Local Events

November 16, 2023

**NEW LOCATION (Across from the Metropolitan Ballroom)**
10 West End, 1601 Utica Ave S, St. Louis Park

 

One Step Ahead of Fugitive Dust: A Proactive Approach to Reducing Weather-Related Dust Generation at Mine Sites

Allison Serakos, Environmental Scientist, BARR Engineering

Fugitive dust has increasingly been an area of agency attention. The mining area specifically is highly prone to fugitive dust generation due to the large number of dust generating activities, such as haul truck roads, tailings basins, stockpiles, and mine pits. Because most of the mining operations are subject to the natural elements, addressing fugitive dust generation from weather events can be difficult. 
 
Most of the methods for addressing fugitive dust are reactionary, such as water trucks and applying dust suppressants once dust is visible. These measures are good and appropriate, however, for weather events that our out of the facility’s control they can sometimes be too late.
 
In this talk, I will present two methods for developing site-specific fugitive dust prediction models based on dynamical and statistical relationships with local weather data. I will walk through a typical physical dust generation mechanism and also discuss different statistical methods used to develop site-specific prediction models. Additionally, I will discuss how these models are being used in alert tool systems to provide effective and proactive dust suppressant measures.

Thank you to our event sponsor:





FUTURE EVENTS

January 18, 2024 - TBD

February 15, 2024 - TBD

April 15-17, 2024 - SME Minnesota Conference



PAST EVENTS 

March 16, 2023 - Who is NewRange Copper Nickel?

Christie Kearney, PE, SERA Director, New Range Copper Nickel
Sam Weatherley, DPhil, P.Geo., Geoscience Lead, New Range Copper Nickel

The NewRange Copper Nickel joint venture brings together two large, well-defined resources (NorthMet and Mesaba deposits) in the mineral-rich Duluth Complex of the established Iron Range mining region of Minnesota. This partnership between PolyMet Mining Corp and Teck Resources Limited will advance the responsible and sustainable development of a new domestic supply of critical minerals for the low-carbon transition. In this presentation we will provide an overview of the projects, the synergies between the two companies, some groundbreaking work Teck has been doing with platinum group minerals, and what NewRange has planned for the next 12 months.

February 16, 2023 - Talon Metals - Exploration Update & Innovative Data Management
Brian Goldner, Chief Exploration Officer, Talon Metals
Talon Metals is focused on finding the next high-grade nickel deposit as quickly as possible in both Michigan and Minnesota. This talk will focus on providing an exploration update for Talon Metals along with touching on some of their current and innovative data management practices.

January 19, 2023 - Northstar Manganese Project
Henry (Rick) Sandri, PhD MA BS, Northstar Manganese
North Star Manganese is pursuing the advancement of the Emily Manganese Deposit. The Emily Manganese Deposit is within Emily District of the Cuyuna Iron Range and has been explored in the past by US Steel and Pickands Mather, and more recently, by Cooperative Mineral Resources. Manganese is one of the critical elements required in most lithium-ion batteries, and the US is 100% dependent on imported manganese. This talk will present the recent geologic and technical findings of North Star and will present the 2023 exploration plan on the Deposit.

November 15, 2022 - Minnesota's Titanium/Vanadium Deposits
George Hudak, Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI)
Over the past several years, the Natural Resources Research Institute and Process Research Ortech have collaborated on several mineral processing/hydrometallurgical studies to develop critical minerals-bearing products. This talk focused on the collaborative development of a hydrometallurgical process flowsheet to produce high-purity iron-, titanium-, and vanadium-bearing products from a Minnesota critical metals-bearing oxide ultramafic intrusion.

October 4, 2022 - U.S. Critical Minerals: Resources, Mining and Supply Chains

2022 Southern Minnesota SME Full Day Conference (See Program page for details)