U.S.-Turkey Cooperative Research: Recovery of Borax from Saturated Salt Solutions

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Description: This award is for the support of cooperative research by Dr. Jan Miller, Department of Metallurgical Engineering at the University of Utah, Salt lake City, and Drs. Guven Onal and Mehmet Sabri Celik, of the Mining Faculty, Istanbul Technical University in Turkey. The research aims at improving the understanding of the floating chemistry of boron minerals, to make more efficient use of boron resources, and to minimize the environmental impact of the process operations. Specifically, the investigators plan to use Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a powerful tool for examination of the interaction forces in boron flotation. They will measure the interaction forces in borate ore in water under different conditions of concentration, when mixing with clays, and under different pH levels. They plan to use Fourier Transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers to examine the adsorption of anionic and cationic collectors in various ore and ore-mixes. Also planned is the use of Raman Spectroscopy to detect and describe flotation conditions and results. Scope: This award allows cooperation of two research teams with complementary capabilities, to do important scientific work that has applications in industry, in the US and in Turkey. The teams will include graduate students from the US and from Turkey. The studies will contribute to the development of a flotation separation strategy for more effective recovery of boron minerals from saturated solutions. The US is the largest producer of boron compounds, and Turkey has the largest boron reserves in the world. The project fits well within the objectives of the Division of International Programs. This award includes funding from the Division of International Programs, and from the Division of Chemical and Transport Systems.