Research Projects

Explore Our Sponsored Research Projects

MINING SAFETY PROJECTS

• Hazard Recognition App for Underground Mines
  The Hazard Recognition in Underground Mines application (HUMApp) aims to enhance safety by automatically detecting structural hazards in underground mines using a machine learning-based computer vision model.
• Camera-aided Technology for Underground Mine Safety
  In this collaborative project, researchers at the Mine Automation & Autonomous Systems Laboratory sought to develop a system for automatic personal protective equipment detection for industrial and underground mining environments.
• Using Predictive Analytics to Model Operators' Health and Safety Trajectory
  With industry support, this cross-campus collaboration employed Machine Learning to enhance safety reports for improved risk management and the health and safety of mine operators.
• Acid Mist Suppressant for CU EW
  Developed with support from Freeport McMoRan, this project’s objective was to study the impact of working conditions on O2 bubbles produced in copper electrowinning solution, with the aim of mitigating acid mist production.
• Bioinspired Blycolipids as Mining Dust Mitigation Agents
  In this academia-industry partnership, researchers explored methods to reduce air pollution at mine sites by identifying and developing glycolipid formulations as dust suppressants.
• Separation & Recovery of Energy-Critical Metals from Aquous Sources
  Focusing on energy-critical metals, rare earth elements, platinum group metals, uranium, and copper, a cross-functional team of academic researchers and industry partners developed novel methods for separating and recovering metals from aqueous sources.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY PROJECTS

• Monetizing the Climate Benefits of Mine Site Re-vegetation
  This strategic initiative aims to develop tools to assess and predict vegetation productivity and carbon sequestration on mining-impacted lands, establishing carbon drawdown and related climate benefits as sustainability goals for the hardrock mining industry.
• Accelerated Mineral Carbonation for Aced Mine Drainage Treatment, Mine Tailings Stabilization & Carbon Dioxide Sequestration
  This project aims to understand how accelerated mineral carbonation can treat acid mine drainage, stabilize mine tailings, and sequester carbon dioxide, while also generating preliminary data for future research funding proposals.
• Measurement and Modeling of Sulfide Tailings Diagenesis in Controlled Experimentation: Implications for Mine Waste Remediation 
  This project involves real-time column experiments across multiple sites to measure chemical reactions controlling mine tailings weathering, aiming to produce a Reactive Transport Model that predicts metal(loid) mobility and environmental impacts.
• CESM Repurposing Mine Waste Strategic Innovation: Identification of Metal-Hyperaccumulating Plants as Polymetallic Systems for Ecocatalysis
  This project surveys plant diversity at a legacy mine tailings site, targeting self-sustaining native species that have thrived for 70 years, informing future reclamation efforts and enhancing revegetation's scientific basis for efficient, site-tailored solutions in metal-impacted lands across the Southwestern United States.
• A Machine Learning-Based Approach to Recycling Mine Waste for Developing Sustainable Construction Materials
  This research project aims to optimize the use of copper mine wastes as supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) or aggregate, enhancing sustainability through a machine learning-based analysis of their chemical and physical properties relationship.
• Translating Sustainability Metrics into Engineering Decisions: Exploring Strategies for Sustainable Material Use in Design and Manufacturing 
  Key goals of this SMMR-funded research effort are to explore how environmental impact affects engineers’ decision-making during mine design, and to pilot an engineering decision-making study for additive manufacturing.

CHARACTERIZATION & RESOURCE PROJECTS

• Advancing UA Mineral Resources and Gem Science Analytical Capabilities with New Lab
  This grant aims to advance UArizona's mineral and gem science analytical capabilities by establishing an interdisciplinary lab and implementing innovative analytical techniques facilitated by state-of-the-art equipment.
• Miners Lab: Active Spectral Imaging
  This project proposes a low-cost active imaging solution tailored to material characterization, aiming to overcome the limitations of expensive multispectral and hyperspectral sensors, which are restricted to use only under optimal solar conditions.
• Geochronology of REE-Bearing Pegmatites
  This project aims to determine the age(s) of pegmatites in Arizona, crucial for exploration of Rare Earth Elements (REE), Li, and other critical elements, and to enhance understanding of their genesis.
• Novel Sources of Critical Minerals from Porphyry Copper Deposits
  This pilot study explores the geological and geometallurgical potential of porphyry copper mining for recovering numerous critical minerals often overlooked in conventional extraction processes.