Kelvin F. E. Anderson BSc (Hons), MSc
Department: Camborne School of Mines
Research Centre/Unit: Geology
Project Summary
My PhD grew not only out of my interest in moving out of the field of exploration to resource development and mining but also because my latter career was spent exclusively in iron ore exploration and development. Africa is a growing region for the development and production of iron ore deposits and it is becoming important as a future major supplier to Europe and China. My research focuses on the geometallurgy of magnetite iron ore formations in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon. The trend for integrating a geometallurgical approach as early as possible in the exploration cycle is particularly relevant to Banded Iron Formation (BIF) hosted iron ore deposits which are the dominant iron formations in West and Central Africa. There are multiple mineralogical, geochemical and physical parameters and characteristics of material types present within an iron ore body and these characteristics underpin the determination of industry standard indexes such as how fast the rock/product falls apart during transport (tumble, abrasion, decrepitation), or reduces within a blast furnace. Understanding these ore bodies from this broader perspective should enhance the ability of the deposit owners to develop a more efficient mine design and to allow a more consistent control of the product(s).
Supervisory Team
Prof. Frances Wall Dr. Charlie Moon
