Molten mysteries unearthed

Metallurgy researcher Dr Eugene Jak is turning to mathematics to solve a long-standing metal processing problem.

Dr Jak, Research Director of the Pyrometallurgy Research Centre (PYROSEARCH) at The University of Queensland, is leading a project to provide a mathematical description of the chemical and physical behaviours of molten oxides.

He has been awarded $70,000 in funding from the UQ Foundation Research Excellence Awards for the one-year project.

The project will draw on Dr Jak’s world-leading research on phase equilibria in molten oxide systems using experimental and mathematical modelling techniques.

According to Dr Jak, while the behaviour of molten oxides (slags) plays a crucial role in high-temperature metal and mineral processing, not much is known of the internal structure of these silicate systems at the atomic level.

A greater understanding of slag properties could have major benefits for a range of industries such as metal and mineral extraction, coal, glass and ceramics.

The knowledge could be used to increase metal and mineral yields, reduce waste, save energy and possibly develop new types of processes in metal-extraction.

Dr Jak said molten oxides were mostly composed of silicates derived from host rock minerals or were added deliberately in industrial processes to modify the properties of the reaction products.

“The structure of the silicates is very complicated, and it’s a key factor in how the chemical and physical properties of the slags change with composition and temperature,” he said.

After developing a better understanding of the silicate components, Dr Jak said a mathematical basis would be used to predict the properties of the slags.

The work will advance ongoing research at PYROSEARCH in high-temperature metal smelting.

The PYROSEARCH Centre, headed by Associate Professor Peter Hayes, was established in UQ’s School of Engineering in 2001, and has already forged major links with industry sponsors in Australia and throughout the world. Total external research funding commitments of $3.2 million have already been secured.

Earlier this year, PYROSEARCH researchers were awarded the nation’s highest overall Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage-Project grant. The five-year $1.38 million grant is backed up by a further $1.15 million of industry funding.