Thorium & Rare Earths
| Date | 08 February 2010 |
| - | 10 February 2010 |
| Location | The Table Bay Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa |
Rare Earths have unique properties that make them indispensable for many technological applications.
A range of unique chemical, catalytic, electrical, magnetic, metallurgical and optical properties enable them to play a major role in the advancement of materials technology.
Rare earths are used in the automotive, electronics, environmental protection and petrochemical sectors. In fact no manufacturer can produce a catalytic converter, a miniature electric motor, a high-density magnet, a nickel metal hydride battery or a hybrid vehicle without rare earth materials.
Thorium has long been considered as a reactor fuel—and for good reason: this naturally occurring element is far more abundant, more efficient, and safer to use than uranium, plus, Thorium reactors leave behind very little plutonium, meaning that governments have as much as 80% reduced availability to weapons-grade plutonium for the making of nuclear weapons.
Advantages of Thorium over conventional uranium fuel: enhanced proliferation resistance and reduced spent fuel volumes.
The conference will provide an international forum for the rare earth and thorium processing fraternity to exchange information about current processing technologies, as well as about emerging technologies for both lanthanides and thorium.
The conference scope includes geology, mining, processing, fundamentals, operational practices, and environmental issues.
South Africa has vast resources of Rare Earths and Thorium in beach sands and hard rock deposits.
Sponsors
Thank you to the following sponsors for their support:
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Rareco |
Sponsorship / Exhibition Opportunities
Exhibition / Sponsorship
Sponsorship opportunities are available.
Companies wishing to sponsor or exhibit should contact the Conference Coordinator.
Registration Fees
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Registration Fee |
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SAIMM /GSSA |
R 9 300 |
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Non Members |
R 10 200 |
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Students / Retired Members |
R 2 700 |
Please note:
Non-members are entitled to free membership of the SAIMM, up to 30 June 2010, for attending this event
Registration Fees:
Prepayment is required for all Registration Fees on or before the date of the event.
Delegates who have not paid will not be permitted to attend the event
Discount:
Post Graduate students qualifies for an 20% discount on conference fee
Call for Papers
Prospective authors are invited to submit titles and abstracts of their papers, in English, and to indicate the topic under which the paper should be categorised.
The abstracts should be no longer than 500 words and should be submitted to the Conference Co-ordinator
Conference Co-ordinator,
SAIMM, P O Box 61127
Marshalltown
2107
Tel: (011) 834-1273/7
Fax: (011) 833-8156 or (011) 838-5923
Co-ordinator Email: jackie@saimm.co.za
Event Website: http://www.saimm.co.za/1002rare.asp
Who should attend
The conference should be of interest to the following:
· Geologists
· Scientists
· Investors, etc
Topics
Papers are invited that integrate the following topics:
· Geology mining and mineral economics
· Processing and refining
· Market: Current, developing and future
· Sustainability and low carbon world economy
Commitee Members
Willem van der Merwe (Chairman)
Christelle Baker
Paul Fouche
Eben Mulder
Rodney Jones
R Louw
Contact
Conference Co-ordinator,
SAIMM, P O Box 61127
Marshalltown
2107
Tel: (011) 834-1273/7
Fax: (011) 833-8156 or (011) 838-5923
Co-ordinator Email: jackie@saimm.co.za
Event Website: http://www.saimm.co.za/1002rare.asp
Preliminary Programme
PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME
Monday 8 February 2010
Session 1—General
SESSION CHAIRMAN: W. van der Merwe
07:30–08:30 Registration and early morning refreshments
08:30–08:45 Chairman’s welcome and opening
08:45–08:55 Opening address
J.C. Ngoma, President, SAIMM
08:55–09:35 Keynote address: New recent applications of the rare earths in various fields
Prof. G. Paolucci
09:35–10:05 Keynote address: The Steenkampskraal monazite deposit in the Western Cape:
Affinities to the copper deposits near Springbok, Namaqualand, South Africa
Dr M.A.G. Andreoli, Necsa - University of the Witwatersrand
Session 2—Mining and minerals
SESSION CHAIRMAN: R. Louw
10:05–10:30 Thorium and rare earths in the Pilansberg alkaline complex
J. Lurie, Technikon Wits
10:30–10:55 Monazite production from the heavy mineral deposits of Northern KZN
J. Selby, RBM
10:55–11:20 U, Th and REE distribution in the Namakwa Sands heavy mineral deposit, West Coast of South Africa
C. Philander
11:20–11:50 Mid-morning refreshments
11:50–12:15 The Steenkampskraal story
T. Blench, Rareco
12:15–12:40 Keynote Address: The sources and resources of Thorium; the rebirth of a nuclear technology
metal
J. Lifton, Jack Lifton LLC
12:40–13:05 Rare earth elements associated with the Riviera deposit, Western Cape, South Africa
A. Rozendaal
13:05–14:00 Lunch
Session: 3—Mining and minerals
SESSION CHAIRMAN: E. Mulder
13:40–14:05 Variation in Monazite's separation characteristics
J. Grobler, Exxaro
14:05–14:30 The mineralogy and REE distribution of the Hoidas Lake Rare Earth deposit in
Saskatchewan, Canada
G. Billingsley, Great Western Minerals Group Ltd
14:30–14:40 Chairman’s closing remarks
14:40 Afternoon refreshments
15:00 End of conference day 1
18:00 Dinner at The Paulander (Bavarian beer fest)
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Session 4: Mineral processing and applications
SESSION CHAIRMAN: M. Kotze
07:30–08:30 Registration and early morning refreshments
08:30–09:10 Keynote address: Nuclear a sustainable energy solution
Prof. E. Mulder, North West University
09:10–09:50 Keynote address: The advanced metals initiative—The beneficiation of zirconium, hafnium,
tantalum and niobium compounds
Dr J.T. Nel, NECSA
09:50–10:15 A review of actinoid and lanthanoid chemistry as applied to leaching and recovery processes
D. Groot, University of Pretoria
10:15–10:40 Silver transport mechanism
Prof. J. Neethling, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
10:40–11:10 Mid-morning refreshments
Session 5: Mineral processing and applications continues
SESSION CHAIRMAN: D. Groot
11:10–11:35 Mintek’s solvent extraction experience on rare earth separations
R. du Preez, Mintek
11:35–12:15 Keynote address: Opportunities for South Africa in the nuclear fuel cycle
Dr Van Zyl de Villiers, NECSA
12:15–12:55 Ammonium acid fluoride as fluorinating agent in the South African minerals processing
industry - Zircon beneficiation
W. du Plessis, P.L. Crouse, and J.T. Nel, NECSA and University of Pretoria
12:55–14:00 Lunch
Session 6: Mineral processing and applications continues
SESSION CHAIRMAN: J.T. Nel
14:00–14:25 Estimating the future requirement for Neodymium (Nd) for the wind electricity generation
market
H. Boer, Thuthuka Group Limited
14:25–14:50 Neomagnet markets—an attractive proposition?
V. Agnello, Snowden Mining Industry Consultants
14:50–15:15 The role of rare earth elements in the low carbon economy
R. Louw, Promethium
15:15–15:45 Afternoon refreshments
Session 7: Mineral processing and applications continues
SESSION CHAIRMAN: C. Baker
15:45–16:10 Advanced thorium fuel cycle: results from multi-physics, multi scale modelling
Prof. E. Mulder and D.E. Serfontein, North West University
16:10–16:35 Purification of Zirconium, metal to nuclear grade purity by vacuum sublimation
W.G. Augustyn*, J.B. Wagener*, J.T. Nel*, D. Hudson-Lamb*, R.I. McCrindle†, *NECSA
and †Tshwane University of Technology
16:35–16:45 Chairman’s closing remarks
16:45 End of Conference
Wednesday 10 February 2010
Technical Visits Day
Technical Visits
Delegates may select to attend one of the following site visits, dependent on the host capacity and subscription to the option:
*Koeberg
*Windfarms
Referees
- S Clague
- R Du Preez
- W Focke
- J Grobler
- H Lingenfelder
- L Lourens
- R Louw
- E Mulder
- M Plaskitt
- K Theron
- N Vegter
- E Venter
Downloads
Conference Announcement
Registration Form