Research

Kjeøy Research & Education Center performs research primarily in three areas:

  • Mining Environmental Management
  • Mineral Leaching for Element Extraction,
  • VanProd, vanadium leaching project funded by InteregNorth
  • Nickel leaching, co-funded funded by Norwegiean Science Foundation
  • CO2- mineral sequestration
  • Humidity Cell tests / kinetic column tests
  • Mineral reaction rates
  • Galena reaction rates sea water co-funded funded by Norwegiean Science Foundation Olivine-pyrrhotite rates in tailings co-funded funded by Norwegiean Science Foundation
  • Galena reaction rates sea water co-funded funded by Norwegiean Science Foundation
  • Olivine-pyrrhotite rates in tailings co-funded funded by Norwegiean Science Foundation
  • Leaching from Sub-sea tailings depositions

The laboratory at Kjeøy includes Atomic Adsorption (flame and graphite) from Analytic Jena, Ion Chromatograph from Metrohm, Tritration from Metrohm, and a microscope for transmitting and reflecting light. 600 m2 is set aside for experiments of which 200 m2 are currently in use for research projects. For more information on the research see KREC-Research


CURENT RESEARCH PROJECTS INCLUDE


Nickel leaching/extraction from Titania Talings, Southern Norway

Columns with 6 kg of material from the Titania ilmenite tailings dams are being tested to evalaute the potential for extracting nickel from the tailings. The work is being presented at Goldschmidt 2015, and the Abandoned Mine Lands conference in September, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The results so far indicate that acidic leachate with ferric iron can efficiently leach 60-70% of the nickel within 6-7 months.


Leaching and mineral transformation in Rezck mine waste material, Hungary

Column tests experiments following the setup of humidity cell tests have been ongoing for 4 years and is still going. The experiments evaluates the effect of gran sizes on mineral reaction rates for high sulfide (20 wt%) high carbonate waste (10 wt%). This work has resulted in on MS Thesis by Rodrigo Embile and currently one paper has been accepted in Mine Water and Environment.


Another set of experiments with samples from a different part of the waste material without significant carbonate content is investigating different setup of column width hight and water addition. These experiments have been ongoing for more than 2 years.


Leaching and mineralogical transformations in mine waste from Bolivia.

Mine waste from many different polymetalic vein deposits in Bolivia is being analysed in the laboratory at KREC. Fourteen samples have been running in kinetic test cells since 2008 and 2009 where leachates are being collected on a weekly basis and analyzed for pH, TDS, pe, alkalinity and chemical components on a weekly basis. Solid samples have been collected from the waste material on several occasions to evaluate changes in secondary and primary mineralogy using chemical sequential extraction, XRD and SEM. The work has formed the basis for one MSc thesis (completed January 2010) and one PhD dissertation (completion in June 2013).


KINETIC TESTS COLUMN DEVELOPMENT

Mine waste from Retzc Porphyry copper scarn deposit in Hungary have arebeing tested in several different ways to evalaute kinetic test procedures described in the EU guideline CEN/TR16375. Samples are being tested for different grain sizes, amount of water added, and column heights. Leachates are being collected on a weekly basis and analysed for pH, TDS, pe, alkalinity and chemical components. Mineralogical and chemical sequential extraction analysis are being performed both pre and post leaching. The research forms the basis for one MSc thesis. Parts of the work will be presented and the Norwegian Geological Association meeting in Oslo January 2013.


SULFIDES AND TAILINGS REACTIONS IN SALT WATER

KREC has initiated a project evaluating sulfide oxidation in saline solutions. This work includes pure sulfide mineral reaction rates analysis, column tests with new and old tailings material and field studies of the tailings deposit in the Ballangsleira after the mining at the Råna deposit during 1990-2001. This work forms the basis for one PhD dissertation.