analysis. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) could be applied for sample characterization. Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by Scanning Electron Microscopy (QEMSCAN) will be used for mineral evaluation, liberation, and association.

Research topic: Recovery of Nb-bearing minerals from Niobec ultra-fines

Ronghao's research in focusing on recovering fine (below 10 micrometers) niobium (Nb)-bearing minerals from Niobec slimes. Nb is a transition element that has been applied mainly in the steel making industry, among other cutting-edge applications such as superconductors and optics. The Niobec deposit, located in Quebec, Canada, is one of the few active mines producing Nb in the world, and is the only one located in North America. The current operation at Niobec produces fine particles during the grinding stage. As they are detrimental to the downstream flotation process, these fines are being discarded which results in significant losses of Nb. Therefore, the initiative of my project is to recover Nb-bearing minerals from these fines using various mineral processing techniques including enhanced gravity separation, magnetic separator, and flotation. It is expected that the knowledge gained through this project will be helpful for the current production at Niobec deposit, other Nb deposits, as well as industries dealing with fine particles in a similar size range.

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Research Topic: Investigation into relative froth height on flotation performance

Elmira’s research is focusing on measuring the effect of different relative froth heights on flotation performance. Understanding how froth height can affect the water content according to the desired flotation performance is critical. Also, she uses conductivity measurement in froth zone to quantitatively monitor and control the water content and froth behavior. The results can be applied in industrial flotation operations to satisfy the flotation responses

Research Topic:  Investigation of Gas Dispersion properties in frother and collector blends.

Jeff’s research focuses on the investigation of gas dispersion properties in frother and collector blends. This investigation is centered around the hydrodynamic properties of collectors and collector-frother blends. Specifically in a two-phase system through the utilization of several techniques developed at McGill. In addition to that, Jeff will be working on the development of a portable device and technique in accessing plant process water to help characterize the properties of the natural surfactants in the water as well provide information pertaining to froth stability.

Research Topic: Heat treatment of minerals and its impact on separations

Mandy's research during her master's centered on investigating the effect of temperature on bubble size in flotation on a lab scale; where a detailed methodology was developed to measure and determine the effect of temperature on bubble size (D32) using the two main frother types in industry. After successful completion of her master's degree, her quest to continue her education has expanded her horizon into researching on the conventional, microwave and plasma heat treatment of sulfide minerals to result in thermal fracturing and their impact in various separation processes, specifically flotation and magnetic separation (WHIMS), for her PhD project. 

Research Topic: Investigation into physical separation of Wollastonite and Sulphide ores through applied process mineralogy

Leader's research revolves around the physical separation (gravity and magnetic) of different minerals using applied process mineralogy. Recently, the focus of her work has been on stretching the use of physical separation methods (shaking table and Wet High-Intensity Magnetic Separators) to keep reagents out of the mineral processing systems, especially when processing industrial minerals such as Wollastonite and Diopside and eradicating unnecessary harmful chemical reagents' unfavourable impacts on the environment.

Research Topic: Sustainable energy transition.

Under the supervision of Prof. Kristian Waters, Teddy's Ph.D. research focuses on two key areas that contribute to the sustainable energy transition.

The first area involves conducting a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) used in electric vehicles, in collaboration with Prof. Alessandro Navarra. This research complies with ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 standards and includes a systematic review of current LCA studies on LIBs to identify gaps in the literature. Teddy’s work specifically focuses on the environmental impacts associated with the extraction and processing of lithium chemicals such as lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) and lithium hydroxide (LiOH), assessing energy consumption, pollution from chemicals used, and greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain. This comprehensive analysis aims to pinpoint the most impactful stages in the lithium production process and propose optimizations to reduce the overall carbon footprint of battery manufacturing.

The second area of Teddy's research, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Shiva Mohammadi-Jam, focuses on the recycling of graphite anodes from spent LIBs. They are developing a three-step process that adheres to graphite purity standards such as ISO 14697 and ISO 3262 for regenerated materials. The process begins with physical separation, using a shaking table to isolate graphite from other impurities, which increases the graphite’s carbon content from 95% to almost 99%. The second step involves acid leaching with phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) to purify the graphite further, raising its purity to 99.5%-99.7%. Finally, the graphite undergoes graphitization to restore its crystalline structure, making it suitable for reuse in LIB anodes. By following these standards and processes, the project aims to create a sustainable, cost-effective solution for graphite recovery, contributing to a circular economy and reducing the environmental impact of battery disposal.

Research Topic: Beneficiation of Canadian Lithium ore.

Research Topic: Extractive metallurgy of lithium from spodumene ores

Research Topic: Recovery of rare earth elements from sedimentary phosphate ore in Central Kyzlkum

Research Topic: Microflotation of copper-molybdenum ores using novel reagent

Helmi is a master's student at McGill University under the supervision of Professor Kristian Waters. His research interests lie in microflotation and surface chemistry, focusing on the flotation of chalcopyrite and molybdenite using novel reagents. With a commitment to advancing the field of mineral processing, Helmi aims to explore innovative approaches that enhance efficiency and selectivity in flotation processes.

Research Topic: Improvement and Optimization of coarse hematite flotation

This research focuses on the improvement of coarse particle flotation, which has been a long-standing challenge in the mineral processing industry, using an aerated fluidized bed technology. Through this research, we look forward to potentially decrease energy consumption related to comminution processes and recover any coarse particles lost in tailings. Youngbin look to investigate the effects of slurry rate, air rate and bed height (level) on the Eriez HydroFloat cell for iron oxides, namely coarse hematite particles. In addition to this, the effect of frother concentration on the bubble sizes (CCC) with the HydroFloat cell will be studied to be compared with data on a mechanical Denver cell.

Research Topic: Improvement and Optimization of coarse hematite flotation

Zolboo is a new Master student joining McGill in September 2022. His master research will be focus on Iron ore Concentrate samples upgrade for electrolysis. Before he joined this Minerals processing group, Zolboo used to work as an Underground hard rock Mining Engineer over 12 years.

Ray supports the large group of researchers in the field of mineral processing. The research targets all aspects of mineral processing. Crushing, grinding, gravity separation, magnetic separation as well as flotation.

Shop Coordinator

Since 1993 (over 25 years).

Organize and teach undergraduate laboratories.

Maintain lab equipment and fabricate custom research set-ups.

Control finances for budget and purchasing of lab equipment and supplies.