I-Corps: Microfluidic device for investigation of mineral/liquid interactions

这个I-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力源于矿产在我们社会中的重要性。不断增长的世界人口的能源和粮食安全取决于提高我们对页岩和磷灰石等复杂矿物的了解。像混凝土、煤和土壤这样不同的关键材料，都具有关键的矿物成分。整个矿物工业都取得了进展，但原料质量下降和环境问题要求该部门进行创新。例如，矿物反应性的分析测试仍然依赖于传统的湿化学仪器（如烧杯和体积烧瓶），这不能准确地了解杂质和辅助成分的行为。这种杂质往往决定了加工材料的性能。由于实验室测试服务市场在美国占71亿美元，因此分析设备的商业开发有明显的机会，可以显着提高实验数据的准确性，最大限度地降低成本和环境足迹。这个I-Corps项目的重点是开发一种微流体装置，用于在矿物样品表面进行化学反应。该设备将岩石学和湿化学分析结合在一个平台上，并将矿物/液体研究的分辨率提高到微米级。最初，这项研究是为了研究农业营养物质从硅酸盐矿物释放到土壤中自然存在的孔隙中。结果表明，在微观尺度上，这种释放发生的速度比以前认为的要快。随后，该技术在石油、天然气和采矿业高通量地质样品筛选方面的潜力得到了验证。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project originates from the importance that minerals plays in our society. Energy and food security for a growing world population depend on improving our understanding of complex minerals such as shales and apatites. Key materials as different as concrete, coal and soil, all feature a key mineral component. Progress has occurred throughout the mineral industry, but decreasing quality of feedstocks and environmental concerns call for innovation in the sector. As an example, analytical testing of minerals reactivity still relies on traditional wet chemistry apparatus (e.g., beaker and volumetric flasks), which do not allow an accurate understanding of impurities and accessory components behavior. Such impurities often determine the performance of the processed material. Since the market of laboratory testing services accounts for US$7.1bn in the US, there is an evident opportunity for commercial development of analytical devices that can significantly improve accuracy of experimental data, minimize cost and environmental footprints.This I-Corps project focuses on the development of a microfluidic device to perform chemical reactions on surfaces of mineral samples. The device combines in one single platform both petrographic and wet chemistry analysis, and enhances the resolution of mineral/liquid investigations to the micrometer scale. Originally, the research was developed to study the release of agricultural nutrients from silicate minerals to the pores that occur naturally in soil. It was demonstrated that at the microscale the rate at which such release occurs is faster than previously thought. Subsequently, the potential of the technology for high throughput screening of geological samples for the oil and gas and mining industries was validated.