CSA Global’s Principal Resource Geologist, Dr Maxim Seredkin and Dr Igor Solodov from ARMZ Holding will present on “In-situ Recovery. Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions” between 19-26 May 2018 at the ALTA 2018 Nickel-Cobalt-Copper, Uranium-REE-Lithium Conference in Perth, Western Australia.
The addition of a one-day In Situ Recovery (ISR) Symposium, organised in cooperation with CSIRO Minerals, will be included for the first time in ALTA 2018 and will take place on Wednesday 23 May 2018.
ALTA 2018 is a leading platform for metallurgical innovation and will demonstrate various aspects of project development and opportunities for the industry to share ideas, innovations, technologies and projects, and develop broader networks.
ABSTRACT: In-situ Recovery. Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions
In-situ recovery (ISR) transfers a significant proportion of hydrometallurgical processing to mineralised bodies in the subsurface to directly obtain solutions of metals of interest. As a result, there is little surface disturbance, and no tailings or waste rock are generated at ISR mines. However, for ISR to be successful, deposits need to be permeable (either naturally or artificially induced), and the metals of interest readily amenable to dissolution by leaching solutions over a reasonable period of time, with an acceptable consumption of leaching reagents. ISR of uranium, gold and copper is common, with the share of uranium mined by ISR accounting for more than 50% of world production. ISR for other elements such as nickel, cobalt, rare earths, scandium, molybdenum has been successfully developed over recent years. However, implementation of ISR has serious challenges due to the variability in deposit geological and hydrogeological conditions, as well as mineralogical and petrography composition. Initial testing of commercial blocks is often complicated, however technical issues can often be solved through the execution of appropriate work programmes. Environmental issues also require consideration. Contamination of groundwater by ISR reagents is a critical aspect requiring management. The ISR industry has developed solutions for technical challenges such as specific approaches for exploration and geological modelling, calibration of lixiviant composition, timing of leaching and construction of wells, repair and restoration works, and modelling of ISR processes.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr Maxim Seredkin
PhD, BSc, FAusIMM, MAIG, Expert OERN
Dr Seredkin has more than 18 years’ experience in exploration, mining production and resource estimation. He has experience in a range of commodities and reporting codes (including JORC and NI43-101). Maxim is particularly sought after in industry and academia for his expertise in uranium, he has in-depth experience across a range of geological settings and deposit types. He has specialist skills in the application of in-situ recovery for uranium extraction based on 5 years of direct operational experience. In addition to uranium expertise, Maxim has experience in bauxite, rare earths and iron ore. Maxim has a strong scientific background, with research experience in ore genesis, petrology and the mineralisation of carbonatite, alkaline and ultramafic complexes, in hydrothermal-metasomatic gold and tungsten deposits.
Краткая биография Солодова Игоря Николаевича
Основная специальность – геотехнолог. Окончил в 1973 году Московский геологоразведочный институт по специальности – горный инженер гидрогеолог-геотехнолог. В 1986 году защитил кандидатскую диссертацию по геотехнологии отработки уранового месторождения Братское (Украина). В 2004 г защитил докторскую диссертацию по теме «Гидрогеохимический каротаж: теория и практика». С 1973 по 2015 год в должности начальника партии и начальника экспедиции ВСЕГИНГЕО, а затем заведующего сектором радиогеологических проблем ИГЕМ РАН занимался изучением геологии и геотехнологии урановых месторождений России, Узбекистана, Южного Казахстана, Австралии, Танзании и Намибии. С 2005 по настоящее время работаю в АРМЗ Росатома по направлению – наука и инновации.
Dr Solodov Igor Nikolaevich
The main specialty is geotechnologist. He graduated from the Moscow Geological Prospecting Institute in 1973 with a degree of mining engineer hydrogeologist-geotechnologist. In 1986 he defended his candidate dissertation on ISL of the Bratskoye uranium deposit (Ukraine). In 2004 he defended his doctoral dissertation “Hydrogeochemical logging: theory and practice”. From 1973 to 2015 he studied geology and geotechnology of uranium deposits in Russia, Uzbekistan, Southern Kazakhstan, Australia, Tanzania and Namibia as the head of the geological party and the head of the geological expedition VSEGINGEO, and then as the head of the sector of radio-geological problems of IGEM RAS. From 2005 to the present day he works in ARMZ Uranium Holding Co., the mining arm of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation, in the field of science and innovation.
