NSERC Engage GEOMEGA-McGill green initiative for studies of aerosols emitted from mining sites

采矿业是加拿大每年数十亿美元的产业。仅在魁北克省，2010年矿产价值 据估计，该省的出口额约为68亿美元，直接就业人数为15，000人， 投资超过20亿美元（ISQ，2014年）。由于大多数采矿项目， 由于采矿勘探、空气中物质的长期运输和区域性的污染， 沉积情景一直是Resource Géoméga等矿业公司最关心的问题 Inc.这家100%控股的加拿大公司在魁北克省经营，是一家矿产勘探公司， 开发产业的重点是发现和可持续发展的经济存款， 省几年来。Géoméga多年来一直致力于Montviel采矿项目。注意 该稀土和铌开采项目位于德埃尤-伊斯特奇拜埃-詹姆斯地区。初步 这些公司的地球化学家和工程师进行的土壤测试显示， 其可作为空气传播的颗粒、气溶胶在局部或区域上传播，这可能对环境有害。 采矿地点周围社区的健康状况。气溶胶（空气中的颗粒），已被确定 国际气候变化专门委员会（IPCC）; 世界卫生组织（WMO; 2013，2014）。吉奥梅加不知道 颗粒的物理和化学特性分析方法。麦吉尔大气和 界面化学实验室是魁北克省的第一个此类实验室，具有国际知名的 研究气溶胶物理和化学特性的专门知识和最先进的设施， 流程.这项新的合作将使这家魁北克公司能够访问麦吉尔开发的 这些方法和技术将适合其特定的采矿地点和条件， 对采矿活动产生的气溶胶进行适当的环境风险评估。在这个项目中， 将在多学科环境中培训两名高素质人员。

Mining is a multibillion/yr industry in Canada. In the province of Quebec alone, in 2010 the value of mineral shipments from the province has been estimated about $6.8 billion accounting for 15,000 direct jobs and investment exceeding $2 billion (ISQ, 2014). Since most mining projects, environmental concerns, such as adverse air pollution due to the mining exploration, long-term transport of materials in air, and regional deposition scenarios, have always been an outmost concern to mining companies, such as Resource Géoméga Inc. This 100% owned Canadian company, operated in the province of Quebec, is a mineral exploration and development industry focused on the discovery and sustainable development of economic deposits in the province for several years. Géoméga has been working several years on the mining project Montviel. Note that this rare earth and niobium mining project is located in the d'Eeyou Istchee Baie-James region. Preliminary soil tests made by the companies' geochemists and engineers have shown significant amounts of trace metals, which can be transported as airborne particles, aerosols, locally or regionally, which can be harmful to the health of the communities living around their mining sites. Aerosols (airborne particles), have been identified as a research priority of the utmost importance by both the International Panel for Climate Change (IPCC; 2013) and the World Health Organization (WMO; 2013, 2014). Géoméga does not have the knowhow of analytical methods for concurrent physical and chemical characterisation of particles. McGill Atmospheric and interfacial chemistry laboratory is the first of its kind in the province of Quebec, with established international expertise and the state-of-the-art facilities for studies of aerosol physical and chemical characteristics and processes. This new engage collaboration will provide this Quebec company to access to McGill developed methods and techniques, which will be adapted for their particular mining sites and conditions, enabling them to perform adequately environmental risk assessment of aerosols due to their mining activities. In this project, two highly qualified personnel will be trained in a multidisciplinary environment.