EXTRACTIVE METALLURGY

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES 2009

The courses for the gold industry are organised separately from these courses, for further details please contact Bill Staunton by email or phone (08) 9360 2236.

General information about courses

Who Should Attend?

Plant operators/metallurgists who wish to enhance/update their knowledge in analytical concepts and principles used in operating and assessing plant performance.

The courses require a reasonable level of skill in mathematics and / or chemistry and it is recommended that you bear this in mind when deciding which courses to attend. If you are unsure, please contact the presenter who can recommend some pre-reading.

Enhancing your qualifications

If you are interested in enhancing your qualifications in Extractive Metallurgy, these courses can be used towards Certificate, Diploma or Masters in Extractive Metallurgy. If you wish to discuss your options for qualifications please contact the Program Chair, Gamini Senanayake.

Attendance at Laboratory Sessions and Assessment components are mandatory for participants who wish to gain credit towards higher qualifications in Extractive Metallurgy.

Where

All courses will take place at Murdoch University in Perth, however, they are portable and can be delivered at any location.. If there is sufficient demand, courses can also be run on-site. For further details please contact Mike Nicol.

The courses will consist of interactive lecture sessions and workshops or case studies where there will be practical application of the principles covered. They are aimed at people who have either extensive experience in the industry or degree holders who have recently moved into the industry.

What do the fees cover?

This fee includes all theoretical and workshop sessions, course notes, morning coffee, lunch and afternoon tea.

Registration

Please download the registration form, complete it and return it to Extractive Metallurgy, by fax (08) 9360 6343 or by email.

We are unable to accept registrations without a signature. If you prefer to be invoiced, please email us with the relevant details and which course(s) you wish to attend.

Cancellation policy

If you find yourself unable to attend please let us know as early as possible. If you give fourteen or more days notice you can request a full refund. If you give 7-14 days notice you can either transfer onto a subsequent course or send a substitute. Unfortunately, with less than seven days notice you can only send a substitute for that specific course, if you do not send a substitute then we are unable to offer any refund. Different conditions apply if you have block booked a series of courses or are part of a larger group from a company on a course.

Hydrometallurgy courses

Mineral processing courses

HYDROMETALLURGY

Up to general information

The main presenter of the hydrometallurgy courses will be Prof. Mike Nicol who has over thirty years of experience in hydrometallurgy. Prof. Nicol will be aided by staff from the Extractive Metallurgy Department at Murdoch University and other selected expert speakers from industry.

The courses are suitable for people who currently are employed in the industry and would benefit from a refresher course in hydrometallurgy or who have not received specialised training in the science and engineering of hydrometallurgical processes. Others who will find these courses of particular value are graduates from other disciplines such as chemistry, environmental science, geology or chemical engineering who hope to make a career in the mineral industry.

Courses available, please click for further details

Fundamentals of Hydrometallurgy

Leaching processes

Separation processes

Metal reduction processes

FUNDAMENTALS OF HYDROMETALLURGY

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The course aims to enhance and apply principles and practices from a range of disciplines to hydrometallurgical processes. It aims to achieve the following objectives with illustrations using practical applications:

· Introduce hydrometallurgy

· Understand and apply aqueous thermodynamics

· Understand the principles of chemical processing

· Use and abuse of kinetics

· Understand electrochemical principles

· Apply the principles in practical situations

COURSE OUTLINE:

· Introduction to hydrometallurgy

· Thermodynamics of solutions

· Redox equilibria

· Eh/pH diagrams

· Heterogeneous kinetics

· Electrochemical kinetics

· Mass transport

· Daily practical workshops

Back to hydrometallurgy course list

LEACHING PROCESSES

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The course aims to enhance understanding of the principles and applications of the leaching of minerals during hydrometallurgical processes. It aims to achieve the following objectives with illustrations using practical applications:

· Introduce the chemistry and thermodynamics of leaching

· Understand electrochemical principles underlying leaching

· Understand heterogeneous kinetics

· Understand the leaching behaviour of minerals

· Understand leaching of metals, oxides and sulphides

· Apply the principles in practical situations

COURSE OUTLINE:

· Chemical principles of leaching

· Thermodynamics of leaching

· Leaching kinetics

· Leaching of metals

· Leaching of oxides

· Leaching of sulfides

· Daily practical workshops

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SEPARATION PROCESSES

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The course aims to enhance skills in the separation of ions in solution by chemical processes, concentrating on solvent extraction, ion exchange and adsorption onto carbon. It aims to achieve the following objectives with illustrations using practical applications:

· Apply chemical principles to separation

· Understand precipitation and crystallisation

· Understand the principles of solvent extraction

· Understand ion exchange and adsorption

· Apply principles to practical situations

COURSE OUTLINE:

· Separation processes

· Chemical principles

· Precipitation / crystallisation

· Solvent extraction

· Adsorption processes

· Ion exchange

· Daily practical workshops

Back to hydrometallurgy course list

METAL RECOVERY PROCESSES

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The course aims to enhance and apply skills from a range of disciplines to the recovery of metals and compounds from aqueous solutions. It aims to achieve the following objectives with illustrations using practical applications:

· Understand and apply thermodynamics of reduction

· Understand precipitation and crystallisation

· Understand cementation processes

· Understand pressure reduction

· Understand electrochemical principles

· Understand electrowinning processes

COURSE OUTLINE:

· Metal recovery processes

· Precipitation / crystallisation

· Thermodynamics of reduction

· Cementation

· Pressure reduction

· Principles of electrowinning

· Daily practical workshops

Back to hydrometallurgy course list

MINERAL PROCESSING

Up to general information

Mineral Processing

The main presenter of the mineral processing courses will be Dr. Gamini Senanayake who has many years of experience in mineral processing operations, especially physical separation processes and modelling, simulation & optimization of mineral processing operations. Dr. Senanayake will be aided by other members of the Extractive Metallurgy Department at Murdoch University and other selected expert speakers from industry.

For details for courses available please contact Gamini Senanayake.

Previously presented courses include:

Ore characterisation and sampling

Crushing, grinding, screening and classification

Performance evaluation of mineral processing plants

Physical concentration processes

Fundamentals of flotation

Practical application of flotation

Dewatering

Tailings disposal