Mining conference seeks sustainability through advanced separation technologies

The Center for Advanced Separation Technologies (CAST), a Virginia Tech consortium which recently received a $12 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), will share its latest research discoveries at its second annual workshop for representatives from the coal and minerals industries and academia. The three-day event will take place from Tuesday, July 26, to Thursday, July 28, at the new Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

The conference will feature oral and poster presentations, including keynote addresses from prominent speakers. Douglas Fuerstenau of University of California, Berkeley, and Geoff Senior of BHP Billiton will be the keynote speakers. In addition, Jacob Masliyah of the University of Alberta will give an invited lecture on the processing of oil sands. Richard Lawson, former president of the National Mining Association, will be the featured banquet speaker. CAST will discuss ways to develop technologies to meet future industrial needs and gain valuable feedback from industry representatives.

CAST, a nationally recognized energy and technology lab, assists mining industries by developing technologies that can produce high-quality solid fuels in an environmentally acceptable and sustainable way. Currently, CAST is conducting research on physical separations, chemical and biological separations, and environmental control. Speakers will discuss this research in depth at the conference.

“One of our objectives has been to create the knowledge base and technologies necessary for the economical and efficient recovery of coal and other minerals,” said Roe-Hoan Yoon, professor of mining and minerals engineering at Virginia Tech and director of the Center for Advanced Separation Technologies.

CAST is a consortium consisting of the following major coal mining schools in the U.S.: Virginia Tech, West Virginia University, University of Kentucky, Montana Tech, University of Nevada, New Mexico Tech, and University of Utah.

Those interested in attending should contact the conference registrar at (540) 231-5182. Additional information is posted on the conference website.